It is easy to overlook how prevalent tea is in our modern lives. It is when we come across the amazing statistics that tea is the number two most consumed beverage it the world and it has been so for a long, long time that we start to understand how central to our lives drinking tea is. That fact is made even more powerful when we know that the number one most consumed beverage in the world is water.
 
One reason that black tea in particular has reached such phenomenal levels of acceptance and enjoyment around the world is warm and rich taste. With so many others to choose from, if you made it your passion to discover new tea flavors, varieties and to enjoy teas from as many places around the world as you could, that would be a quest that would take a lifetime to complete.

Black tea is by far the most common tea most of us enjoy because that is the kind that is commercially sold in grocery stores in the form of tea bags. But few people know that the only difference between green and black tea is in how they are handled after the picking process is complete. The drying procedure for green tea is somewhat less complicated. But even though the drying process for black tea is more involved, it makes the resultant product stronger and more able to be stored without losing its freshness.

It adds to the fun and enjoyment of drinking quality black tea to know a little bit about where it comes from and the culture and type of environment the tea was produced. The soil, weather and many other factors of different parts of the world have a big impact on both the flavor of the tea and the vitamin content of it as well. So learning a little bit about black tea origins can help you even in shopping for commercial tea.
For example, Lapsang Souchong is a Chinese tea as is Yunnan and Keemum varieties. You might see this distinction when you read the ingredients panel on the side of the next box of black tea you buy. These teas have a wonderful smoky flavor because pine fires are mostly commonly used in China to dry the tea leaves to prepare them for sale and consumption by you and me. The Chinese take great pride and care in how they prepare the teas they sell so much so that they won't even let the leaves be broken as they cure them to become the tea we enjoy in our cups at home.

Let this first step of understanding Chinese tea be your introduction to learning all you can about where your tea comes from, how it is prepared and what kinds of flavors you can expect. You might try out Assam tea from India, Darjelling form the Himalayas, Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka as well as teas from Kenya, Malawi, Zimabwe and even as close as Hawaii.

Each of these teas will have a unique flavor and aroma and its great fun to find out which ones will become your favorites and even indulge yourself in becoming a bit of a tea snob by wanting the teas you enjoy the most each day. That's ok because tea is so good for you and such a great beverage that you can sample and enjoy so much variety, all from the comfort of your cozy home and your cozy teapot.

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