BLACK TEA AT ITS BEST
Dark and distinguished
A tea variety that can be comfortingly hot and refreshingly cool
What do the mountainous regions of China, the British and the East Frisians have in common? Black tea! It has been a long journey from its origins in China to European teapots, but today a steaming hot cup of black tea is an absolute must for countless tea drinkers around the world.
The extensive selection of products in our Avoury tea range includes many classic varieties that we have tastefully reinterpreted. Using traditional teas such as Darjeeling or Earl Grey, we’ll tell you how to concoct appealing and innovative tea creations that have something familiar about them. But that’s just the beginning – we’ll show you what happens when a premium black tea meets something as simple as an ice cube…
Two varieties, one delicious indulgence – experience black tea with Avoury®
Where simple flavours end, our standards begin. With our Avoury One® tea machine, we’ve given our customers the opportunity to prepare wonderfully complex tea creations every day with complete ease. But today we’re going to pour cold water on two of our Avoury black teas.
DARK PEACH – fruity notes of mango and peach
A black tea with a heart of tropical fruit – in our DARK PEACH, black tea from the Rwandan highlands meets a playful fruity note. The intense, aromatic character of the tea leaves is given a tropical twist with the addition of peach and mango pieces, which will awake your yearning for long sandy beaches. Served hot or as iced tea, this peachy drink will perfectly accompany any meal and can even be enjoyed at any time in between.
EARL GREY – with its with cornflower petals and bergamot oil
Aristocratic and not at all grey – EARL GREY doesn’t age although it embodies tradition. Discover refreshing notes in every cup with bergamot oil giving this drink an illustrious character. Just like a true nobleman, our Earl Grey is a versatile, naturally flavoured black tea that tastes great both hot or cold. This makes it the ideal basis for a tasty, bergamot-infused iced tea that provides even more refreshment than you might expect.
Iced black tea – a delicious break with tradition
Anyone who wants to drink cold black tea is often considered to be eccentric. After all, the proper way to drink black tea is hot, isn’t it? Well, actually that’s only half the story! Even the black teas from our Avoury range taste just as good cold as they do hot.
And preparing them couldn’t be easier: first, you need to choose your flavour. As well as our EARL GREY and DARK PEACH varieties, our certified organic Ceylon tea GREAT CEYLON and our PREMIUM DARJEELING with its nutty notes are perfect for making cold drinks. Simply place the Avoury® TeaCycle Cap® of your choice in the tea machine and it will be freshly brewed with hot water.
Once you have prepared the right amount of black tea – you can make more than one cup! – leave it to cool down. You can add a few ice cubes to speed up the process, but make sure you don’t dilute the drink too much. Once the iced black tea is well chilled, it can be served fresh at an evening event.
Iced black tea – a bitter indulgence for experienced tea drinkers
Black and green teas are varieties that contain a relatively high percentage of bitter compounds compared to other teas. The longer these teas are allowed to infuse, the stronger the effect of the bitter substances on the flavour. However, this does not change the quality of the drink – in fact, this slightly bitter base note gives homemade iced teas an additional characteristic taste.
If you want to neutralise this bitterness, there are a few things you can try. We recommend adding a little lemon or you could try some honey for a touch more sweetness. A mint leaf can also help to bring out the aromatic freshness of the drink. As is so often the case, the rule is: as long as you like it, anything goes!
Delicious and energising – how black tea refreshes the body
A long day in the fresh air and the sunshine can be physically exhausting. Especially in the summer, we tend to replenish our lost fluids and stamina with soft and energy drinks. This mixture of water, sugar and caffeine often provides you with both a refreshing cool-down and a boost of energy for the rest of the day.
Not surprisingly, at Avoury we prefer a different kind of refreshment – a good black tea on the rocks, for example. On a hot day, a quaff of our “Peach Maker” mocktail based on our DARK PEACH variety is well worth it. Easy to prepare and with a refreshing flavour, it is a pleasure to drink – just like our many other tea varieties. You can find out how to make this and other tea creations on our tea recipes page.
Iced black tea – three good reasons why it’s number one
The reason we prefer iced tea to a traditional energy drink is not just a matter of taste. Homemade iced tea has many benefits:
· Know what’s in it
Our teas are made with carefully selected ingredients that play an important role in the flavour of each blend. We use only unadulterated natural flavourings that work together to create an amazing composition that will delight all tea drinkers. Long and complicated ingredient lists are definitely not part of our corporate philosophy. We find it perfect that the ingredients used in our teas can usually be counted on one hand.
· A palatable sweetness
The right amount of sweetness can enhance the taste of almost any beverage. However, when it comes to many of the conventional drinks available in the supermarket, it is the sweetness that is the USP. Considerable amounts of sweeteners are often added to those commercially available soft and energy drinks. With a homemade iced black tea, the sweetness can be fine-tuned to suit your personal taste using our own RAW CANE SUGAR.
· A good dose of caffeine
Black teas naturally contain a certain amount of caffeine. During preparation, the bitter compounds we mentioned earlier play an important role. The longer you leave the tea to infuse, the more these bitter compounds – also known as tannins – combine with the caffeine in the tea. This means that your body absorbs and processes the caffeine later; you don’t get the same “buzz” as you would from an energy drink, but the caffeine you do get lasts longer.
It’s important to note that, due to the amount of caffeine contained in our black teas, we do not recommend drinking them in the evening. Like a cup of coffee, a caffeinated tea in the evening can interfere with your sleep. But there's no need to give up a little refreshment before bedtime – with our tips, tea lovers can make flavourful, caffeine-free, fruit iced teas in just a few steps.
Black tea – as black as coffee but tasting of tea.
Whether you enjoy them hot on a cold winter's evening or iced on a warm summer's day, our teas give you uncompromisingly great taste. From Ceylon and Earl Grey to Darjeeling, with lemon, mango or peach added, we believe that caffeinated teas, whether green or black, are an interesting alternative to classic soft drinks or coffee that can be enjoyed all year round. Why not give them a try? Who knows, you might even develop a taste for them!
