Generality
"Black tea" is the name given to the tea leaves subjected to a particular process and from whose infusion a red-dark drink is obtained, also called black tea.
Typically originating in India and Sri Lanka, where it is exported a little all over the world, black tea generally has a stronger and more decisive flavor and aroma than less oxidized teas.
The most prized variety of black tea is "pecko" tea (or peka or pekoe tea, which means "hair" in Chinese, to indicate the use of young shoots and leaves of better quality). In general, the drug is all the more renowned the higher the percentage of intact leaves.
Despite the increase in sales related to green and white tea, black tea still represents more than 90% of all the tea sold in the West.
Names of black tea
In Chinese and in the languages of neighboring countries, black tea is known as " red tea " by virtue of the color that the liquid takes after infusion. The western term "black tea", on the other hand, refers to the color of the raw material. In Chinese, "black tea" is a commonly used definition for post-fermented teas, such as Pu-erh tea. Outside China and neighboring countries, the term "red tea" refers more commonly to rooibos, a South African herbal tea made from Aspalathus linearis .
Production
Black tea plant
All four types of tea are made from the leaves of the homonymous plant (or small tree) Camellia sinensis .
On the other hand, this botanical species is cultivated in two different varieties and with relatively specific uses:
- Chinese plant C. sinensis subsp sinesi : with small leaves and used for the other three types of tea;
- Assamese plant C. sinensis subsp assamica : with broad leaves and used mainly for black tea, although in recent years it has also been used for green and white.
processing
After the harvest, the fresh leaves of the ceramic are first dried, then rolled up on themselves, then dried again and finally macerated.
The shredding passages lead to the release of cellular juices and particular enzymes (polyphenol oxidase), which act above all in the next phase, where the actual fermentation takes place (at 30 ° C for 0.5-2 hours).
The last step involves further drying to destroy the enzymes and block the catalytic processes, stabilizing the product. The humidity is thus reduced to values below 5% and black tea takes on the characteristic aroma and a typically dark complexion.
Differences between teas
What determines the characteristics of a tea?
The choice of the raw material and the various phases of the working process strongly condition the properties and the organoleptic characteristics of black tea.
Oolong tea, little used in Europe, is prepared in a similar manner, but undergoes a shorter fermentation and darkens only partially.
In the processing of green tea, on the other hand, no fermentation is expected and the leaves, immediately after harvesting, are immediately stabilized with heat.
The distinction between the various types of tea, therefore, is due in large part to the differences in the processing of the raw material, whose source is more or less the same ( Camellia sinensis ).
While green tea loses its flavor in a year of storage, black tea retains its properties for several years. For this reason it has been marketed since the nineteenth century, when it even assumed the role of currency, in the form of compressed bricks, in Mongolia, Tibet and Siberia.
Variety
Unblended black tea usually takes the name of the region where it is produced. Several regions are known for the production of tea with characteristic flavors.
| You | First name English | Origin | Region | country | Description |
| Tanyang Gongfu | Tanyang | Fujian Province | China | The king of the Fujian Artisan Red Teas. One of the three famous Fujian Reds. | |
| Zhenghe Gongfu | Zhenghe | Fujian Province | One of the three famous Fujian Reds, with a slight taste of honey. | ||
| Bailin Gongfu | Bailin | Fujian Province | One of the three famous Fujian Reds. | ||
| Zhengshan xiaozhong (Lapsang souchong) | Mount Wuyi | Fujian Province | Dried on burning pine wood, thus developing a strong smoky aroma. | ||
| Yin Junmei | Silver Steed Eyebrow | Mount Wuyi | Fujian Province | A top grade version of Zhengshan Xiaozhong (aka. Lapsang Souchong) | |
| Jin Junmei | Golden Steed Eyebrow | Mount Wuyi | Fujian Province | One of the highest grade red teas in China. | |
| Keemun | Qimen | Anhui Province | One of China's famous teas. The aroma of the tea is fruity, with hints of pine, prune and flowers. | ||
| Dian Hong | Yunnan Province | Well known for dark malt teas and gold bud tea. | |||
| Ying De Hong | Guangdong Province | The tea has a cocoa aroma and a sweet aftertaste, a peppery note can be recognized. | |||
| Jiu Qu Hong Mei | "Nine Winding Red Plum" | Hu Fou district | Zhejiang Province | This tea is characterized by bright black leaves. The infusion is reddish, bright and has a fresh aftertaste. | |
| Tibeti | Ya'an | Sichuan Province | A unique tea that can also be known as Tibetan tea. | ||
| Sun Moon Lake | Sun Moon Lake | Nantou Province | taiwan | It has aromas of honey, osmanthus, cinnamon and peppermint. | |
| Assam | Assam | India | Full-bodied, strong and malty tea. It is the highest produced tea in the world. | ||
| Darjeeling | West Bengal | Body tea, floral and fruity. Today it is often produced with a mixture of black, green and oolong tea. | |||
| Munnar | Kerala | This variety produces a strong and full-bodied yellow infusion, refreshing and fruity. | |||
| Kangra | Himachal Pradesh | It is produced mixed with basil, cinnamon, plum; it has a strongly vegetable aroma. | |||
| Nilgiri | Tamil Nadu | Intensely aromatic, strong and fragrant tea; comes from the Nilgiri Hills of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. | |||
| Ceylon | Sri Lanka | It is grown in numerous varieties ranging from altitude to taste. The high-grown one is considered among the best teas in terms of balance between taste, aroma and intensity. The low-grown one is more intense. Mid-grown are strong, rich and full-bodied. | |||
| Nepali tea | Nepal | Similar to Darjeeling in appearance, aroma and fruity flavor, it is difficult to distinguish. |
Mixtures
Black tea is often mixed with other plants to get a slightly different drink.
| Name | Description |
| Earl Gray tea | Black tea with bergamot oil. |
| English Breakfast tea | Full-bodied, robust, rich and blended to blend with milk and sugar. |
| English afternoon tea | Medium bodied, refreshing. Assam and kenyoti forte are mixed with Ceylon, which adds lightness and vivacity to the mixture. |
| Irish breakfast tea | Blend of different black teas: most often Assam and, less often, other types of black tea. |
| Masala chai | Combines black tea with spices, milk and a sweetener such as sugar or honey; a drink from India (introduced by the British East India company to encourage tea consumption among Indians and to compete with Chinese tea plantations). Masala chai has been adapted to the west of the country by making changes to the preparation method. |
Property
The chemical characteristics of black tea are influenced not only by the raw material but also by the infusion time. This parameter is important not only to increase or decrease the aroma of the drink, but also to allow more or less solubilization and perfusion of stimulants and tannins from black tea leaves to water.
Black tea and stimulants
Due to the presence of nerve active ingredients, the infusion of black tea acquires stimulating, exciting and diuretic properties.
Caffeine in black tea
Although with the due exceptions, black tea represents the richest variety of tea in caffeine (3-6% on dry weight) and - if it were not for the different extraction method - it would even exceed coffee.
In a cup of black tea (about 150 ml) obtained by infusion of 5 minutes, the caffeine content (improperly called teina) varies on average from 40 to 100 mg; a respectable quantity, considering that an espresso contains about 80 mg of it downwards.
Theophylline in black tea
Black tea is also rich in theophylline, a substance similar to the one just described which is used - in concentrations clearly superior - in the therapy of asthma and bronchitis. Theophylline, in fact, promotes the dilation of the bronchi, improving - among other things - the contractility of the diaphragm and other respiratory muscles.
Theobromine in black tea
Another substance with similar activity is theobromine, an alkaloid typical of cocoa, which in black tea is still present in rather limited quantities.
Black tea and antioxidants
Polyphenols in black tea
Black tea, like other varieties, is also rich in polyphenols.
Polyphenols are nutritional factors with an antioxidant action, which prevent cardiovascular diseases and tumors. Above all they abound in green tea, since they suffer negatively the oxidative effect during production.
Tannins in black tea
Black tea also contains tannins, which possess many of the metabolic characteristics of generic polyphenols.
In addition, tannins have astringent properties, because they reduce glandular secretion in the intestine by fighting diarrhea.
Black tea and Health
Black tea and tumor
Despite the high concentration of antioxidants, a meta-analysis of observational studies in Asian or Caucasian populations concluded that:
"The consumption of black tea does not affect the development of oral cancer, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer".
Black tea and stroke
On the other hand, consumption of black tea may be associated with a decreased risk of stroke.
Black tea, pressure and cholesterol
A Cochrane review carried out in 2013 on randomized studies over 3 months concluded that:
"Long-term consumption of black tea only slightly reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure (about 1-2 mmHg)".
The same work also noted that:
"The long-term consumption of black tea lowers the blood concentration of LDL cholesterol by 0.43 mmol / L (or 7.74 mg / dL) but, overall, this research remains inconclusive".
