Black Teas

Black teas are strong-flavored teas made from leaves that are more oxidized than the leaves in green, white, and oolong teas. While these other teas typically lose their flavor within a year, black teas maintain their flavor longer. Though people are discovering the health benefits of green tea and drinking it more in America, black teas still account for the vast majority of tea sold in this country.

If a black tea is not blended, it is typically named after its region of origin. This can have a tremendous impact on the flavor, so many tea drinkers have a strong personal preference. For example, some like Lapsang, a Chinese black tea with a smoky flavor, while others prefer an Indian tea like a Darjeeling or a Sri Lankan tea like Ceylon with its very bright flavor.

Blended Black Teas
It is also quite common to blend black teas. The most popular blended black tea is unquestionably Earl Gray tea, which is a black tea mixed with bergamot oil. English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast and Prince of Wales are next in popularity.

True tea aficionados are equally concerned with how the leaves are processed. Until the 1950s, almost all tea was hand processed. Now, however, more than 80 percent of all teas use the automated CTC method (crush, tear, curl). Almost all bagged tea is processed this way. At Casteel Coffee, we offer wholesale bagged teas from Harney & Son, one of the most respected of all tea companies. Our loose teas are carefully sourced from several fine tea companies. For more information on our fine black teas, send an e-mail to info@casteelcoffee.com.