You can use cold water to make black tea. After steeping the tea, you can chill it in cold water. Then strain the leaves. Double the amount of tea leaves to make iced black tea. Then, steep the tea as usual and pour the hot tea over the ice.
Caffeine Content
Black tea generally contains 50-90 mg of caffeine per cup. Many factors can influence the caffeine level in this tea. These include the tea variety, how it is brewed, and whether the leaves have been broken or steamed. A cup of this tea with milk or spices will contain a lower level of caffeine than a cup made from straight black tea. Masala Chai, for example, will have less caffeine than pure Assam tea because it’s blended with milk and spices, which do not contain caffeine.
How to Buy and Store
There are wide varieties of black tea available, including flavored. They can be purchased as loose tea leaves or tea bags. You can buy the tea bags in boxes at most supermarkets, while you can find the tea pouches and bulk tea leaves at specialty tea shops, health food stores, and online.
Keep tea in cool and dark places such as cabinets, drawers, or the pantry. It would help if you did not store tea bags and leaves in glass jars. Exposure to light can cause damage to the tea and alter its flavor. The best way to preserve the tea is in its original container or tin.
If you want to try drinking black milk tea or just plain black tea, look for nearby tea cafes in your area, such as Boba Tea Shreveport, to see if they are available.
Different Types of Black Tea
There are many kinds of black teas available. Most commercial brands include different blends of this tea. English and Irish breakfast are two of the most popular tea blends. Due to their unique terroir, different tea origins create different tea flavors.
- India’s Assam Tea – This tea comes from the most prolific tea-growing region in the world. It is vital, rich, and malty and tastes great when brewed with milk and sugar.
- India’s Darjeeling Tea: This tea is from the mountainous region in Darjeeling. It is light, delicate, fruity, and floral. The tea’s flavor will depend on the season it was grown. Darjeeling black tea harvested in spring will have a lighter, fruity flavor than tea harvested later in the year.
- India’s Nilgiri Tea: This tea is floral and fragrant with a subtle sweetness. This tea is perfect for making iced or flavored teas. It has a medium-bodied taste with a mild flavor.
- Ceylon Tea from Sri Lanka: Although the origin of this tea is different, it is usually intense, rich, and flavorful.
- China’s Keemun Tea: This tea is wine-like, fruity, floral, and can also have tobacco and piney aromas depending on the variety. It has a smooth, mellow flavor.
- China’s Yunnan Tea: This tea is grown in higher elevations of Yunnan Province and evokes flavors of chocolate, malt, and, sometimes, hints of spice.
- Africa’s Kenyan Tea: This African black tea is robust, astringent, and dark. Kenyan black tea was introduced to the black tea family in the early 1900s.
You can also make blends of black tea with fruits, flowers, or spices. They have a wide variety of flavors depending on the ingredients. For example, Earl Grey is a classic black tea with bergamot essential oils or citrus flavor, while masala chai is a blend of various spices. In addition, many tea companies now offer unique and non-traditional black tea blends. These include flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, wood or smoker, tropical fruits, and warming spices.
