Every tea that is made from leaves from the tea plant, whether that be Camellia Sinensis Sinensis, or Camellia Sinensis Assamica, and regardless of whether the tea has been produced as a white tea, green tea, oolong tea, or black tea, will have its own distinct and unique flavour. For newcomers to tea, the choice can be overwhelming. In this guide we aim to equip you with the basic knowledge you need to be able to buy black teas that you will enjoy and brew them so that you can enjoy them at their best.
Different types of production methods for black tea
There are two very different types of production methods for black tea:
Orthodox tea
The highest quality black teas are produced using the orthodox (traditional) method. This means that the teas are made completely by hand, or if machines are employed, then the machines simulate hand movements. Our selection of black teas comprises purely orthodox teas. Simply put, that means we sell loose leaf black teas that have been produced using traditional methods which aim to keep the leaf as whole as possible.
The best quality orthodox black teas tend to be made of “two leaves and a bud” and include a large amount of tips (buds). These young leaves from the top of the plant are considered to be the best for tea and the tips contain the most nutrients. As the quality of tea goes down, so does the amount of tips.
CTC tea
The CTC method — Crush, Tear & Curl — produces a type of black tea which makes up around 95% of worldwide black tea production. The clue is in the name, The CTC method entails crushing, grinding and compressing the leaves into very small pieces suitable for teabags. Generally speaking, the larger the leaf particles, the more mellow and complex the flavour of the tea. We do not stock CTC tea or teabags in our shop.
What are blends?
Back in the 19th century, when tea first came to Europe, British tea companies wanted to make the strong flavours of Indian black teas palatable to the middle-classes in the UK, so they started mixing – blending – different teas with each other. The most famous blend of all is Earl Grey, which simply means a tea or blend of teas to which bergamot oil or flavouring has been added. The advantage of blends is that while orthodox teas vary from harvest to harvest, the actual mix of a particular named blend can be adapted to ensure that the finished blend is always consistently good.
Britain is famous for its blends. Classic British teas such as English Breakfast Tea, Afternoon Tea and Earl Grey are blends.
How is orthodox black tea produced?
After plucking, comes withering, heating, rolling, oxidisation, drying and sorting into different leaf grades. The skill of the tea producer and the decisions he or she makes about how and when each of these steps in production are carried out with have an impact on the final taste of the tea.
Where does black tea come from?
Black tea grows in all major tea regions, but the most famous and established areas for high quality orthodox teas are are Darjeeling and Assam in India, the highlands in Sri Lanka and Yunnan and Keemun in China. Depending on which variety and cultivar of the tea plant were used, and what the terroir is like in the different growing ares, black tea can range in taste from being light and floral to malty and chocolatey.
What should I look for when I buy black tea?
While good tea is easy to come by if you go to the right place, unfortunately there is a lot of old / poor quality tea out there! To ensure you get the quality of tea you deserve, we recommend the following:
- Choose a speciality tea shop that offers predominantly orthodox, unflavoured teas. If you don’t have such a shop near you, find one online (we ship Europe wide and are happy to recommend like-minded specialists further afield if need be).
- Forget about teabags. The best qualities of black tea, especially orthodox tea will not be put into teabags.
- Look at the description provided by the retailer. Does it include the leaf grade and date of harvest?
- If you are visiting a shop rather than ordering online, inspect the tea leaves. They should all be of a similar size. A serious online teashop will include this information and have good photos of the teas on their site.
- If possible, especially if you are experimenting with premium and rare teas, ask the retailer to make the tea for you to try. We offer this service to customers who visit our shop in Stuttgart. If you are ordering online buy small sample sizes to try before buying larger amounts.
Explaining tea leaf grades
As you explore different types of black tea, you may notice the letters that often appear after a tea’s name. These letters are only used for teas from countries other than China and signify the state of the leaves and the grade of tea. In theory, the more letters after a tea’s name, the better the quality.
What is first flush and second flush tea?
A flush is simply what a picking and production period is called in India. In other regions it is called a harvest. Darjeeling is most famous for its first and second flush teas, and first flush teas, which are produced in the early spring when there are less leaves to harvest, are the most expensive. After first flush comes second flush, followed by an autumn flush and sometimes there is even an “in-between” flush between second flush and autumn.
What does SFTGFOP actually mean?
- Tippy means that the tea has a lot of flavoursome buds.
- Golden refers to the tips that turn golden brown after oxidation.
- Flowery refers to the floral aroma that of the tea.
- Orange means that this tea would have been good enough for the Dutch nobility, the House of Orange (the Dutch were the first Europeans to import significant volumes of tea into Europe).
- Pekoe is an adaption a Chinese word which refers to the fine white down on the tea bud.
Taking the example: Darjeeling First Flush Thurbo Moonlight FTGFOP, DJ 10, 2022
Darjeeling is the region in India in which the tea is grown. First Flush means the first picking period of the year. Thurbo is one of the 87 gardens in Darjeeling. DJ10 2022 is the invoice number, in this case, the tenth invoice of the year 2022 from the garden Thurbo.
The addition of “Moonlight”, indicates that this is a specially produced tea, with every step of the way taking place under the watchful eye of the senior estate manager. Considered by some connoisseurs to be the height of gourmet tea, ‘Moonlight” teas are rare and highly sought after. Made from the best quality leaf from the earliest days of the first flush harvest, their plucking and production requires great skill, careful processing and precise timing.
What is Orange Pekoe?
Customers who visit our shop in Stuttgart sometimes assume that orange pekoe tea is a tea that is flavoured with orange. In truth the “orange” added to leaf grade pekoe dates back to the time when the Dutch first imported tea to Europe and indicates that the tea would have been of good enough quality for the House of Orange. After the leaf grade orange pekoe comes broken orange pekoe (BOP), fannings, and dust.
By the way, if you would like to try a black tea that actually is flavoured with orange then you would be looking for a “Lady Grey“.
Is black tea healthy?
Yes! A British study published by the National Cancer Institute in 2022 showed that people who consumed two or more cups of tea per day had a nine to 13 percent lower risk of death from any cause than people who did not drink tea. Higher tea consumption was also associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, ischemic heart disease and stroke. The full report can be downloaded from the Annals of Internal Medicine website.
How to brew black tea
Water temperature: With the exception of some first flush Darjeeling teas, loose leaf black tea should be steeped at around 95°C. The volume of tea to water should be between 12 – 15 g of tea for 1 liter of water.
Water quality: The quality of your water will affect the quality of your tea. We filter our water. If this is not an option for you then try and buy bottled water with a PH value of around 6.8 – 7.
Amount of tea: When making orthodox teas the producers try to keep the leaves as whole as possible. This means that some of black teas need much more volume to get the right amount for a liter of water than others (think feathers and coal). We suggest weighing the dry tea leaves before you try a tea that is new to you for the first time, that way you will get the right amount of the tea and know how many teaspoons (or tablespoons!) to use in the future.
Brewing time: Let the tea brew for 3 to 5 minutes. When you make a tea for the first time taste it every 30 seconds after 3 minutes to find out how you like your tea.
Choice of teapot: As with all types of tea, the leaves should be given as much room as possible to open up. For convenience’s sake we recommend using a teapot with a removable sieve. Otherwise let the leaves brew loose in the teapot, and pour the tea through a sieve to another vessel to pour or drink from.