Dear sweet Tea Apostles;

I do so appreciate your attention and care as you study the many aspects of the Way of Tea. I know that in my constant instruction and general testiness when it seems you don’t know why rooibos tea is called red tea, and other basic facts that you should certainly know by now, I sometimes forget to tell you that I am proud of you. My heart sometimes swells up like a used teabag at the thought of how much you continue to grow.

Forgive me if I am overly sentimental. I seem to be out of my morning black tea today, and I am missing it a bit, feeling a bit emotional.  I do so love black tea, you know. I love its brisk flavor, so rich and strong. I love every kind of black tea, from the flowery and fruity teas like Crimson Rose and Passion Fruit, to the spicy and nutty taste of the Masala Chai and Cinnamon Spice.

How much do you know about Black Tea?

Chances are you know more about black tea than you do about any of the others. it is most the common blend in America and the rest of the West. Think about your favorite blend of tea — it’s probably a black one. 

But did you know that black teas can be divided into two groups: broken leaf and full leaf?

Broken leaves tend to be more brisk in flavor and contain a lot more caffeine. Full leaf tea tends to be a bit more refined and more gentle on the palette. Both are delicious — it’s simply a matter of what flavor you prefer.

Tea makers originally broke the leaves are broken to reduce their size, so that when water was added the tea was extracted in a shorter amount of time. But both types of tea have become quite popular for their unique tastes.

Ah, talking about it has made me miss my cup of tea even more. I can’t wait until my faithful servant Oolong returns from the store. I might even have a second cup! Though I should be careful, that extra caffeine could keep me meditating late into the night!

Tags: black tea, caffeine, full leaf tea, Informational, loose tea, Morning Tea, tea makers, Tea Types

This entry was posted on Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 11:29 am and is filed under Basics, Informational, Tea Types, black tea. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.