General Tea Questions...

There are different types of black tea and some are grown in different parts of the world.

Assam is from India
Ceylon is from Sri Lanka
Lapsang Souchong from China
and many more

When a company list black tea it could be any black tea, they usually state what they are. They taste different too for the most part so the blends would usually depend on the flavours they wish to make/add.

If there is a specific blend that you want to know the ingredients of you could always ask them. :)

Thanks for the advice…I shall message them:)

I think the most common generic “black tea” is Ceylon (from Sri Lanka). But, yes, you’d have to ask to be sure.

hmmm, i havent really considered that before. i just took it for granted that it is black ^^ interesting question. pls let us know what your search turns up, GG!

Most of the time “black tea” means a blend of different varieties of black tea. Most common to blend are Keemun, Ceylon and Assam. For instance, once I asked Harney about the bases to Tower of London, Paris, and their Earl Grey (all listed as “black tea” on the ingredients). Here’s what they answered:

“Earl Grey: Keemun, Ceylon, Assam, Oolong
Paris: Keemun, Hunnan, Ceylon, Assam, Oolong
Tower of London: Keemun, Hunnan

I can’t give exact amounts but the Chinese black teas [Keemun and/or Hunnan] are the predominant teas in all three blends. The Oolong in the first two blends is a very small amount that we use to soften them up a little."

Some companies might not even know what the black tea base is made up of, if they just order their tea from a wholesaler and don’t blend it themselves. It is always frustrating to me when tea companies aren’t more specific, but I’ve come to accept that its just how most flavored teas are.

I just inquired from Art of Tea on which kind of black tea they use for Pot of Gold and Seamus said “That’s a Yunnan black tea, from China”. And their fruit flavoring is blueberry…I couldn’t place the fruity essence in it, lol…it’s SOOO good though…magical!

I also suggested to them to list which exact black tea they use when listing the ingredients so their customers can figure out WHICH black teas they like/don’t like. And he said he would pass it along…yay!:)

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UPDATE:

Here’s the response I got from Davids Tea on various teas that use “black” tea.

Cheeky Lychee: Chinese black tea
Fantasy Island: Chinese black tea
Blueberry Jam: Sri Lankan black tea
Superberry: black tea from India and Sri Lanka
The Earl’s Garden: black tea from Ceylon
Decaf Earl grey: decaffeinated black tea from Sri Lanka
Banana Dream Pie: Indian black tea

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I’m inquiring from other companies as well but I’ll come back and update when I get more info:)