紅茶 - Black Tea

Black tea, for those who like it strong!

Known as the perfect companion for breakfast. You can drink it black, or even add some warm milk.
Why, you ask. Well, during processing the black tea gains a little body and becomes higher in theine. For this reason it is often seen as a good alternative for coffee and preferred in the mornings when we need that extra energy boost.

Processing black tea

Black tea owes its bold character to the method of processing. After plucking, the leaves have to wither. They get heated with hot air or sunshine until their humidity drops by about 30 percent. After that the leaves are rolled, causing oils and moist to be released. It is when these fluids come into contact with oxygen that the oxidation process is triggered. When rolling is done, the leaves are spread out on large boards in a 40° environment. The duration of this process, which takes 2 to 3 hours, really determines the ultimate quality of the flavour. Now it’s time to start drying the leaves and stop oxidation. The tea is dried for approximately 20 minutes with hot air of 80-90°C, with the result that the cell fluid sticks to the leaves, giving them their dark brown to black colour and final humidity is reduced to 5 percent. When this mark is hit, the tea is ready to be tasted!