Black teas are made from tea leaves that have been quickly and heavily oxidized. This gives the leaf and liquor a dark appearance and significantly changes the aroma and flavor - most notably in the strong body of breakfast teas. Chinese gongfu black teas are less concerned with strength and focus on more subtle characteristics.
The base teas in this collection are decaffeinated using the “Supercritical CO2 Decaffeination Process.” To summarize, this is when heated and pressurized CO2 passes through the tea leaves, bonding with and removing the caffeine molecules while leaving the rest of their chemical structure intact. Though more expensive than other methods, it is believed to best preserve the character of the tea.
