Black tea

Black teas are the most consumed of the four types of tea (read more about types of tea).

They are the highest in caffeine and lower in antioxidant properties.

The Black tea process goes through the most stages: picked, then left to wither for several hours.

Rolled, then the oils from the leaves brought to the surface.

These aid the oxidation process, which last for several hours.

The last step is placing the leaves in an oven of temperatures reaching up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the leaves are 80 percent dry, the leaves complete their drying over wood fires.

The resulting product is brownish (sometimes black) in color and is sorted accordingly to size, the larger grade is considered "leaf grade", and smaller "broken grade" are usually used for paper tea bags.