Black tea
The differently processed, oxidized variant of the tea leaf is considered a national drink as black tea, especially in Asia. It has also found its way into Western households as a symbol of hospitality.
All about black tea
Black teas:
A hot drink with a European flavor
Black teas are fully oxidized teas. This means that the ingredients in the tea leaves react with the oxygen in the air during processing and turn brown. They therefore look and taste very different to green teas, where this process is prevented.
The long journey of black tea
In the original countries of origin, black teas only played a subordinate role for a long time. In China and Japan, people preferred - and still prefer - to drink green teas, partially oxidized oolong teas or fermented Pu Erh teas. However, China has also been producing black teas for export for almost 200 years, while the British have been producing black teas in their colonies from the very beginning, i.e. for just over 150 years. Originally, this type of tea was created because it was more robust and the goods spoiled less quickly on the long sea route to Europe. Over time, however, European tastes became completely adapted to black teas and developed their own tea culture. Particularly in England with the late afternoon "high tea", but also in East Frisia with the East Frisian tea ceremony with Kluntjes and cream, very special forms of preparation and enjoyment developed. Teas from the gardens and plantations established in the 19th century in what was then British India are still among the best-known varieties today: fine teas from the highlands of Darjeeling, strong, malty teas from the Brahmaputra river valley in the Assam region, spicy teas from the highlands of Sri Lanka. "English Breakfast" is a strong blend of Assam, Ceylon and often Kenya teas. "Earl Grey, named after the aristocratic British Prime Minister Charles Grey from colonial times, is a black tea flavored with essential oils from the peel of the bergamot citrus fruit.Production and plantations
Today, a large proportion of black tea for the mass market is produced in Africa, in former British colonies such as Kenya and Malawi. The plantations there supply a large proportion of the machine-processed black teas that can be found in many tea bags. These are teas whose leaves are rolled, plucked and crushed using special machines. This makes them more productive - however, many of the finer aromas are lost during the somewhat rough processing of such "broken teas". These are more likely to be found in "leaf teas", where the tea leaves remain relatively intact. samova black teas are all fine, single-vintage organic plantation teas from certified growing regions such as Darjeeling, Assam, Sri Lanka, China, Japan and Thailand.
Tea questions
Black tea
Black teas are brewed at high temperatures of between 80 and 100 degrees and can steep for between three and five minutes. In the Turkish and Russian preparation variant (with a samovar), the black tea leaves steep permanently in the smaller extract pot and are then diluted in the glass with hot water from the samovar as desired. The samova varieties Business Trip, Straight Forward, English Breakfast and Easy Friesy are suitable for this.
During oxidation, the abundant tannins (especially catechins) in green tea are partially converted into essential oils (e.g. theaflavins). These give black teas their typical, full-bodied flavor. However, black teas still contain many tannins, especially tannins. The longer the tea steeps, the more of these substances are washed out of the leaf. The effect: the longer the tea is steeped, the stronger and often more bitter it tastes. In addition, the tannins bind the caffeine contained in the tea, so that the tea is no longer quite as stimulating as with a shorter infusion time.
Whole leaves have a smaller surface area in relation to their volume than ground tea crumbs. It takes longer for the bitter, strong components such as tannins to be released from the leaf. It can therefore be dosed more precisely and a much wider range of subtle aromas can be extracted. The highest quality teas are therefore picked and processed by hand. This means that the leaves remain undamaged or can be processed in exactly the way required for a particular flavor profile.
The stimulating effect of tea is due to the caffeine contained in the leaves. The caffeine content is generally increased by oxidation and is therefore actually higher in black teas.
Nevertheless, the caffeine content of individual varieties varies considerably in both black and green teas. It depends on many factors: the type of plant and cultivar, the age of the plant, which leaves are picked at which time, the soil conditions, the altitude of the growing area and the specific microclimate. Some of these factors reinforce each other, others balance each other out. It is therefore quite possible that a green tea has more caffeine than a certain black tea.
The availability of caffeine for the human organism also varies from variety to variety. In green teas, the caffeine is integrated into its natural biochemical compounds. It is therefore absorbed more slowly by the body, but has a more lasting effect. In black teas, the caffeine becomes available more quickly due to oxidation. At the same time, oxidation also produces other substances that have a calming and balancing effect on the mind. In addition, the strong tannins in black teas bind the released caffeine.
And finally, there is another important factor: the tea drinker. Everyone reacts differently to caffeine, some people are highly sensitive, some can tolerate large doses without any noticeable effect... So the basic rule is: try it out!
Nevertheless, the caffeine content of individual varieties varies considerably in both black and green teas. It depends on many factors: the type of plant and cultivar, the age of the plant, which leaves are picked at which time, the soil conditions, the altitude of the growing area and the specific microclimate. Some of these factors reinforce each other, others balance each other out. It is therefore quite possible that a green tea has more caffeine than a certain black tea.
The availability of caffeine for the human organism also varies from variety to variety. In green teas, the caffeine is integrated into its natural biochemical compounds. It is therefore absorbed more slowly by the body, but has a more lasting effect. In black teas, the caffeine becomes available more quickly due to oxidation. At the same time, oxidation also produces other substances that have a calming and balancing effect on the mind. In addition, the strong tannins in black teas bind the released caffeine.
And finally, there is another important factor: the tea drinker. Everyone reacts differently to caffeine, some people are highly sensitive, some can tolerate large doses without any noticeable effect... So the basic rule is: try it out!
Essentially, there are four to five processing steps until the freshly picked tea leaf has become a black tea. The decisive step is oxidation.
Roles: The leaves are then rolled and kneaded by hand or with small machines. This causes the cells inside the leaf to break open, the juice escapes and reacts with the oxygen in the air
Oxidize: The leaves are left to air until they have turned from green to brown. This is the decisive step towards black tea. Green teas are quickly heated after rolling to prevent oxidation.
Forms: Like green teas, some black leaf teas are also shaped by hand, for example rolled into small balls/pearls or curved "eyebrows".
Roasting/drying: Finally, the withered teas are dried or roasted in the sun, over a wood fire or in hot fans.
All steps require the guidance of a knowledgeable person who knows exactly when the right time has come for which step and how long oxidizing or drying, for example, may take. These "tea masters" are the key players in tea production.
The steps in detail:
Withering: The freshly picked leaves are laid out on bamboo mats in the sun or in large, ventilated halls. Within a few hours, more than half of the water escapes and the originally plump leaves take on a limp textureRoles: The leaves are then rolled and kneaded by hand or with small machines. This causes the cells inside the leaf to break open, the juice escapes and reacts with the oxygen in the air
Oxidize: The leaves are left to air until they have turned from green to brown. This is the decisive step towards black tea. Green teas are quickly heated after rolling to prevent oxidation.
Forms: Like green teas, some black leaf teas are also shaped by hand, for example rolled into small balls/pearls or curved "eyebrows".
Roasting/drying: Finally, the withered teas are dried or roasted in the sun, over a wood fire or in hot fans.
All steps require the guidance of a knowledgeable person who knows exactly when the right time has come for which step and how long oxidizing or drying, for example, may take. These "tea masters" are the key players in tea production.
Black teas are produced from both the large-leaf Assamica and the smaller-leaf Sinensis varieties. In many cases, they are crosses of both. The best-known examples: Assam teas are made from the tea subspecies Camellia Sinensis Assamica, which was "discovered" by a Scottish adventurer among a mountain tribe in northern India at the beginning of the 19th century. Compared to the more delicate Chinese tea plant, it has larger, darker and more fleshy leaves and is the basis for strong, malty teas. It is mainly grown in the Brahmaputra river valley in the north Indian region of Assam. Darjeeling teas are made from the small-leaf Sinensis Sinensis variety. This was originally imported from China, but over the course of time its own cultivars were bred, which are specially tailored to the particular high-altitude terroir in Darjeeling. Ceylon teas are mostly produced from cultivars of the Assamica variety, but are grown in the highlands of Sri Lanka. Special cultivars have also developed here.
The black teas from the English colonial areas are traditionally divided into different leaf grades. The simplest designation is OP - Orange Pekoe. This refers to teas that are harvested according to the "Two Leaves and the Bud" picking standard. The origin of the word pekoe is uncertain. Some linguists trace it back to the Chinese word for "white down" - peh-hoe. In China, this refers to the white hairs that appear on the leaf bud. The origin of "orange" is also no longer clearly traceable: It either refers to the fact that the particularly good teas were originally intended for the Dutch royal family, the Orangemen, according to the 2+1 plucking standard. Or to the orange hue that the small hairs give the leaf buds when they are fully oxidized.
In the following, the grading - and thus often also the taste quality - is made more and more precise by means of letter abbreviations:
BOP – Broken Orange Pekoe = crushed black tea, particularly high yield FOP- Flowery Orange Pekoe = Whole leaf tea with buds that are still unopened GFOP – Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe = Whole-leaf tea with shimmering golden buds TGFOP- Tippy Golden Flowery OP = Especially many golden bud tips ("tips") FTGFOP - Finest Tippy Golden Flowery OP = besonders viele, besonders feine goldene »Tips« SFTGFOP - Super Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – uff… superfein halt!
Außerdem gibt es noch sogenannte »Fannings« = gesiebte Tees mit Bröseln, die bei der Herstellung der Broken Teas durchs Sieb fallen. Und schließlich den »Dust« – den ganz klein gemahlenen Teestaub, der in den normalen Doppelkammer-Teebeuteln landet.
In the following, the grading - and thus often also the taste quality - is made more and more precise by means of letter abbreviations:
BOP – Broken Orange Pekoe = crushed black tea, particularly high yield FOP- Flowery Orange Pekoe = Whole leaf tea with buds that are still unopened GFOP – Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe = Whole-leaf tea with shimmering golden buds TGFOP- Tippy Golden Flowery OP = Especially many golden bud tips ("tips") FTGFOP - Finest Tippy Golden Flowery OP = besonders viele, besonders feine goldene »Tips« SFTGFOP - Super Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe – uff… superfein halt!
Außerdem gibt es noch sogenannte »Fannings« = gesiebte Tees mit Bröseln, die bei der Herstellung der Broken Teas durchs Sieb fallen. Und schließlich den »Dust« – den ganz klein gemahlenen Teestaub, der in den normalen Doppelkammer-Teebeuteln landet.
In East Frisia, tea consumption is higher than anywhere else in the world. And the tea is drunk in a special way: with cream and rock candy - the famous "Kluntjes". This requires a good blend of strong, rich broken teas, most of which come from Assam. A real East Frisian blend can contain up to 35 different Assam varieties! Our "Easy Friesy" blend, a secret recipe that we developed together with East Frisians, also contains tea from Kenya.
In England, too, tea is often drunk with milk and sugar for breakfast. Our "English Breakfast" blend consists of Assam and Ceylon tea. It tastes spicy and hearty, but is not quite as strong as the malty, dark East Frisian blend.
Unlike the other blends, "Earl Grey" is additionally flavored with the oil of the bergamot citrus fruit, a lime-like fruit grown in China. Charles Grey, also known as the "Earl of Grey", was British Prime Minister in the 1830s and is said to have received the flavored tea as a gift from the Chinese imperial court. The black tea base for this tea varies: Traditionally, it was mild Chinese Keemun tea, but the English soon replaced it with their own, spicier Ceylon tea - which was better to drink with milk. At samova, we build on tradition plus innovation and combine the best Chinese tea with fine Darjeeling in our Earl Grey variety Lazy Daze.
In England, too, tea is often drunk with milk and sugar for breakfast. Our "English Breakfast" blend consists of Assam and Ceylon tea. It tastes spicy and hearty, but is not quite as strong as the malty, dark East Frisian blend.
Unlike the other blends, "Earl Grey" is additionally flavored with the oil of the bergamot citrus fruit, a lime-like fruit grown in China. Charles Grey, also known as the "Earl of Grey", was British Prime Minister in the 1830s and is said to have received the flavored tea as a gift from the Chinese imperial court. The black tea base for this tea varies: Traditionally, it was mild Chinese Keemun tea, but the English soon replaced it with their own, spicier Ceylon tea - which was better to drink with milk. At samova, we build on tradition plus innovation and combine the best Chinese tea with fine Darjeeling in our Earl Grey variety Lazy Daze.
In contrast to the stronger Assam and Ceylon teas, tea from the north Indian mountain region of Darjeeling is made from the smaller, finer leaves of the Sinensis sinensis tea bush variety. It has particularly fine aromatic substances. Over the years, cultivars have been developed that thrive particularly well in Darjeeling's humid and misty high-altitude climate of up to 2000 meters. Overall, the altitude presents the tea plant with a small but necessary challenge: it grows more slowly than in the lowlands, so that a higher concentration of aromatic substances occurs in each leaf. Darjeeling teas therefore taste particularly floral. As a second flush (second plucking), our vintage organic Darjeeling High Darling has a particularly spicy taste.
Very few black teas are produced in Japan and Korea. In China, on the other hand, a larger production of black teas, some of which are of very high quality, has been established since the middle of the 19th century - mainly for export to Europe. The best-known varieties are Keemun, Golden Yunnan, Lapsang Souchong and the so-called "rock teas" from the Wuyi Mountains. All four have a very different taste to the teas produced in India or Sri Lanka: Keemun is particularly mild and digestible, Yunnan black teas are strong and chocolaty, Lapsang Souchong is particularly smoky and the rock teas are fruity and aromatic. Here too, there are countless subspecies, special processing methods, cultivars and terroirs...