All tea come from the same plant, called Camellia sinensis. The tea plant is an evergreen perennial that grows in warm weather. For decades, tea made from Camellia sinensis has been studied for their health-improving properties. The first tea to be studied was green tea, which is known for its cancer-fighting benefits. However, recent research shows that any tea – including oolong and black tea – derived from the leaf of the Camellia sinensis plant have similar cancer-fighting properties.

Black tea health benefits owe much to the presence of polyphenols in the leaves of Camellia sinensis. Scientists used to believe that black tea contains little polyphenols, if not, none at all. That's because the processing method used in black tea, called fermentation or oxidation, causes the polyphenols to react, transforming them into compounds that do not quite have the same health-giving effect as polyphenols. But later research soon dispelled that notion and so, black tea health benefits now include the disease-fighting polyphenols.

Polyphenols are antioxidants that help protect cells from the normal, but damaging physiological process known as "oxidative stress" brought about by the presence of unbalanced oxygen particles called "free radicals." These free radicals are know to directly cause aging, heart disease, cancer, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and various other degenerative diseases. By fighting these free radicals and destroying them, the polyphenols present in black tea help the body cope with oxidative stress.

Another source of black tea health benefits is the compounds, theaflavins and thearubigens. These are the same compounds that give black tea its distinctive color and flavor. However, new studies showed that theaflavins and thearubigens do more than add flavor and color to black tea; they actually have black tea health benefits that are good for the body.

Several medical journals have also featured several other black tea health benefits. They declared that tea was a potential heart tonic, cancer blocker, fat buster, immune stimulant, arthritis soother, virus fighter, and cholesterol detoxifier.

"Tea is beating all scientific expectations as the most potent health beverage ever," says researcher John Weisburger at the American Health Foundation. "The many ways tea can promote health is truly astonishing."

Here's what a cup or two of black tea can do for you with its many black tea health benefits:

Save Your Arteries

One of the black tea health benefits is preventing deadly clogging of the arteries. In addition to that, drinking the beverage is also said to reverse poor arterial functioning – a condition that could trigger heart attacks and strokes.

Protect Yourself from Cancer

Tea has long been tied to a lower risk of stomach, colon, and breast cancer. Now, lab studies find that there are certain chemicals with black tea health benefits that could stop or inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

Tames Inflammation

Black tea health benefits also include relieving pain and inflammation due to arthritis. Research at Rutgers said that the anti-cancer compound in black tea can also suppress the Cox-2 gene that triggers inflammation.

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What Separates Black Tea from Other Teas?

Black tea has always been valued for its unusually flavorful taste and rich color and aroma. But if all tea types come from the same plant, what makes black tea stand out? What gives it its distinct flavor? Why is it darker in color?

The difference may come from where which part of the plant is used to make the tea. In the case of white tea, the leaves used are those found only on the branch tips, particularly the leaf bud and possibly the first two leaves under the bud. That actually accounts for the extremely delicate taste of white tea.

On the other hand, black tea is made from the mature leaves of Camellia sinensis. The leaves are fully developed. When steeped and processed, the resulting flavor has a natural tang and loaded with richness.

Another source of distinction is that black tea, unlike green tea and oolong tea, is fully oxidized during processing. This is actually another reason why black teas are more full-bodied and robust in taste, compared to green tea, which is more delicate and fresh-tasting.

Black Tea Types

There are several different kinds of black tea available in the market today. Often, the difference lies in the names, which are usually taken from the districts in the countries where they are grown. Hence, you may have heard of Assam (India), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and Yunnan (China). Each of these black tea types possesses different characteristics, depending on the local conditions in the various regions where they are grown.

Besides often being named for the district in which they are grown, black teas were originally classified according to what leaves on the tea plant was plucked. While white tea is picked once a year every spring from leaf buds, the reformed tip – which includes the leaf bud and the first two leaves under bud – can be picked to make black tea. This led to classifications that range from Pekoe (pronounced 'PECK-oh') to others such as Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe and Tippy Golden Flowering Orange Pekoe.

What Black Tea Contains

Virtually all teas produced from Camellia sinensis naturally contain caffeine. The difference in processing does not change this caffeine content. So black tea, oolong, green, and white tea have approximately the same amount of caffeine, falling within a range of 25 to 60 mg of caffeine in a 6-oz. cup.

In addition, black tea contains several antioxidants that are good for the body. You may have heard of the many health benefits of green tea. The reason, of course, is the rich antioxidant content of green tea. And because black tea is made form the same plant as green tea, that jus goes to show how beneficial black tea can be to your health as well.

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The health benefits of black tea could be attributed to compounds contained in the drink. They're called theaflavins and thearubigens and scientists say they can do more than contribute to the tea's dark color and distinctive flavor. They also provide the health benefits of black tea which were originally attributed solely to green tea.

But before you start drinking black tea by the buckets, it's important to remember research on the health benefits of black tea is still in the early stages.

"Although numerous observational studies have examined the relationships between tea consumption and the risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer, there is no conclusive evidence that high intakes of tea are protective in humans," writes Jane Higden, a research associate with the Linus Pauling Institute, in a recent article.

Research on Black Tea

One of the first studies on the health benefits of black tea was a long-term research conduced by scientists at the Netherlands National Institute of Public Health and the Environment. According to them, they have found a correlation between regular consumption of black tea and reduced risk of stroke.

In the investigation, researchers looked at data from a study examining the health benefits of foods that are high in flavonoids. This previous study on phytonutrients with antioxidant benefits became the basis of their own study on the health benefits of black tea. They knew that while some of the flavonoids are obtained from fruits and vegetables, about seventy percent actually came from black tea. And so based on this fact, they decided to look into the effects of flavonoids in black tea by examining 552 men over a 15-year period.

After the study was finished, the researchers concluded that the flavonoids in black tea helped reduce the production of LDL – the bad cholesterol that can lead to stroke and heart attacks. Furthermore, men who drank over four cups of black tea per day had a significant lower risk of stroke than men who drank only two to three cups per day.

In a separate study at Boston's School of Medicine, Dr. Joseph Vita also studied the health benefits of black tea and came up with results that corroborated the findings of Netherlands National Institute of Public Health and the Environment.

To arrive at his conclusion, Dr. Vita studied for four months sixty-six men who drank four cups of either black tea or a placebo daily. After four months, Dr. Vita concluded that drinking black tea can help reverse an abnormal functioning of the blood vessels that can contribute to stroke or heart attack.

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After the tea leaves are picked, they are inspected and sorted and withered. All of this is done by hand. As water from the leaves evaporates, the natural process of fermentation begins to take place. Fermentation, also known as oxidation, is the reason why organic black tea is black.

Unlike the fermentation done with wines, tea fermentation does not produce alcohol. Instead, enzymes naturally contained in the leaves are released, oxidizing the leaf in the process and turning it brown just like a tea leaf in the fall when it changes color from green to brown.

By increasing heat and high humidity in a process called firing (the leaves are exposed to high temperature over fire or commercial ovens), the fermentation of organic black tea accelerates. As a result of these conditions, it is only a matter of hours before green tea is turned to what is known as organic black tea.

There are several different types of organic black tea. They are called 'organic' because they were purely grown organically, without the use of chemical fertilizers or commercial pesticides. The types of organic black tea depend on the name of the region where the Camellia sinensis plant is grown. Below are the top three organic black tea, valued for their rich taste and color.

Keemun

Considered by most to be the finest of Chinese black teas, Keemun organic black tea is actually a style of tea rather than the name of a region. Keemun is grown in many regions of China and Taiwan. Because of its smooth taste and aromatic flavor, Keemun organic black tea is often referred to as the "Burgundy" of teas. Chinese Keemuns are especially rich and flavorful. Higher grades of Keemun are also sweet, fruity, and pleasantly full-bodied with a delicate smoky nuance.

Keemun is great by itself. But if you want a slightly different taste, the tea also goes well with a bit of milk and sugar.

Darjeeling

Named for the Darjeeling province in northeast India, this fine drink is another organic black tea worth trying. Often referred to as the "Champagne of teas," Darjeeling is praised for its aroma and delicate flavor. Incidentally, the Darjeeling region also produces excellent green and oolong teas – both known for their delicate tastes. The organic black teas are delicately flavorful but still full-bodied and succulent with a wide range of flavors from floral to nutty and sometimes with subtle muscatel notes.

Lapsang Souchong

Another organic black tea from China and Taiwan, Lapsang Souchong is also a style of tea with an intensely strong smoky flavor that many find, if not particularly delicious, then intriguing. The flavor is produced by drying the leaves over a smoldering pine fire. This organic black tea is made from larger leaves that contain lower amounts of caffeine, making it a popular evening drink.

Lapsang Souchong is not for everyone's palate. If you want to experiment a little with your organic black tea, try some and decide for yourself.

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Black currant tea made from an infusion of the leaves is said to have diuretic and cleansing properties. On the other hand, black currant tea from the herb's young roots is useful in eruptive fevers. The tea is also said to be excellent lozenges for inflammatory sore throats.

Below are some of our top picks for black currant tea:

Zooscape.com – Black Currant Flavoured Black Tea

Imagine a currant bush full of berries. Gather the berries and make fine juice out of them. Then add a dash of the fruity juice to your high grown Ceylon tea from estates more than 5500 feet above sea level, and you have yourself a cup of fine, clean, and healthy black currant tea.

Zooscape offers their black currant tea in loose or decaffeinated forms.

Harney.com – John's Black Currant Tea

A flavored tea, John's black currant tea features a "big" fruity, berry flavor in a full-bodied tea. You can buy these teas in:

* 20 tea bags in resealable polybag
* 100 paper-wrapped tea bags
* loose tea in 4 ounce tin
* loose tea in 7 ounce tin

EnglishTeaStore.com – Black Currant Tea

The English Tea Store's Black Currant Tea is a naturally caffeinated free drink made from the leaves and fruit of the black currant bush. The taste is an explosion of berry, and the drink has a dark purple color. In addition to that, they also offer Black Currant Herbal Tea 21 tea bags in tin, Black Currant Herbal Tea 25 tea bags pouch, Black Currant Herbal Tea 50 tea bags pouch, and Black Currant naturally Flavored Black Tea Loose Leaf 4 oz.

PerennialTeaRoom.com – Black Currant Tea

Imagine your fine black tea with the soothing berry fragrance of black currant leaves. The black currant tea offered at the Perennial Tea Room is sweet and blends well with champagne for a summer iced drink.

Do You Want Brownies with That?

So now that you bought yourself your pouch or tin of black currant tea, time for you to prepare yourself some cassis brownies to go with it.

Use the recipe below:

* 4 teaspoons of black currant flavored tea
*

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For instance, many people say that for China black teas or China green teas, a Chinese Yixing teapot is the best. You see, Yixing teapots are made from unglazed clay, and that's why teas drank from such teapots taste better because the flavor is fully preserved.

So if you want to savor the taste of your tea and experience the different subtle variations of black tea, the kind of Asian black tea set you use matters.

Below are a few good shops where you can look for the perfect Asian black tea sets.

KitchenKapers.com

At KitchenKapers.com, you can find an elegant-looking, white-colored Asian black tea set – the Joyce Chen Time for Tea Set – Black 90 5100. The teapot has an authentic side-handle to make it easier for you to pour in a manner reminiscent of elaborate tea ceremonies and matching Asian black tea set cups that will any hour tea time.

This Asian black tea set is stoneware that is microwave and dishwasher safe. It consists of 5 pieces, including one side-handle 20 oz. teapot and four 4 oz. handle-less tea cups.

BluemoonTea.com

Yixing teapots have the unique ability to absorb the tea flavor with continued sausage. What's more, the fired clay of Yixing teapots contains tiny air pockets which provide insulation for enhanced taste and aroma of fine teas.

The BluemoonTea.com website offers a fine collection of Yixing teapots and Asian black tea sets, including Empire teapot, Bamboo teapot, Beijing Era Teapot, and the Emerald Zen Yixing. For their Asian black tea set collection. BluemoonTea.com also offers White Bamboo on Blue Tea Cup with Infuser, Forest Rose Tea Cup with Infuser, Lotus Tea Cup with Infuser, Sage Floral Covered Bowl, Spring Teapot Set, and Red Blossom Tea Set.

SensationalTeas.com

The Japanese have used Tetsubin teapots for centuries to brew their finest teas and add artistic elegance to their household as well. Each Tetsubin teapot at SensationalTeas.com is hand cast, as well as hand finished, and fitted with a stainless steel mesh infuser basket.

As part of their wide collection of Asia black tea sets, SensationalTeas.com offers the Large Hira which is a stunningly elegant, and very rare, large capacity Tetsubin Hira. The teapot can hold 40 oz. and comes 5-7 cups all covered with elegant charcoal black exterior and a distinctive "hob nail" design. To complete the look, this Asian black tea set is lightly washed with a touch of brown, giving it a gorgeous antiqued appearance.

Another unique Asian black tea set at SensationalTeas.com is the 35 oz. Wabi. The Japanese find great beauty in simple design and the Wabi is a wonderful example. Its cocoa brown exterior has a pleasant orange peel texture and a squared off top that's distinctive, setting itself apart from a standard round teapot.

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Because of the way black dragon tea is processed, it is sometimes called partially fermented tea or semi-green tea. It is a tea that combines some of the best qualities of both black and green tea.

If you value green tea for its delicate taste and health benefits, then you are sure to find that black dragon tea is just as delicate but with a characteristic fruity taste commonly associated with fully fermented black tea. But if you prefer a slightly less aromatic version of black tea, then black dragon tea may well suit your palate.

How Black Dragon Tea is Produced

Made from the partially oxidized leaf of the Camellia sinensis, the plant where all tea types come from, the leaves used in making black dragon tea range in size from young to fully mature. Often, black dragon tea is baked or roasted after being fully dried to produce a mellower but richer flavor.

Traditional oolong teas come from China and are oxidized and roasted, producing a darker, strong tea. These include Tie Guan Yin or the "Iron Goddess"; Fuo Shou or the "Buddha Hand"; and Monkey-Picked, and Wu Yi Oolong.

Next to China, black dragon tea is also quite popular in Taiwan where it is produced in great numbers. Taiwan black dragon tea are highly esteemed for their smooth flavor which they say is achieved through the use of fully mature, new-growth, and hand-picked leaves which are only slightly oxidized before being tightly rolled and dried. The method actually makes a tea that is very close to green tea, but with a much more complex, intriguing, and rich flavor that could only be ascribed to the black dragon tea or oolong.

Taiwan high mountain oolong is typically left unroasted, whereas Dongding oolong undergoes carefully attended, long, slow roasting at low temperatures to produce a richer brew. Other types of specialty black dragon teas that require unique cultivation methods include Oriental Beauty and Baihao oolong.

What a Cup of Oolong Means

Asian culture has become increasingly integrated into Western society in an aspect more profound than the ubiquitous presence of Asian cuisine. I'm talking about more than anime, feng shui, and oriental medicine here. I'm talking about a rich cultural influence that continues to pervade modern society today. I'm talking tea, my dear, and not just any tea.

The current trend of tea has inspired many Western scientists today to search for scientific evidence that attests to how tea promotes health. Most of the studies came up with the following astounding conclusions:

* Lowers blood cholesterol
* Reduces oxidation
* Kills influenza virus
* Inhibits increase in blood pressure
* Reduces tumor growth
* Reduces mutations
* Inhibits increase of blood sugar
* Fights carcinogenic bacteria
* Prevents halitosis
* Increases mental acuity

And much, much more! Who knew a cup of black dragon tea could do so much?

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Of course, that's only a legend, but as history would have it, tea (the loose leaf variety was obviously the first type of tea made) goes way back nearly 5,000 years ago in China, though whether or not it was indeed discovered by the Emperor himself remains to be proven. Still, you can see how much tea has to offer – the history of human culture, no less!

All tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant, an evergreen plant growing in warm weather. What determines the resulting types of teas is the processing of the fresh leaves from the tea plant. During oxidation, the tea leaves undergo natural chemical reactions that result in distinctive taste and color characteristics of the different tea types.

Green tea is not oxidized at all, so you can count on it for delicate taste and refreshing flavor. The leaves are merely steamed, rolled, and then dried.

Loose leaf black tea, on the other hand, is allowed to fully oxidize. The oxidation process of tea leaves takes about two to four hours. Afterwards, the leaves are then rolled and dried and the resulting loose leaf black teas are then packed into different shapes and sizes.

Oolong tea, the other popular Asian tea type, falls somewhere between green and black teas, in that the leaves are only partially oxidized.

In the early history of tea drinking, tea was produced and prepared in the loose leaf style. Court Society in China's Song Dynasty particularly favored loose leaf black tea because of how the delicate character and distinctive taste of the tea was preserved.

During that time, other tea styles also flourished, including bricks and powdered tea. However, after 1391, Emperor Hung-wu, the first Emperor of Ming Dynasty, decreed that tributes of tea to the court were to be changed from brick to loose leaf form. This imperial decree quickly transformed how people drank tea in China, changing whisked teas to steeped teas. In addition, loose leaf black tea also required the creation or use of new vessels.

For instance, to steep the tea leaves properly, the tea pot was needed. Unlike in powdered or brick form where the tea leaves are merely whisked in the drinking vessel, the very nature of loose leaf black tea makes it impossible to perform the infusion in the same vessel. To get the proper concentration of loose leaf black tea, a tea pot had to be used and the tea must be kept warm at all times. The tea pot also comes in handy to separate the leaves from the infusion.

Another vessel created as a result of the loose leaf style is the tea caddy. Tea and containers are necessary because they contain the loose leaf black tea and in the process conserve its flavor. This was, after all, the reason why Chinese courtiers preferred loose leaf black tea.

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The relief from fatigue we find in drinking tea can be attributed to its caffeine content. Black tea caffeine is a stimulant that has been shown to increase speed in reaction time, increase alertness, and improve concentration.

The physical effects include stimulation of digestive juice, the kidneys, and the metabolism in ways that possibly help eliminate toxins. An increase of mental alertness, shortening of reaction time, and improving efficiency of muscle action is brought about by caffeine's stimulation of the heart and respiratory system, bringing more oxygen to the body.

A recent study on coffee shows that caffeine helps improve brain power performance and can be quite healthy, helping reduce the risk of heart disease and countless other diseases. However, because the study is still very new, the findings remain largely uncorroborated by other studies. Dieticians still warn against the bad effects of caffeine when consumed in large quantities. Because of its stimulating effects, caffeine can lead to heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and insomnia.

Black Tea Caffeine v. Coffee

Black tea caffeine has a distinct advantage over caffeine found in coffee. That's because black tea caffeine content is lesser compared to caffeine in coffee. A cup of coffee yields as much as 16 mg of caffeine while the same cup contains only about a half or a third of black tea caffeine. This reduces the danger of imbibing too much caffeine in your system since drinking even several cups of tea does not have quite the same potent effects as a cup of strong black coffee.

Yet, it should be noted that black tea caffeine can be quite confusing. One of its more confusing aspects is the fact that coffee actually contains less caffeine than tea when measured in its dry form. But when prepared in a cup, the caffeine content of coffee is significantly higher than the black tea caffeine content in a cup.

What Determines Black Tea Caffeine Levels?

The reason purportedly has something to do with how the tea was processed. But there actually several factors involved that may help determine black tea caffeine levels. These include the variety of tea leaf, where it is grown, particle size used, the particular tea leaf cut, and the method and length of brewing or steeping.

Also, studies show that black tea caffeine levels are determined by the leaf location on the tea plant. The lower the tea leaves are located, the more caffeine they contain. That's because the leaves near the bottom of the tea plant are more mature and, therefore, have more of the phytochemicals and substances that naturally occur in the plant.

Black tea caffeine, especially, is higher compared to all other tea caffeines. This probably has something to do with the way black tea is processed. Black tea undergoes full oxidation, which accounts for its strong taste.

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Where green tea is steamed but never oxidized, and white and oolong teas are only partially oxidized, black tea undergoes full oxidation. After picking, the leaves of the tea plant are withered, rolled, and fermented for a number of hours before the black tea is finally dried and packed into different shapes and sizes.

This unique processing method actually accounts for the stronger and more flavorful taste of Ceylon black tea. The way Ceylon black tea is packed is also another reason why its flavor is longer-lasting, making them excellent products for export and shipping.

There are several varieties of black tea. The main difference is in the places or regions where the tea plants are grown. Like wine regions in France, Australia, and California, black tea that come from one region has slight characteristic differences from black tea grown in other regions. Because of this, black tea types are often named after the name of their growing region in order to make it easier to identify them by association.

One important type of back tea is Ceylon Black Tea, grown on an island of the same name in Sri Lanka where extreme climate and rough physical nature of the countryside play an important role in its characteristic taste.

Before Ceylon was ever a tea growing region, it was first a coffee region. Coffee planting in Sri Lanka started around the 1800s, roughly three centuries after the Portuguese first landed in search of spices. In 1837, Sri Lanka recorded a historic 4,000 acres of coffee on the island of Ceylon alone, prompting coffee trade and export in the then British colony. However, nearly forty years later, coffee planting in Sri Lanka suffered a huge setback from which they were never able to recover.

It was in the beginning of 1865 when coffee planters of Ceylon noted a leaf fungus appearing that caused the leaf to die and drop off – the dreaded Hemileia vastatrix or "Devastating Emily." For a time, planters planted at a faster rate to overcome it, to no avail. By 1867, planters began looking at tea and planted them at fields, rather than at trials. The reversal was dramatic, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, himself, wrote in his De Profundis:

"Those were the royal days of coffee planting in Ceylon, before a single season and a rotting fungus drove a whole community through years of despair to one of the greatest commercial victories which pluck and ingenuity ever won. Not often is it that men have heart when their one great industry is withered, to rear up in a few years another as rich to take its place, and the tea fields of Ceylon are as true a monument to courage as is the lion at Waterloo."

The first Ceylon black tea that was produced in the 1860s was literally rolled by hand or arm, on bungalow verandah floors, or on tables and then fired over charcoal fires. The resultant Ceylon black tea was a fruity, full-bodied beverage with a slightly smoky taste.

Today, Ceylon black tea leaves are processed using developing machines, but quite a few are still made the old-fashioned way.

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