Tea Blog - Learn All About Tea — Black Tea

Tea is remarkably prominent in Russian culture.  This is largely due to the fact that tea is hot, and Russia is cold.  Thus, tea there, as it is consumed in most places in the world, is consumed hot.  It was introduced to Russia in the mid-1600’s, but by the 1800’s, it was being imported in such large quantities that it became accessible to most Russians, rather than just the wealthy.  Some tea has been grown in Russia, but it isn’t exactly a thriving industry, because Russia is, again, cold. Russian teas tend to be known for their smoky flavor.  The...

Blog Key Takeaways: 1. **Role of Tannins**: Tannins contribute to the dry, astringent flavor and fuller body in tea, similar to their effect in wine. They are responsible for giving tea its characteristic dryness and depth of flavor.2. **Source and Function of Tannins**: Tannins are produced by plants to deter predators and are especially common in unripe fruit. Despite their intended purpose to repel, they are attractive to humans for their unique taste.3. **Tannin Content in Different Teas**: Black teas are high in tannins due to the oxidation process, which breaks down catechins into tannins, giving black tea its dark...

The moment I started drinking tea, my mother immediately began calling me “the British child.”  I am of the opinion that, if you’re going to attach cultural stereotypes to things, you might as well do it correctly.  The first thing to know about British tea is that, if you’re drinking tea with biscuits in the afternoon, regardless of how fancy it is, it is not called high tea.  High tea was a meal which originated in the working class, when labor laws didn’t exist, and lunch breaks were therefore a luxury which most people did not have access to.  It...

Books and tea go together like peanut butter and jelly, or warm afternoons and sleeping outside in the grass.  As such, we’ve decided to run a quick series on famous authors, and the types of tea which they likely drank, starting first and foremost with the queen of the books and tea trope- Jane Austen. Austen lived from 1775- 1817, in England.  She was an extremely important figure in 19th century literature, and a contemporary of the Bröntes.  Because of where and when she lived, we can also assume a great deal about what she drank, and how she drank...