Black tea Black tea Black tea is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, green, and white teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than the less oxidized teas. All four types are made from leaves of the shrub (or small tree) "Camellia sinensis." Two principal varieties of the species are used – the small-leaved Chinese variety plant ("C. sinensis" var. "sinensis"), used for most other types of teas, and the large-leaved Assamese plant ("C. sinensis" var. "assamica"), which was traditionally mainly used for black tea, although in recent years some green and white teas have been produced.
Tea var. "sinensis") may have originated in southern China possibly with hybridization of unknown wild tea relatives. However, since there are no known wild populations of this tea, the precise location of its origin is speculative. Given their genetic differences forming distinct clades, Chinese Assam type tea ("C. sinensis" var. "assamica") may have two different parentages – one being found in southern Yunnan (Xishuangbanna, Pu'er City) and the other in western Yunnan (Lincang, Baoshan). Many types of Southern Yunnan assam tea have been hybridized with the closely related species "Camellia taliensis." Unlike Southern Yunnan Assam tea, Western Yunnan Assam tea shares