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Black Tea Caffeinated |
With black tea, the leaves are allowed to completely oxidize. The Chinese call it red tea because the actual tea liquid is red. Westerners call it black tea because the tea leaves used to brew it are usually black. However, red tea may also refer to rooibos, an increasingly popular tisane from South Africa. Black tea is made from the more mature leaves on the plant. It stores very well, matures with age and is generally stronger in flavor. Though ready to drink after processing, the longer black tea is stored the better, retaining its flavor for several years. For this reason, it has long been an article of trade, and compressed bricks of black tea even served as a form of de facto currency in Mongolia, Tibet and Siberia up to WW II. The expression black tea is also used to describe a cup of tea without milk (served black), similar to coffee similarly served without milk or cream. The oxidation process will take around two weeks and up to one month. Once the leaves are picked, they are left to wither for several hours. Then they are processed in either of two ways, CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) or orthodox. The CTC method is used for lower quality leaves that end up in tea bags and are processed by machines. This method is efficient and effective for producing a better quality product from medium and lower quality leaves. Orthodox processing is done by hand. Hand processing is used for high quality teas. Next, the leaves are fermented. Since fermentation begins at the rolling stage itself, the time between these stages is a crucial factor. Rolling causes oils from the leaves are brought to the surface. These aromatic oils aid in the oxidation process, which last for several hours and will determine the quality of the tea. The leaves are then placed into ovens until they are 80 percent dry, the leaves may complete their drying over wood fires. dried to arrest the fermentation process. Finally, the leaves are sorted into grades according their sizes (whole leaf, broken, fannings and dust), usually with the use of sieves. Unblended black teas are identified by the estate they come from, their year and the flush (first, second or autumn). Orthodox and CTC teas are further graded according to the post-production leaf quality by the Orange Pekoe system. |
Ceylon Venture Estate Certified Organic /Fair Trade Certified |
This inexpensive, good consuming, quality tea is characterized by a medium sized whole black leaf with some golden tips. |
Robusto! Good looks, impeccable taste, enduring aroma & a style all its own. |
Grown in the District of Ratnapura (the city of gems) on the border of the Sinharaja forest. This strategic location combined with favorable atmospheric conditions (that is always clean and natural) |
Qimen is actually the correct transliteration for what is nearly always referred to as Keemun. A traditional English Breakfast, Keemun is produced in the Qimen precinct of southern Anhui province in central China. |
Light-bodied tea from the Great Rift Valley highlands of Kenya. Grown in a co-operative of thousands of small land-holders, this tea steeps to a clear, brisk cup with oh-so-mild peppery end notes. |
Lapsang souchong is a black tea originally from the Zheng Shan part of Mount Wuyi in the Fujian province of China. Legend claims that the smoking process was discovered by accident. |
The bushes at Margaret’s Hope are almost entirely the Chinese Jat (genus) accounting for the green leafed tippy appearance of the manufactured leaf and the superb fragrance. Because the tea is grown at such high altitudes and in relatively cool weather the bushes do not grow quickly, and as such the production is limited. |
With its typical aroma this strong Russian blend will remind you of times gone by, when teas were still transported by camel caravans from the land of origin to Russia and Europe |
The cup produces a rich full bodied tea with floral-like flavor notes with thickness and a malty but lively character. A perfect all day tea. The infusion is bright and tending coppery. |
Yunnan Black was first produced over 1500 years ago, making it one of the oldest teas. This full bodied tea has a spicy aroma and yields an orange-reddish cup with a chocolaty end note. |
The fine and pretty whole black leaves produce a medium bodied cup with a dark golden liquor. The full round taste at a reasonable price really need not fear any competition from neighboring China. |
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