Black Teas & Preparing the Best Cup of Tea

We love black tea and drink a lot during the day. Sometimes with a dash of milk, sometimes all by itself, and on occasion with honey or sugar.

Black tea is an undisputed favourite brew in the western world. Black tea is made by carefully processing the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. The leaves are dried and go through oxidisation, which turns the leaves from a vibrant green to a golden or dark brown. The drying method ferments the tea to increase the amount of caffeine per cup compared to other teas. Caffeine is important because it boosts energy levels and makes us feel good and alert. While all black teas tend to be stronger in taste and higher in caffeine than the less-fermented teas, their other characteristics are far from uniform. Black teas come in a kaleidoscope of flavours, aromas and colours.

Popular varieties of black tea include Darjeeling tea, widely acknowledged as the finest black tea in the world, Assam tea and Ceylon tea, including the classic English Breakfast. There are also incredible flavoured black teas such as Earl Grey, which is infused with bergamot, and our range includes delicious blends such as Masala spices and other fruity varieties.

Brewing the perfect cup of loose-leaf or tea bag tea is not rocket science, but there are ways of ensuring that the brewed tea is delicious. We have discovered a handful of factors that will provide the perfect cup of tea, such as timing or even the water temperature, which can make a good cuppa fantastic!

Discover our black tea range and how to brew the perfect cup every time.

Black Tea Gift Set

Our Black Tea Gift Set contains a classic Assam loose-leaf tea, a stylish Japanese-style tea caddy to hold it and a handy stainless-steel filter basket for the perfect fuss-free brew every time.

The Black Tea Gift Set contains:

100g Assam Boisahabi- A first flush Assam tea that is smooth, tasty and refreshing.

Zaara Herb Tea Mug, Matt Sky Blue - A Porcelain tea mug with metal filter and lid, ideal for loose-leaf tea.

Ronnefeldt Tea Measuring spoon, gold - A stainless-steel tea measuring spoon.

Joy of Tea Darjeeling Organic Tea Bags

Our organic Darjeeling tea is an elegantly top-class tea with a delicious muscatel flavour. The tea leaves are handpicked in the summer to ensure the finest quality of tea for this slightly more robust Darjeeling.

*NEW* Winter Fairy Tale Loose-Leaf Tea

Our Winter Fairy Tale tea is a soothing infusion of black tea with spices and orange-cinnamon characteristics.

The addition of star anise, rose petals, orange peel, cinnamon and cloves give this tea a festive quality that's hard to beat!

Teavelope Breakfast Tea Stronger Brew Tea Bags

If you like your tea extra strong and bold, then our English Breakfast – Extra Strong – Teavelope Tea Bags are for you. This black tea is punchy, strong with hints of malt and spice. It's delicious with milk and sugar, depending on taste. Each tea bag is individually wrapped in an aroma protection sachet for perfect freshness.

China Golden Yunnan Dongzhai Organic Loose-leaf Black Tea

Our organic China Golden Yunnan Dongzhai is an exquisite mellow, earthy black tea with a sweet finishing note. A first-grade black tea from the Dongzhai tea gardens of Yunnan, China, only a single bud with the first fresh leaf is plucked from the tea plant to create this impressive black tea.

This particular tea can be brewed more than once - the first brew yields soft, full-bodied nuances and notes of wild forest honey. The second brew offers a milder tea with chocolatey sweetness.

*NEW* Assam Ginger & Orange Loose-Leaf Tea

Our Assam Ginger & Orange is a flavoured infusion of black Assam tea with ginger and blood orange.

Bold, autumnal and warming, this expertly blended tea contains real pieces of spicy ginger and orange.

English Breakfast St. Andrews Loose-Leaf Tea

Our English Breakfast St. Andrews is a robust and full-bodied breakfast tea. A dark colour when brewed, this traditional tea has a hearty feel that stays true to the exacting standards of the popular tea. This tea is good any time of day.

Masala Chai Loose-Leaf Tea

Our Masala Chai is a delightfully spiced black Assam tea combined with chai spices bursting with flavour.

This exotic tea from India contains loose-leaf black tea, ginger, star anise, black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and fennel.

We love it best with milk and sugar.

Builder's Cup Loose-Leaf Tea

Our Builder's Cup is a rather delightful blend of Assam and Java tea leaves. When brewed, the mixture of strong Assam with characterful Java creates a golden-brown cup. An exciting take on 'builder's tea', perfect with a dash of milk and sugar to taste.

Rose Tea with Petals Loose-Leaf Tea

Our Rose Tea with Petals is a flavoured blend of black and green tea with rose and jasmine petals. The infusion takes the finest Chinese teas and harmoniously mixes red rose petals to create an aromatic yet delicate tea.

Light & Late Decaffeinated Breakfast Loose-Leaf Tea

If you love tea but want caffeine-free, then our English Breakfast' Light & Late' – Decaffeinated Loose-Leaf Tea is for you! With the classic tangy and fruity Ceylon taste, this tea has been decaffeinated using the gentle CO2 method, ensuring that the full-bodied taste remains.

Teapots

When choosing the perfect teapot, there are a few considerations. Whether you're looking for a large teapot for the whole family or one with a built-in filter for loose-leaf teas in the home office, we have all the teapots covered.

Our teapot range is exclusively handpicked by our tea experts here at Cup of Tea and features glass, china, porcelain and cast-iron teapots. From contemporary and cool to classic and colourful, we have little and big family-sized teapots and handy pots for one. Some of our teapots feature built-in filters for your favourite loose-leaf teas, while others are classic in design for all types of tea.

Tea Caddies

It is a fact that teas and other foodstuffs benefit from being stored in the dark, so non-transparent containers are perfect (sorry, jars!). Our range of metal and stainless-steel containers are food-safe and can be used repeatedly. We have an extensive range of tea caddies that suit all tastes.

Tea Accessories

Stainless Steel Large Tea Egg

Our tea eggs have two netted halves that lock together with a twist mechanism. The hooked chain can be held in suspension to help the tea brew for fuss-free loose-leaf tea.

Paradox Tea Timers

Because brewing tea for the optimum time gives you the perfect cup, we always time our brewing. Our Paradox Tea Timers are ideal for tea fans, whether brewing loose-leaf or bagged tea. These smartly designed tea timers are modern in style and come in various lively colours.