dark tea recipe

Dark tea is a type of tea made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, the same plant that black and green tea are obtained from. As you probably know, black tea is made from fully fermented and oxidized leaves of Camellia sinensis while green tea is not fermented at all, and there are white, yellow, and oolong teas between the two with different fermentation and oxidation levels. Dark tea comes later than black tea in this scale and is known as post-fermented tea.It is made of fully oxidized and fermented Camellia sinensis leaves which then undergo an aging process from several months to many years.

Dark tea is sometimes called “pu-erh tea”. However, this is not a correct naming. Pu-erh tea is just one of the many types of dark tea, and produced only in Yunnan province of China. So, it is better not to use the name “pu-erh tea” while referring to dark tea.

Another confusion over the name of dark tea arises from the fact that the symbol used for dark tea in Chinese can be translated into English both as black and dark. What we call “black tea” is called “red tea” in China due to the color of its infusion. On the other hand, what we call “dark tea” in this blog is called “black tea” in some regions of China, and “dark tea” in others. It is better to call post-fermented leaves of Camellia sinensis “dark tea” instead of “black tea” to avoid any confusion.

Dark tea has a strong malty flavor with some earthy fragrance. However, it is not bitter as many think. As for caffeine content, dark tea has a fair amount of caffeine, similar to black tea. Other nutritional benefits of dark tea are similar to other types of teas obtained from Camellia sinensis, which you can learn by clicking on this link.

Dark tea is traditionally brewed using a single teapot. However, the recipe below describes how to make dark tea using a double tea kettle. Making dark tea in a double tea kettle yields more flavorful tea that is warmer for a longer time compared to traditional single teapot brewing. You can refer to our related blog following this link to learn more about the different tea brewing methods in the world.

We should mention one last point before moving on to the dark tea recipe below. You should pay close attention to the quality of tea leaves and water to experience a pleasant tea journey for any type of tea you are making. So, you should use quality tea leaves and distilled or bottled water if your tap water is low quality. Otherwise, you may have an unpleasant tea experience.

Now, let’s move on to the dark tea recipe below and enjoy the process of making tea in a double tea kettle!