black tea

American  

noun

• black teas
  plural

1. a tea that has been allowed to wither and ferment under controlled conditions before being subjected to a heating process that stops fermentation and turns the leaves black.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• black teas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of black tea

First recorded in 1780–90

Compare meaning

How does black-tea compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• black tea vs. green tea
• oolong vs. black tea

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

black tea

Kombuchas made from black tea and pu-erh, meanwhile, displayed richer, earthier aromas with more pronounced fermentation characteristics.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026

They don’t have coffee, but they do have Jeju Island–grown “Regenerative Organic-Certified” black tea oxidized as matcha.

From Slate ● May 8, 2026

A rollback of tariffs on coffee and other products like green and black tea should help the company.

From Barron's ● Nov. 15, 2025

Some say he spent most tea times with New Yorker reporter Emily Hahn, two legends living legendarily, sharing tales over cucumber sandwiches, curried prawns, scones with clotted cream and strong black tea.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2025

After dinners, the family would sit in the open terrace with bowls of dried apricots, and pistachios, sugar candies, and a big samovar of black tea.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri