What does it take to be a championship-winning tea?

That was the main question I had in mind this morning as I enjoyed Teas Etc’s Ceylon OP1, which took first prize in the Ceylon category in last year’s World Tea Expo. It was one of three Teas Etc teas to win a prize (you can get all three together in a special Championship pack).

So back to the question: What does it take to be a championship-winning tea?

I was expecting something unlike anything I’ve ever had before, and miles ahead of other Ceylon blacks I’ve tried. But it wasn’t. Instead, I was struck by how familiar this tea seemed.

The marks of quality in this tea are small and subtle. You notice it in the crisp aroma, which is earthy and almost peppery. You notice it in the tea’s liquor, coloured a bright, vivid shade of rusty orange. And finally you notice it in the drink itself, which is robust, balanced and full-bodied.

Ceylon OP1 is available from Teas Etc.

© Eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2010. | Ceylon OP1 from Teas Etc | No comment |
Post categories: Black tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Ceylon, Ceylon Tea, Teas Etc

I grew up in a home where Dilmah is the black tea of choice. Dilmah Extra Strong, to be precise. As I delved deeper into the world of tea, it was China, Japan and India whose teas caught my attention. Dilmah and every other Sri Lankan tea was shoved to the side as I flirted with oolongs, greens, blacks and white teas from elsewhere.

But receiving a sample pack of Narien’s Ceylon Kenilworth a few weeks ago has reignited my interest in Sri Lankan tea.

Ceylon Kenilworth is a single-estate tea from Kenilworth Estate, one of the country’s best known estates. I am instantly impressed with the quality of this tea. Short spears of tea leaf, obviously prepared with care and craftsmanship. I take a deep sniff of the tea – it smells of earth and fruit.

Black tea is what Ceylon does best. Here, I am treated to Ceylon tea at its finest, a far cry from the Dilmah tea bags at my parents’ home. Nostalgia is an integral part of this tea experience. There is the familiar Ceylon hardiness – a characteristic I grew up associating with black tea in general. But Ceylon Kenilworth is smooth. Drinking it is effortless work. To me, it is classic black tea, done exceptionally well.

Ceylon Kenilworth is available from Narien Teas. It’s $7 for a 4 oz pack. Don’t forget: Quote “teafinelybrewed” at checkout to receive 10% off any order from Narien Teas.

Browse more tea from Narien Teas.

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | Ceylon Kenilworth from Narien Teas | No comment |
Post categories: Black tea, Tea reviews
Post tags: Ceylon Tea, Dilmah, Kandy Region, Kenilworth Estate, Narien Teas, Sri Lanka

The morning cup of black tea. Photo by dragonflysky.

What is black tea, exactly?

Black tea is tea that has been fully oxidized. Like oolong, white, green and pu-erh teas, black tea is made from Camellia sinensis.

Black tea is so named because of the fact that the tea leaves, after the oxidation process is complete, have a darker appearance than other teas. The brew ranges in colour from amber to golden, depending on the type of tea and how strong it is.

To the uninitiated, black tea is synonymous with tea. But while it’s the most common tea found outside of Asia, in reality black tea is second to green tea in terms of global popularity.

In China, black tea is known as red tea, while pu-erh tea is known as black tea. Confusing hey?

Where is black tea grown?

Black tea is grown and produced just about anywhere that tea is produced. China, India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Kenya, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia – all are major producers of black tea.

Japan is notable because it produces hardly any black tea, while Taiwan puts out a small quantity of black tea which is mainly sold domestically.

What are some of the most famous types of black tea?

Chinese black teas
China’s black teas are varied and markedly different from the black teas produced elsewhere. Keemum is a fragrant, beautifully flavoured black tea coming from Anhui Province, in eastern China. Lapsang Souchong is a very dark tea with a distinctive smokey flavour, hailing from the Wuyi region of Fujian Province. In far southwest China, bordering Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, is Yunnan Province, a region of stunning scenery that produces full-flavoured black teas with a unique character.

Indian black teas
More than half of India’s teas are produced in Assam, a state in northeast India. Assam produces some high-quality tea, but much of its tea is of a lower grade, often used as the base of the well-known breakfast tea blends (English, Irish and Scottish). Darjeeling, a region of India which lies wedged between Bhutan and Nepal at an elevation of 7,100 feet, has a much lower output of tea, but makes up for it in quality. The high standard of teas from Darjeeling have given it a reputation as the Champage of Teas. The southern-most tea region of India is Nilgiri, which lies in western India in the state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri teas are fragrant, though the quality of teas from Nilgiri is generally not as high as those from Assam and Darjeeling.

Other famous black teas
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is renowned for producing brisk black teas sold as single-estate teas or used in blends. Indonesia produces a large quantity of tea used in tea bags, though it has a limited output of finer loose leaf tea. In recent decades, African nations like Kenya and Tanzania have also risen to prominence as major tea producing countries.

Besides these region-specific teas, there are a multitude of black tea blends which you will undoubtedly have heard of. Besides the breakfast blends mentioned above, some of the most popular include Earl Grey (scented with bergamot oil), Lady Grey (scented with bergamot oil and blended with orange and lemon peel), Prince of Wales and Russian Caravan (usually a combination of Lapsang Souchong and Keemum or Yunnan).

What’s the best way to brew black tea?

Black tea is best brewed with freshly boiled water at around 80-90° C. Allow it to stand anywhere between 3 and 5 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea to be. Unlike the other varieties of tea, black tea is usually only good for one steeping.

Many people have their black tea with milk and/or sugar. I shy away from both of these. If the tea’s not good enough to drink on its own, I figure it’s just not good enough to drink!

What are the health benefits of drinking black tea?

There are definite health benefits to drinking black tea. Recent research has shown that black tea can improve dental health, reduce stress, improve your memory, lower cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of heart disease, inhibit Alzheimer’s disease and improve mental focus. The oxidation process means that black tea contains less of the antioxidants that green tea contains, though a study by Chinese researchers found that black tea contained more theaflavins and thearubigins, which can have anti-allergy, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.

Does black tea contain caffeine?

Like every other tea produced from Camellia sinensis, black tea contains caffeine. Many people are under the impression that black tea contains more than all the other varieties of tea, though, as I have written previously, this isn’t always the case. The level of caffeine in any given cup of black tea depends on how it was produced and how long it is allowed to steep, among other things.

More on this topic: How much caffeine does green tea contain?

Where can I buy black tea online?

To begin with, check out the Tea Finely Brewed marketplace, where you can browse and compare black tea from different tea merchants.

• Numi Tea offer fair trade, organic teas, including a lovely range of black teas.
• Adagio Teas have a diverse range of black teas available, including a Black Sampler which serves as a great introduction to the world of black tea.
• Mighty Leaf Tea also have a nice range of black teas.
• Generation Tea have some unusual and rare black tea offerings, well worth trying if you’re looking for something a little different.

Other posts in this series

• Green Tea
• White Tea
• Oolong Tea
• Pu-erh Tea

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2009. | 7 Common Questions About Black Tea | 3 comments |
Post categories: Black tea
Post tags: Assam, Beginner's Guide to Tea, caffeine content of tea, Ceylon Tea, chinese teas, Darjeeling, Earl Grey Tea, Indian teas, Indonesian teas, Keemum, Kenyan teas, Lady Grey tea, Lapsang Souchong, Nilgiri, Prince of Wales tea, Russian Caravan tea, Tanzanian teas, Tea and health, Yunnan

Ceylon tea plantation. Photo by andrewhall.

Coffee had only been around for a few decades when the rust hit. The first Ceylon coffee plantation was started in 1827, with reasonable success. The breakthrough came several years later, as slavery was abolished in the West Indies, causing a decline of coffee production there. Sri Lanka stepped into the gap, and the island, which had been somewhat overlooked as an economic asset by the British, started turning a handsome profit on the back of soaring coffee exports.

Over the next two decades, coffee came to dominate the island’s economy. Roads and railroads were built for greater access to plantations and the Ceylon Bank was created in 1841, allowing more money to be invested in new plantations.

Then came the rust in 1869. Fifteen years later, coffee had disappeared from the island’s economy, replaced by a thriving tea industry.

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James Taylor, father of the Ceylon tea industry.

James Taylor was working as an assistant supervisor on a coffee plantation in Ceylon when he was put in charge of Loolecondera Estate, with the mandate to experiment with tea growing. Tea had been grown in Ceylon as early as 1839, but it had made little impact. With a few tea plant seeds imported from Assam, Taylor began growing and hand-rolling tea in 1860.

In 1872, with the coffee crop in decline, Taylor invented a leaf-rolling machine, which enabled him to increase production and begin exporting Loolecondera tea to London and Melbourne.

Taylor’s success did not go unnoticed. From the 1870s onwards, London companies bought up old coffee plantations and converted them to their new crop, tea. From the 23 pounds Taylor initially sent to London in 1873, Sri Lankan tea exports grew to 22,900 tons in 1890.

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Sir Thomas Lipton

Among those to take advantage of cheap land and the burgeoning tea industry was Thomas Lipton. Lipton was already a successful businessman when he expanded into the tea trade in 1888. Unlike other London tea merchants, Lipton focused his efforts on producing a brand that was affordable for London’s poor working class, an emphasis which helped him establish one of the tea trade’s most famous brands.

The boom of the tea industry did not spell good fortune for James Taylor. Small farmers like Taylor were no match for the cashed up companies coming in from London, and Taylor was fired from his post at Loolecondera Estate. A year later, he died a poor man and was buried in Sri Lanka. On his grave was written:

“In pious memory of James Taylor of Loolecondera Estate Ceylon, the pioneer of the cinchona and tea enterprise in this island, who died May 2, 1892, aged 57 years.”

© eric for Tea Finely Brewed, 2008. | Thomas Lipton, James Taylor and the Origins of the Ceylon Tea Industry | One comment |
Post categories: Tea history
Post tags: Ceylon, Ceylon Tea, James Taylor, Lipton, Loolecondera Tea Estate, Sri Lanka, Thomas Lipton