History Of Black Tea - Essay Example

14th April History of Black Tea It was green tea only, which was produced and consumed until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) ofChina. It was during his dynasty that the Chinese realized that they can completely change their tea production. This was because oxidization was discovered. This tea helped in solving one of the major problems of the people of China. This was while the tea makers considered that the newly created tea was fit for the ‘barbarian foreigners’. Green tea had the propensity to mold, and it did not travel well over long distances.

It was observed that when the tea was allowed to bake after being oxidized, the leaf which leaves behind can retain its quality longer. This type of the tea was more suitable for the long distance transport to Tibet and Mongolia. In most of the world beyond Asia, black tea is the most popular (Narienteas n.p). There are four varieties of tea, the black tea, white, oolong, and green. All these types are made from the same type of leave known as the Camellia sinensis. However, black tea is more oxidized than any of the three other type of tea.

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 an 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 of 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. There was a confusion when it came about the coining of the name. The confusion came about when the Dutch and British traders noticed that the leaves across China were darker than the usual green unfermented.

There are hundred types of teas which belong to the family of the black tea. Each of these types is a result of a unique process of exposing picked leaves to air, heat and moisture. This helps in the fermentation of the leaves (Chinese Tea Shop n.p). Works Cited "Chinese Tea Shop." n.d. All about Black Tea. 14 April 2012 . "Narienteas." n.d. Tea. 14 April 2012 . "Tea Scapes." n.d. Black Tea introduction/ Hsitory. 14 April 2012 .