Black Tea

A different kind of black tea

Black tea is fully oxidized, which turns the leaf dark and the cup amber and rounded. In China it is called red tea (hong cha) after the color of the cup. Most of ours are whole-leaf teas from small gardens, closer to fine oolong than to a breakfast teabag: sweet, layered and good for several steeps.

Finding your black tea

• Fruity and spiced: Red Ruby, the Taiwanese cultivar from the Sun Moon Lake region, with natural notes of mint, cinnamon and honey.
• Malty and smooth: Kumaon Golden Himalayan from a revived garden in Uttarakhand, India, and the Strip-rolled "Big Leaf" from Miaoli, Taiwan.
• Unusual and rare: Purple Beauty of Yunnan, made from naturally purple leaves.
• Wild: Big Snow Mountain from ancient Yunnan tea trees and Shan Cha "Wild Mountain" from Taiwan's native wild tea. See all wild teas.

How to brew black tea

These teas take hotter water than green tea and stay sweet, so they forgive a long steep. Brew them western style in a glass teapot or gongfu style for more rounds. Each product page lists its own timing.

Where our black teas are grown

• Taiwan: Red Ruby, Shan Cha and the Strip-rolled "Big Leaf".
• Yunnan, China: Purple Beauty and Big Snow Mountain.
• Uttarakhand, India: Kumaon Golden Himalayan.
• Georgia: Strawberry Jam (baked oats, maple syrup, strawberry jam) and Very Berry (raspberry, manuka honey, toasted almond).

Questions about black tea

Can I add milk?

You can, but most of these are naturally sweet and are best tasted plain first. The maltier teas hold up best to milk.

Does black tea have more caffeine than oolong?

Often a little more, but the leaf and how long you steep it matter more than the category.

What does black tea taste like?

Rounded and sweet rather than bitter when brewed well: dried fruit, honey, cocoa or malt, depending on the tea.

Why choose loose-leaf black tea?

You control the amount and the steep time, and good loose-leaf teas give several steeps, so a small amount goes a long way.