11 Highest-Quality Black Teas on Grocery Shelves

Tea, especially black tea, is a crowd-pleaser. Its smooth, comforting taste is perfect for your morning wake-me-up ritual, an afternoon lift, or even a before-bed comfort with decaffeinated varieties. Black tea, unlike many herbal or green teas, is what's more commonly served at tea time in the Western world, and these blends go great with milk, sugar, honey, or lemon, depending on personal preference. With thousands of different blends and varieties on grocery store shelves, there's a little something for everyone—and a whole host of quality options.

Black tea varieties are mainly derived from the Camellia sinensis plant like green, white, and oolong varieties. What makes black tea "black" is that it's allowed greater time in the oxidation process. Like fruit picked from the vine, tea's coloring and taste change the longer its leaves are harvested and exposed to oxygen in the air. Black tea stays exposed the longest, and once the desired flavor and color are achieved, the leaves are heated to stop the oxidation process.

Black tea contains a whole host of potential health benefits as its leaves are packed with antioxidants, specifically polyphenols, which may help combat free radicals from the body. Black tea also contains flavonoids that, according to certain studies, may lower your risk of heart disease and ward off obesity. Other potential health benefits include a reduction in LDL or "bad" cholesterol and a possible link to gut microbiota health benefits, so adding a cup of black tea to your daily health regimen may be a good idea.

Of course, not all manufacturers and master blenders create their teas equally, as some tea brands boast higher-quality ingredients than others on the market. To help you choose your perfect cuppa, we rounded up 11 of the best black tea brands so that you can get to sipping. Read on, then check out the 12 Healthiest Iced Teas on Grocery Shelves.

Twinings English Breakfast

You can't get more English than with a bracing cup of Twinings English Breakfast tea. For more than 300 years, this company has been supplying the British with high-quality tea blends. Since Queen Victoria granted the first Royal Warrant in 1837, it has been the official tea supplier of every British monarch. The brand's English breakfast blend contains brisk, coppery-red teas from Kenya and Malawi, while Assam tea provides a full-body flavor. Additionally, Twinings is dedicated to its Sourced with Care program, which ensures sustainable and equitable harvesting of their teas.

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Tazo Regenerative Organic Awake English Breakfast

This caffeine-rich blend is the perfect swap for your morning cup of coffee—but it gets even better. Tazo's Regenerative Organic Awake English Breakfast tea is a new take on the brand's traditional Awake blend as it's not only 100% USDA-certified organic but is harvested using only regenerative farming practices that help preserve soil and the sanctity of the environment. These teas also support two wonderful environmental organizations: We Act for Environmental Justice and Intersectional Environmentalist. 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Celestial Seasonings Morning Thunder

Celestial Seasonings Morning Thunder is a blend of black tea and maté, a traditional South American botanical used in ancient ceremonial rituals. Maté has been shown to aid in a slew of health benefits as it is packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, including vitamins C and B6, thiamine, and riboflavin. This specific blend, however, can be enjoyed at any time of the day as it contains only about 35 milligrams of caffeine, which is far less than certain other breakfast blends that often climb to 60 milligrams.

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Yogi Tea Black Chai

Yogi Tea's Black Chai is a velvety, flavor-rich blend with roots in Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient holistic practice that emphasizes particular herbs and roots for optimal health while viewing the body, mind, and spirit as one. This aromatic blend fits perfectly into this tradition as it contains black tea along with ginger, cinnamon, anise, rooibos, chicory, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon oil, and ginger oil—all of which are certified organic. The herbs in this tea may also aid in many areas of your health, including ginger to soothe an upset stomach and cinnamon to provide anti-inflammatory antioxidants. 

Numi Emperor's Pu-erh

A lesser-known blend in the West, Numi's Emperor's Pu-erh loose tea is derived not from the traditional Camellia sinensis plant but instead from the Pu'erh tree (so it's technically not a black tea, but we love it, and we think it "counts"). This healing blend has been used for centuries and may aid in a slew of health benefits, including weight management. In certain animal studies, Pu'erh has been shown to decrease fat accumulation in the body, potentially aiding in cholesterol management. These tea leaves undergo a unique 60-day fermentation process (instead of traditional oxidation), creating a bold, earthy flavor. As a bonus, all of Numi's teas have been Fair Trade Certified, and Numi is a Certified-B Corporation.

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Pukka English Breakfast Tea

Known for its highly specialized tea blends, Pukka blends a line of black teas that includes its traditional, heart-warming English Breakfast Tea. Pukka stands out as especially high-quality due to its commitment to sustainable harvesting practices and overall environmental sanctity. Pukka teas not only come in sustainable packaging, but Pukka is FairWild Certified, Fair for Life certified, Soil Association Organic certified, and the company gives back 1% of all profits to environmental causes. 

Teapigs Darjeeling Earl Grey

Earl Grey tea is one of the most popular black tea blends for its refreshing, floral pick-me-up flavored with the lushness of bergamot. Teapigs' Darjeeling Earl Grey is made with black tea sourced from Darjeeling, cornflower, and natural bergamot flavoring. This is important as many Earl Grey blends use low-quality tea leaves and disguise any bitterness with loads of artificial bergamot flavoring. With Tea Pigs, you can feel confident that you're sipping only the best—and it earned a star at the 2020 Great Taste Awards.

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DAVIDsTea Organic Blueberry Jam Tea

If you're looking for something with a bit more pizazz than your average breakfast teas, DAVIDsTea creates extra special blends, and its Organic Blueberry Jam tea is certainly a crowd favorite. While flavored black teas are often packed with artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners, DAVIDsTea is an all-natural blend that includes organic blueberries, elderberries, and black currants, as well as natural blueberry and raspberry flavoring for an extra kick. Organic stevia extract adds just the right amount of sweetness without the need for artificial fillers.

Organic India Tulsi Breakfast Tea

Organic India's Tulsi Breakfast Tea is a special blend that contains Tulsi (holy basil), an adaptogen that may aid in reducing stress levels and regulating the nervous system. The idea is that despite the caffeine in this tea, you may not feel the caffeine crash often associated with coffee. Additionally, this tea now comes blended with bacopa, a plant used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine that may aid in relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression, according to data. Still, more high-quality research is needed to confirm this.

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Equal Exchange Organic Irish Breakfast Tea

Equal Exchange is a co-op-owned fair trade company specializing in many foods, including tea leaves. All teas at Equal Exchange, including its Organic Irish Breakfast Tea, are small-farmer-grown and support the Small Farmer Tea Project in Kerala, India. This project helps support long-term trade partnerships promoting environmental and economic sustainability. The brand's Irish Breakfast blend is perfect for the connoisseur looking for a robust, full-bodied, and malty tea for their morning pick-me-up. 

Rishi Tea Golden Yunnan

This malty, jammy-sweet tea hails from the birthplace of tea—the Yunnan Province in the southwest of China. Rishi's Golden Yunnan loose-leaf tea stands out from other black teas due to its subtle accents of plum, raisin, lychee, and even chocolate. This tea is certainly not your average English breakfast, and many aficionados describe this tea as having a unique mellowness that is perfect for the morning. You can enjoy this blend by itself or with a splash of milk and sugar, but first, make sure to sniff out those flavor notes that you can't find in your average tea bag.