History Of Black Tea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History Of Black Tea - Essay Example As compared to the other oxidized teas, black tea is much stronger and contains more caffeine. There are two varieties of species, which are used in the black tea. One is the small-leaved Chinese variety plant, which is also used for the green and white plants. The other variety is the large-leaved Assamese plant. This type was only used traditionally for the Black Tea. Black tea is known as ‘Crimson Tea’, in Chinese and other languages influenced by Chinese. The name itself suggests a more accurate color of the liquid. In the ‘West’ when we talk about black tea, it mostly refers to tea without milk or cream, similar to the coffee that is served without milk. In ‘Chinese’, however black tea is regarded as Pu-erh, which is a common classification of post-fermented teas. Black tea retains its flavor for several years, unlike the green tea which loses it in a years’ time. Due to its retention of flavor, black tea has remained an article of trade. Moreover, black tea which is compressed into brick form is used as a form of de-facto currency in Mongolia, Tibet, and Siberia around the 19th century. Initially, when the tea was imported to Europe, it was either green or semi-oxidized. It was in the 19th century that black tea gained popularity, and people started preferring it over green tea. Despite the fact that green tea has its own health benefits, over 90 percent of the population in the west consume black tea (Tea Scapes n.p). Black tea is famously known as Red Tea in China.