Sipping Your Way to Wellness With Healthy Black Tea
Many of us know that green tea is good for health. That style of Camellia sinensis, which is essentially just-harvested tea that is quickly roasted to halt oxidation, has received much press and praise, for decades, about its health properties.
But black tea? The most oxidized style of traditional tea? The stuff of most American iced tea and the kind of tea sipped with passion by people across India and the United Kingdom? Black tea has not experienced nearly as much notice for its wellness benefits.
But things are changing. Researchers have been investigating black tea’s healthy attributes for years, and publishing outstanding results. And the media is beginning to notice. Black tea, just like all variations of traditional tea, offers sippers superb pathways toward wellness.
Of course ice tea flooded with sugar or another sweetener doesn’t count as a healthy beverage. The addition of cream, too, detracts from tea’s health advantages. But a morning cup of Earl Grey Superior, followed by afternoon sips of Darjeeling First Flush and Lapsang Souchong? Now we’re talking good-for-you drinks.
Black tea and health
Black tea’s health benefits hinge on antioxidants known as polyphenols. Among other things, polyphenols protect people from chronic diseases. But it’s a specific type of polyphenol—theaflavins, which are only found in black tea—that offer black tea unique health benefits. These antioxidants only emerge during the oxidation process—meaning they aren’t present in green or white teas. And they contribute toward black tea’s status as a vigor booster.
According to the UCLA Health newsletter, black tea:
- Promotes heart health. It’s those theaflavins that help lower cholesterol. In addition, studies show that the flavonoids dwelling within black tea—the same antioxidants found in nuts, dark chocolate and wine—reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Reduces risk of stroke. Studies suggest it cuts back on stroke risk by as much as 16%.
- Improves focus. The caffeine helps with focus, and all traditional teas contain caffeine. But black tea also contains an amino acid called L-theanine. And studies suggest that this amino acid helps with focus and overall alertness. In addition, the L-theanine apparently helps take off some of caffeine’s rough edges.
- Lowers blood sugar. Consumption of black tea helps lower blood glucose levels and bolsters the body’s ability to manage sugar.
- Decreases the risk of some cancers. This pertains to all tea. One review of 64 studies found that black tea might, for example, lower the risk for oral cancer. Another study found that black tea reduces the chances of contracting squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer.
Most teas, provided they aren’t heavily spiked with sweeteners and cream, offer immense health benefits. In fact, Ku Cha House of Tea just released its Wellness Tea Box, a curated collection of six teas that deliver a wide diversity of wellness benefits to those who sip the teas!
Black Tea for Health: Black Peony
With an intense floral fragrance and lingering fruit-toned flavor, tea aficianados always appreciate rare Black Peony tea. The gorgeous tea come from the Wuling Mountains in Hunan Province, the region containing the world-famous Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Dense foliage covers tall, pillar-shaped mountain peaks in the park, and beautiful waterfalls and clouds and mist shroud the park year-round in atmosphere and moisture. The park attracts lots of visitors every year, and the terroir also support especially fantastic tea. Get your black tea on with this gem!
Black Tea for Health: Apricot Black
We adore black tea on its own. But it also serves as a grand foundation for blends. The famous style of tea called chai, sipped with abandon across India and increasingly around the world, is a kind of black tea blend. Our Apricot Black blend combines the unique, sweet flavor of apricots with the richness of fine black tea. Dotted with real apricot pieces and marigold petals, this outstanding tea combines a bright fruity profile with black tea’s natural earthiness. It’s perfectly balanced. This beauty is exceptional any way you prefer: hot or cold, with or without milk.
Black Tea for Health: Tangerine Black Ball
While sipping black tea for health in most of the world may have lagged behind savoring green tea for wellness, people in China have understood black’s glorious benefits for generations. And in some cases, the black tea comes in hollowed-out tangerine rinds before brewing. Our Tangerine Black Ball, from XinHui in China, represents a kind of tea that people in China routinely brew for health benefits such as suppressing coughs, reducing chest inflammation and soothing stomach discomfort. Our Tangerine Balls have held the black tea inside since 2016, adding citrus flavors to the natural tastes of the aged black tea. The result is panoply of lingering smooth, rich and sweet flavors. Pro tip: It can be brewed multiple times. At Ku Cha House of Tea, we offer an exclusive buy 3, get 1 free deal on our Black Tangerine Balls.
