Loose leaf Black Teas

The most classic origins of our organic black teas include China, India, and Sri Lanka. Black teas hailing from China (which is the birthplace of all modern tea varieties) range widely, including creamy Yunnan, winey Keemun and smoky Lapsang Souchong, to name a few. Similarly, our organic black teas from India cover a broad spectrum, including bright and floral Nilgiri tea, Darjeeling tea and malty Assam tea. Black teas from Sri Lanka (also called Ceylon tea) are more like those of India than of China, often grown at high altitudes, giving them the light body and delicate, flowery bouquet found in high-grown teas.

Organic Black Tea Manufacture

As with any black tea, our organic black teas are fully oxidized during manufacture, turning the tea leaves to a dark brown to black color. Black teas from India and Sri Lanka are assigned grades based on their particle size, denoted by the alphanumeric abbreviations occasionally seen at the end of the tea's name (OP, TGFOP, SFTGFOP1, etc.). Learn more about loose leaf tea manufacture.

Preparation Tips for Our Organic Black Teas

We recommend brewing our loose leaf organic black teas in water just off the boil, or 212 degrees Fahrenheit, for 3-5 minutes. The one notable exception to this is our organic first flush Darjeeling, which steeps more like our organic green teas (lower temperature, shorter time). Of course, these are only our recommendations. Let your personal taste be the ultimate test! Get more tips on how to brew loose leaf tea.