Tea is hardly a new habit for Australians. It's usually the first warm cup of the morning if you're not a coffee lover. It's the drink we make when someone comes over for a natter, or the pot that appears on the table after dinner.
In fact, Roy Morgan research found that 47.6% of Australians aged 14 and over drank hot tea in an average week. Among baby boomers, that increased to 61.1%. But, while we're very familiar with the traditional cup of black tea, adding the sugar and milk as we see fit, there is another centuries-old tea category that many Australians are only just beginning to discover.
Dark tea.
Also known as fermented or post-fermented tea, dark tea uses microbial fermentation to transform the tea leaves over time. This creates a much deeper flavour and aroma that is quite different from the black and green teas many of us already know and buy from our regular grocer of choice. It's also currently attracting the attention of researchers interested in what happens to tea during fermentation and how tea compounds may interact with the body. So what exactly is dark tea, and what does science actually tell us about it?
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What is fermented dark tea?
Dark tea starts with the same plant behind black, green and oolong tea: Camellia sinensis. After the leaves are harvested is where the difference begins between regular tea and fermented dark tea. Black tea gets much of its characteristic flavour and colour through oxidation. Microbial fermentation plays a central role in the production of dark tea. The microorganisms help to transform compounds already naturally present in the leaves. This is why you'll also see dark tea described as fermented tea, post-fermented tea, or microbially fermented tea.
This Chinese dark tea category includes several traditional teas, including Liu Bao, Fu brick, and some forms of Pu-erh. This is an important distinction, because Pu-erh tea is a type of dark or post-fermented tea, but not every dark tea is Pu-erh.
What does fermentation actually change?
Fermentation does a lot more than just make the tea darker. Research into dark tea has found that microbial activity during processing may transform the components of the leaves. This includes polyphenols, catechins, amino acids, organic acids and aromatic compounds. The chemical changes affect what ultimately ends up in your cup.
Depending on the tea and the way it's been produced and aged, dark tea can develop a smoother and deeper flavour with earthy, woody, slightly sweet or even mellow characteristics. Fermentation also helps to influence bitterness and astringency, which helps to create the rounded body dark tea drinkers appreciate. If your idea of tea begins and ends with English Breakfast, it's a completely different side of the same plant.
Why is fermented tea getting so much attention?
Some of the growing interest comes down to flavour and curiosity. Some people want to expand on their tea palate. But there are other reasons out there that dark tea is attracting attention. Scientists, for example, are increasingly interested in fermentation itself.
Tea naturally contains a wide range of compounds. Because microbial fermentation changes some of those compounds, researchers have begun to investigate what those changes could mean. One area receiving particular attention is the gut microbiome. People searching for tea for digestion or gut health tea may come across fermented dark tea, but the research doesn't currently support treating it as a solution for digestive problems.
A systematic review examining tea compounds and the gut microbiome looked at 24 different studies, including six human trials. Laboratory and mechanistic studies involving teas such as Pu-erh and Fu brick tea suggest that fermented teas may influence aspects of microbial composition, but there is an important caveat to consider. Human research is still developing, and the researchers themselves concluded that more well-designed human trials are needed.
That means it would be inaccurate to claim that drinking dark tea will improve your gut health or treat digestive problems. But what we can say is that the relationship between tea compounds and the gut microbiome has become a legitimate and interesting area of scientific research.
For a broader look at how Charmony approaches the relationship between tea and everyday wellness, you can also read The Biology of Balance: Why Tea is the Ultimate “Functional Food”.
What about metabolic health?
Research has also looked at specific dark teas in relation to metabolic health. One recent randomised, double-blind human trial involves 71 adults with metabolic syndrome with an average age of 53.5 years. Participants consumed Liu Bao tea for 90 days, and researchers reported changes in several metabolic measures while also investigating changes to gut microbiota.
It's an interesting development because controlled human studies can tell researchers way more than laboratory or animal research alone, but it doesn't mean that every dark tea will produce the same results. The study involved a relatively small group and looked specifically at Liu Bao tea.
It did not study the Charmony BEAST Series, and its findings shouldn't be applied to every fermented tea on the market. That's the difference between promising research and a proven health claim.
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In some cases, the bigger picture matters more. Perhaps one of the most useful studies about tea isn't specifically about dark tea at all. Researchers from the US National Cancer Institute analysed UK Biobank data from almost 500,000 adults between 40 and 69 years of age.
During a median follow-up of 11.2 years, drinking two or more cups of tea each day was associated with a modestly lower risk of death from all causes compared with drinking no tea. But again, association doesn't prove causation.
The researchers didn't conclude that tea makes people live longer, but the National Institutes of Health summary of the research did suggest that tea, even at higher levels of consumption, can form part of a healthy diet. And maybe that's a more useful way to think about tea as we get older. It's not medicine or a miracle ingredient. It's just one part of the everyday choices we make to have a healthier outlook. An old habit can still have something new to offer.
For Australians in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond, healthy ageing doesn't suddenly mean replacing everything you enjoy with the latest wellness trend. Often, it's a lot less dramatic than that. It's the collection of smaller decisions that we repeat over years from what we eat and how active we are, how much sugar or alcohol we consume, how we sleep and yes, what we regularly pour into our cup in the morning. And that's what makes dark tea so interesting.
If you already drink tea, you don't need to build an entirely new habit, you can just explore another version of the cup you already have. Dark tea can be enjoyed without adding sugar or cream, and its deeper flavour makes it particularly suited to moments when you might otherwise automatically reach for another coffee or a sweet drink.
You don't need to enforce wellness into your day. You just need to find another way to enjoy tea.
Meet Charmony’s BEAST Dark Tea Collection
Charmony’s BEAST Series brings the tradition of dark tea into a more contemporary experience. The collection combines the depth and the character of dark tea with the botanical flavours that are very distinctive, creating 5 different ways to explore the category.
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Lotus Dark Tea brings Lotus together with the depth of dark tea.
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Rose Dark Tea adds the familiar floral character of rose plants.
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Ginseng Dark Tea pairs dark tea with the distinctive character of ginseng.
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Chrysanthemum Dark Tea introduces another classic botanical flavour to the collection.
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Osmanthus Mint Dark Tea combines floral osmanthus and refreshing mint with the deeper, darker tea base.
For someone completely new to fermented tea, the BEAST Dark Tea Collection offers a way for you to explore dark tea through flavours that may already feel familiar.
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When is the best time to drink dark tea?
There doesn't need to be a complex ritual here. Dark tea can simply fit wherever tea already belongs in your day. The deeper flavour works really well after food, when something warm and unsweetened can finish a meal without becoming dessert itself. It also replaces the automatic afternoon coffee. It can become the pot that you share after dinner with your friends.
Dark tea does naturally contain caffeine because it comes from Camellia sinensis, but the amount can vary according to the tea, the processing, how much you use, the temperature of the water, and the brewing time. If you are sensitive to caffeine or have been advised to limit it, that's worth keeping in mind when choosing when to have your cup.
Is dark tea a probiotic?
Not necessarily. Microorganisms play an important role in fermenting dark tea, but that doesn't automatically make the tea in your cup a probiotic drink. It's more accurate to describe dark tea as microbially fermented tea.
Can dark tea lower cholesterol or blood sugar?
Research into dark tea and related fermented teas has explored areas including cholesterol, glucose metabolism, blood pressure and other metabolic markers. Some findings are promising, but the evidence isn't yet strong enough to say that drinking dark tea will lower your cholesterol or control your blood sugar. Specific studies also involve specific teas.
The findings in those studies can't automatically be applied to every fermented tea or to the Charmony BEAST range. Tea is a food and beverage, so it shouldn't replace medical care or medication prescribed by a qualified health professional.
Discover the darker side of tea
Tea has been a part of everyday life for generations, but that doesn't mean that we've discovered everything it has to offer just yet. Fermentation takes a familiar tea plant and transforms it into something completely new.
The result is a category with remarkable depth along tea tradition and an increasingly interesting body of research surrounding it. You don't need to abandon your current tea habit, but Charmony’s BEAST Series brings that world into a modern Australian cup through 5 distinctive dark tea blends.
Explore the Charmony BEAST Dark Tea Collection today.
General information only. This article is not medical advice. Tea is a food and beverage and should not be used as a substitute for treatment prescribed by a qualified health professional.
