• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Let's Drink Tea

Everything You Need, To Enjoy Drinking Tea

  • Home
  • Quick Help
    • What’s Your Tea?
    • Where to Buy Tea Online
    • Buying Guides
      • Best Chai Tea
      • Best Glass Teapot With Infuser
      • Best Green Tea Brands
      • Best Herbal Tea Brands
      • Best Instant Tea
      • Best Loose Tea Infusers
      • Best Small Electric Kettles
      • Best Tea Cups
      • Best Tea Infuser Mugs
      • Best Tea Infuser Travel Mugs
      • Best Tea Sets
      • Best Whistling Tea Kettles
    • Brewing Guide
  • Types Of Tea
    • Black Tea Guide
      • Assam Tea
      • Ceylon Black Tea
      • Darjeeling Tea
      • Golden Monkey Tea
      • Keemun Tea
      • Lapsang Souchong Tea
      • Nepal Black Tea
      • Yunnan Black Tea
    • Green Tea Guide
      • Bancha Tea
      • Biluochun
      • Dragon Well Tea
      • Genmaicha
      • Gunpowder Tea
      • Gyokuro
      • Houjicha
      • Jasmine Tea
      • Lushan Yunwu Tea
      • Lu’An Gua Pian (Melon Seeds)
      • Matcha Green Tea Powder Guide
      • Sencha Tea Guide
    • Oolong Tea Guide
      • Ali Mountain Tea
      • Big Red Robe (Da Hong Pao) Tea
      • Dancong Tea Guide
      • Iron Goddess Tea
      • Pouchong Tea
      • Shui Xian Tea
    • Pu-erh Tea Guide
    • White Tea Guide
      • Jasmine Silver Needle Tea
      • White Hair Silver Needle Tea
      • White Peony Tea
    • Yellow Tea Guide
    • Herbal Tea
      • Rooibos
      • Yerba Mate
  • Tips & Advice
  • Tea Preparation
  • Tea Recipes
You are here: Home / Types Of Tea / Black Tea Guide

Black Tea Guide

Black tea Black tea is made from tea leaves that have undergone more oxidation than white, green or oolong teas. As a result, it has a stronger flavor than the other types of tea and is easier to brew. It is also cheaper than other teas.

China and India produce the most famous black teas. Other well-known varieties come from Sri Lanka and Nepal.

 

Table of Contents

  • 1 How to Prepare Black Tea
  • 2 Black Tea Varieties
    • 2.1 Chinese Black Teas
    • 2.2 Indian Black Teas
    • 2.3 Sri Lankan Black Teas
    • 2.4 Nepalese Black Teas
  • 3 All Articles About Black Tea

How to Prepare Black Tea

The following brewing instructions are general, but they will work for most black teas; for detailed instructions on each variety, please refer to the pages for individual teas listed below.

In general, you’ll want to use about 1 teaspoon of of tea per 8 oz. (236 ml) of water. The water temperature should be between 90-95ºC (194-205ºF) and the steeping time should range from 2 to 3 minutes.The amounts and times given are somewhat conservative; use them as a rough guide. If you find the resulting tea too weak, add more tea leaves or try increasing the steeping time.

Indian, Nepalese and Sri Lankan teas are best brewed in a glass teapot or a ceramic one like this:

Forlife Curve Teapot with Infuser (Multiple Colors)
Forlife Curve Teapot with Infuser (Multiple Colors)
$49.99
View on Amazon
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
11/12/2024 06:53 pm GMT
Lasso Brag

The best way to prepare Chinese teas is using a traditional teapot made from purple clay. These teapots are called Yixing and come in a variety of shapes, like this Dalian-style Yixing:

Yixing Teapot Selection
Yixing Teapot Selection
Browse on Amazon
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Lasso Brag

Chinese black teas can certainly be brewed in the same teapot, but when it comes to ceramic vessels, many people prefer the traditional Gaiwan for Chinese varieties.

If you only drink black tea, there’s probably no reason to get a gaiwan, but since it is the preferred brewing vessel for Chinese green teas, people who drink a lot of those will probably already have one.

For information on which vessel works best with individual teas and detailed instructions on using those vessels, please see the pages for the individual teas listed below.

 

Black Tea Varieties

While you’ll find a seemingly endless variety, this site will focus only on the most famous and highest quality teas.

 

Chinese Black Teas

Keemun Tea: fruity, sweet and mellow taste and a distinct floral fragrance; the most famous Chinese black tea

Yunnan Black Tea: high quality varieties are gentle, with a sweet aroma and no bitterness; lower quality teas easily become bitter

Golden Monkey Tea: light with honeyed peach tones and no bitterness; took second place in the Signature Famous Tea: Hot Tea Class of the 2009 World Tea Championship

Lapsang Souchong Tea: strong, smoky flavor; reminiscent of a campfire or a barbecue

 

Indian Black Teas

Darjeeling Tea: slightly bitter with a spiciness described as “muscatel”; can be a bit difficult to brew correctly; perhaps the most famous black tea

Assam Tea: strong, bright color and a unique malty flavor; Assam is the world’s largest tea growing region

 

Sri Lankan Black Teas

Ceylon Black Tea: citrusy aroma and a lively, refreshing texture with sweet juicy notes reminiscent of a mandarin peel or grapefruit

 

Nepalese Black Teas

Nepal Black Tea: very similar to, but much cheaper than, Darjeeling in appearance, flavor and aroma

 

For more on black tea check out the Wikipedia page.

 

All Articles About Black Tea

  • Is Chai Tea Safe During Pregnancy? (And How Much Of It?)
  • What Does Chai Tea Taste Like? (Including Popular Variants)
  • What Is Okinawa Milk Tea? (+The One Ingredient That Sets It Apart)
  • What To Put In Black Tea (9 Mouth-Watering Flavor Boosters)
  • What Is Hokkaido Milk Tea? (And How To Make It)
  • What Is Orange Pekoe Tea? (It Has Nothing To Do With Orange!)
  • What Is The Difference Between Irish And English Breakfast Tea?
  • Does Bubble Tea Have Caffeine? (And Is It Healthy?)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. yourallinfo says

    September 13, 2023 at 11:46

    Black tea is an excellent choice for a refreshing morning drink. Its natural antioxidants and gentle caffeine boost provide a healthy and invigorating start to the day. Enjoy a cup of your favorite green tea to kickstart your morning on a positive note!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Current Deals

  • Get $6 OFF orders $40+ at Teavivre with code: sharetea
  • Get 10% OFF your first matcha at Matcha Source
  • Get 10% OFF at Culinary Teas by entering email on their site
  • Get 15% OFF at California Tea House by entering email on their site

Search This Site

Types of Tea

green tea white tea
black tea oolong tea
puer tea yellow tea

Footer

Important Links

  • Home
  • What’s Your Tea?
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Health Benefits of Tea
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure

Image Reuse

Images on this site are free to share (unless attributed to a 3rd party), as long as you give credit to Let's Drink Tea and provide a link back to the page from which the image came.

Disclaimer

Let's Drink Tea is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nothing on this site constitutes official medical or nutritional advice. We are not professionals. Please consult a licensed professional for medical advice.

Contact

Let's Drink Tea is owned and operated by:

McBrain Global LLC
30 N Gould Street, Suite R
Sheridan, WY 82801
USA

Phone: +1 (307) 269-0897
Email: info@letsdrinktea.com

Powered by matcha and butter cookies · Copyright © 2025 · McBrain Global LLC · All rights reserved