Among the numerous tea products, it is easy or difficult to find the tea that suits you. However, there is so much information on the Internet that it is difficult to distinguish between true and false, and most people just listen to what is said, resulting in misunderstandings. Today I will break down the three major myths about dark tea for you. Maybe you will also have a deeper understanding of those teas that are "not suitable" for you!

 

Myth 1: Drinking too much black tea will cause insomnia?

When many people see the color of black tea, they immediately shake their heads and refuse: "I can't drink black tea. Drinking such a strong tea will make you unable to sleep." Is black tea a strong tea? And does drinking black tea really cause insomnia?

First of all, whether it is strong or not depends on the brewing time and the amount of tea added. Therefore, even if it is green tea, the tea can become strong if the amount of tea is too much or the brewing time is too long. It is true that the intensity of the tea soup will affect the color of the tea. However, after fermentation, stacking and aging of dark tea, the color of the tea is dark. It is not accurate to judge whether the dark tea is a strong tea based on the depth of the color alone.

Apart from other factors that affect sleep quality, the caffeine and tea polyphenols in tea can make drinkers excited and have a refreshing effect. Therefore, drinking too much strong tea can indeed cause insomnia. However, after several years of aging of dark tea, the oxidation rate of tea polyphenols in the tea leaves will be accelerated, and the content of caffeine will also decrease. Therefore, drinking black tea not only does not cause insomnia, but also has an excellent soothing effect.

 

(The intensity is related to the brewing time and the amount of tea added.)

Myth 2: Black tea is just coarse tea, so why don’t you drink it?

Most tea products are mainly picked from young buds. Compared with the amount of leaves and stems of dark tea, some people think that the tea base of dark tea is of poor quality and has no drinking value. But in fact, the reason why dark tea is called coarse tea is not because the tea base is of poor quality, but because the tea leaves are picked at a higher maturity. Mature tea leaves have a stronger tea content and will become sweeter as they age.

The same is true. The nutrients contained in tea are richer than other teas picked from young buds, making them more worthy of drinking. For example, Tibetans living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau drink a cup of Tibetan tea every day. This is because Tibetan tea can supplement enough fiber and balance nutritional needs. Moreover, Tibetan tea can eliminate the greasiness caused by a meaty and high-fat diet, which is enough to prove the nutritional value of Tibetan tea.

(The raw material of dark tea is highly mature tea leaves. As long as it is aged, the taste will become sweeter.)

Myth 3: Is black tea also divided into raw and cooked tea?

It must be noted that dark tea does not have the classification of raw and cooked tea. The so-called "raw and cooked tea" are just different methods in the production process of Pu'er tea. Pu'er raw tea refers to the natural aging method to allow the tea leaves to complete the transformation process; while Pu'er ripe tea needs to be artificially fermented and then aged.

Dark tea is a post-fermented tea, and making post-fermented tea requires that the tea leaves undergo normal processing procedures and be placed at an appropriate humidity and temperature for a long period of aging. Therefore, whether it is raw Pu or cooked Pu, it must go through and complete a long aging process before it can be called authentic black tea.

(Pu’er raw tea and Pu’er ripe tea)

Today we have clarified some of the public’s misunderstandings about black tea. In fact, black tea is mild in nature and suitable for a wide range of drinking groups. You might as well try this “black pearl” in the tea world!

 

Suggested reading:

[Dark tea = Pu'er tea? 】Analysis of the differences between dark tea from Hunan, Yunnan and Sichuan

More teas: All Looseleaf Tea