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Ceylon
Loos leaves of Ceylon black tea in a white bowl.

Ceylon

Ceylon tea is a broad range tea that can be sold as a black, white or green tea. This style was sourced from China, but is more commonly associated with Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) as it was developed and is now grown commercially there. It is refreshing and crisp in flavor, and can be infused with dried fruit such as apricot or mango. The black tea is most common, and it is often used in blends such as English Breakfast and Earl Grey. Sri Lankan Ceylon Silver Tips is considered the champagne of black tea and is heavily regulated within the country and beyond in its exports around the world.

Characteristics
Black Tea
Tea Type
·
Black tea is a highly oxidized type of tea. It is higher oxidized than Oolong, yellow, white and green tea giving the leaves a dark color and the brew a strong flavor. The tea has its origin in East and Southeast Asia, with both the variety sinensis and assamica being used to make it. The western term black tea refers to the color of the oxidized leaves. Black tea is known as hong cha in Chinese which translates to red tea. It was named red tea because of the color of the liquid. Black tea should not be confused with dark tea which is a post-fermented tea called Hei Cha in Chinese which translates to black tea.
Characteristics
Black Tea
Tea Type
·
Black tea is a highly oxidized type of tea. It is higher oxidized than Oolong, yellow, white and green tea giving the leaves a dark color and the brew a strong flavor. The tea has its origin in East and Southeast Asia, with both the variety sinensis and assamica being used to make it. The western term black tea refers to the color of the oxidized leaves. Black tea is known as hong cha in Chinese which translates to red tea. It was named red tea because of the color of the liquid. Black tea should not be confused with dark tea which is a post-fermented tea called Hei Cha in Chinese which translates to black tea.
Table of Contents
Loos leaves of Ceylon black tea in a white bowl.
Characteristics
Black Tea
Tea Type
·
Black tea is a highly oxidized type of tea. It is higher oxidized than Oolong, yellow, white and green tea giving the leaves a dark color and the brew a strong flavor. The tea has its origin in East and Southeast Asia, with both the variety sinensis and assamica being used to make it. The western term black tea refers to the color of the oxidized leaves. Black tea is known as hong cha in Chinese which translates to red tea. It was named red tea because of the color of the liquid. Black tea should not be confused with dark tea which is a post-fermented tea called Hei Cha in Chinese which translates to black tea.
Characteristics
Black Tea
Tea Type
·
Black tea is a highly oxidized type of tea. It is higher oxidized than Oolong, yellow, white and green tea giving the leaves a dark color and the brew a strong flavor. The tea has its origin in East and Southeast Asia, with both the variety sinensis and assamica being used to make it. The western term black tea refers to the color of the oxidized leaves. Black tea is known as hong cha in Chinese which translates to red tea. It was named red tea because of the color of the liquid. Black tea should not be confused with dark tea which is a post-fermented tea called Hei Cha in Chinese which translates to black tea.
Characteristics
Black Tea
Tea Type
·
Black tea is a highly oxidized type of tea. It is higher oxidized than Oolong, yellow, white and green tea giving the leaves a dark color and the brew a strong flavor. The tea has its origin in East and Southeast Asia, with both the variety sinensis and assamica being used to make it. The western term black tea refers to the color of the oxidized leaves. Black tea is known as hong cha in Chinese which translates to red tea. It was named red tea because of the color of the liquid. Black tea should not be confused with dark tea which is a post-fermented tea called Hei Cha in Chinese which translates to black tea.

Origin

Discovery

Ceylon tea was created by British colonists during their time in Sri Lanka in the 1820’s. The Ceylon region appears to have been one of the last regions at the time to surrender to the British during their colonization efforts. Tea plants from China were brought in by the British in 1824 to the Ceylon region due to its ideal climate for cultivation. In the 1830’s further transplanting was brought in from the Assam and Calcutta regions to expand the Ceylon’s overall tea production. By the early 1900’s, production had exploded in Sri Lanka, so much so that by the time they regained their independence in 1948, Sri Lanka had become one of the largest exporters in the world. Today, the country as a whole is the 4th largest exporter of tea around the globe. The Ceylon region produces the largest share of tea within the country today.

Regulations

Ceylon is one of the few styles of tea that is heavily regulated in Sri Lanka. “Pure” Ceylon is equivalent to champagne in that it must be grown, cultivated and bagged from within the region. Because of its unique situation, Ceylon is highly sought after as a black and a white tea, and makes up nearly 10 percent of the global market in tea sales.

Types of Ceylon

Black Tea

Black tea is the most common among the three Ceylon styles. The grading for black teas is more robust than the other teas, ranging from Orange Pekoe tea down to dust (or in some parts of the world, fannings). The highest grade, Orange Pekoe, requires a full leaf structure and a classic elongated/wiry appearance. The leaves beyond Orange Pekoe usually possess defects to them, either being broken or not holding the ideal shape (and thus a different flavoring). Dust is used for tea blends, as it is the cheapest and tends to lose its character at this stage.

Green Tea

Green tea is the least consumed among the three styles produced in Sri Lanka. It is generally known for its bitter taste. The tea requires harvesting younger leaves which possess a higher concentration of antioxidants. Recently, western culture has turned to utilizing teas for their healing properties and other healthy lifestyle benefits. As a result, there has been a recent rise in popularity among this genre of tea.

White Tea

White tea is most commonly known for being cultivated as the coveted Silver Tips style of Ceylon. It is considered to be the most floral, light and sweet tasting of the three. This type of tea requires an early morning harvest, usually before dawn, by skilled harvesters. The youngest leaves and buds are harvested for this tea, which makes it a more time consuming picking. It is more difficult to find the appropriate foliage and buds for this genre of tea. Consequently, Silver Tips is known for being quite pricey, and thus this tea is more of a niche market for those looking to expand their palettes.

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Loose leaves of black tea.
Assam
Tea Style
·
Assam tea is a black tea style from the Assam region of India and falls under the variety camellia sinensis assamica. It is known for its malty appearance and bold flavoring. This tea can be consumed on its own, or with milk and sugar. Most common brands use this tea in a blend with ceylon and keemun and/or kenyan teas to produce english breakfast and earl grey.
Loose leaves of black tea.
Black Tea
Tea Type
·
Black tea is a highly oxidized type of tea. It is higher oxidized than Oolong, yellow, white and green tea giving the leaves a dark color and the brew a strong flavor. The tea has its origin in East and Southeast Asia, with both the variety sinensis and assamica being used to make it. The western term black tea refers to the color of the oxidized leaves. Black tea is known as hong cha in Chinese which translates to red tea. It was named red tea because of the color of the liquid. Black tea should not be confused with dark tea which is a post-fermented tea called Hei Cha in Chinese which translates to black tea.
Loose leaves of green tea.
Green Tea
Tea Type
·
Green tea is a very lowly oxidized type of tea, unlike oolong and black teas which go through an oxidation process. Leaves of Camellia sinensis var. Sinensis are better suited for producing green tea than those from Camellia sinensis var. Assamica which are usually used to make black tea. Originating in China, production spread out into other areas of Eastern Asia. There are many styles of green tea that differ substantially in flavor, leaf look, and production process. Green tea is a type of tea with the highest antioxidant properties. There are many research studies on its health effects, but there is little evidence showing any effects on people's health.
Loose leaves of white tea.
White Tea
Tea Type
·
White tea is one of the most recent tea types out there. It is the *least processed* tea type and has only been lightly oxidized. But just because of that, it does not necessarily mean that it is simple in taste. In fact, the processes it goes through are very meticulous and important for its taste development. Its production center is in China, especially in the *Fujian* province. In the last few years the production areas of white tea are increasing thanks to its gaining popularity.
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