PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  DUS DEA S 28 
Second  Edition  
2018-mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
DUS DEAS 28 : 2018 
© UNBS 201 8 
  
Black tea — Specification 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DEAS 28: 2018 
ii                © UNBS  2018 - All rights reserved 
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2018 
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to 
The Executive Director 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
P.O. Box 6329 
Kampala 
Uganda 
Tel: +256 417 333 250 /1/2 
Fax: +256 414 286 123 
E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDUS DEAS 28: 2018 
© UNBS  2018 - All rights reserved                iii National foreword 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327, of the Laws of Uganda, as amended.  UNBS is mandated to co-
ordinate the elaboration of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT Agreement of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, academicians, manufacturers, government and other stakeholders. 
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
This Uganda Standard, DUS DEAS 28: 2018 , Black tea — Specification,  is identical with  and has been 
reproduced from an East African Standard, DEAS 28: 2018, Black tea — Specification , and adopt ed as a 
Uganda Standard. 
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee UNBS/TC 2, Food  and agriculture.  
This Second edition cancels and replaces the First edition, US 292:2002 Specification for Black tea, which has 
been technically revised. 
Wherever the words, “ East African Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard." 
 
  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT
 DEAS 28: 2018  
ICS 67.160.10  
 
© EAC 2018                                                                                                                         Second Edition 2018 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
Black tea — Specification 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTPUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDEAS 28: 2018  
ii © EAC 2018 – All rights  reserved  
 Copyright notice 
This EAC document is copyright-protected by EAC. While the reproduction of this document by 
participants in the EAC standards development process is permitted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form for 
any other purpose without prior written permission from EAC. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the purpose of selling it should be addressed 
as shown below or to EAC’s member body in the country of the requester:  
© East African Community 2018  — All rights reserved 
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Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be prosecuted. 
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© EAC 2018  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed. 
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee (EASC) mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards (EAS).  The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations in the community. 
East African Standards are developed through Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards. 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing . 
The committee responsible  for this document is Technical Committee EAS/TC 002, Coffee, Tea, Cocoa and 
Related products . 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. 
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (EAS 28: 2000), which has been technically revised. 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTPUBLIC REVIEW DRAFTDRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 28: 2018  
 
© EAC 2018 – All rights reserved  1 
 Black — Specification 
1 Scope 
This Draft East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for black tea. 
This standard also applies to blended black tea. 
It does not apply to scented or decaffeinated black tea. 
2 Normative references 
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes 
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies. 
EAS 38,  Labelling of pre-packaged foods — General requirements  
EAS 39,  Hygiene in the food and drink industry  — Code of practice  
ISO 1572 , Tea — Preparation of ground sample of known dry matter content  
ISO 1573 , Tea — Determination of loss in mass at 103 °C  
ISO 1575,  Tea — Determination of total ash  
ISO 1576, Tea — Determination of water soluble ash and water insoluble ash  
ISO 157 7, Tea — Determination of acid insoluble ash  
ISO 1578, Tea — Determination of alkalinity of water -soluble ash  
ISO 1839, Tea — Sampling  
ISO 3103, Tea — Preparation of liquor for use in sensory tests  
ISO 5498,  Agricultural food products — Determination of crude fibre content — General method  
ISO 6078, Black tea — Vocabulary  
ISO 14502- 1, Determination of substances characteristic of green and black tea — Part 1: Content of total 
polyphenols in tea — Colorimetric method using Folin -Ciocalteu reagent  
ISO 15598, Tea — Determination of crude fibre content  
ISO 21527- 2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
yeasts and moulds — Part 2: Colony count technique in products with water activity less than or equal to 0.95  PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
2 © EAC 2018 – All rights  reserved  
 ISO 6579, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection of Salmonella 
spp 
ISO 6888- 1, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
coagulase-positive staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus and other species)   
ISO 7251, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the detection and 
enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli — Most probable number technique  
ISO 9768, Tea — Determination of water extract  
ISO 16649- 2, Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs — Horizontal method for the enumeration of 
glucuronidase-positive Escherichia coli — Part 2: Colony-count technique at 44 °C using 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-
indolyl-D-glucuronide  
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 6078 and the following apply. 
3.1 
black tea 
Tea derived solely and exclusively, and produced by acceptable processes, notably withering, leaf 
maceration, aeration and drying from leaves, buds and/or tender stems  of varieties of the species Camellia 
sinensis  (L) O. Kuntze, known to be suitable for making tea for consumption as a beverage 
3.2 
blended black tea 
mixture of black teas from different grades, gardens or regions 
3.3 
foreign matter 
any material which is not of tea  origin e.g. sand , stones, metallic chips and any organic matter  
3.4 
extraneous matter 
any material which is not tea leaf, but of tea origin such as twigs, bark and stems 
3.5 
adulterant 
any material intentionally added that changes the original composition and compromises the quality and safety 
of black tea 
3.6 
filth 
any material of animal origin such as, but not limited to dead insects, rodents and their derivatives. 
4 Requirements 
4.1 General requirements 
Black tea shall: 
a) be free from taint and have characteristic appearance, colour and taste of black tea; 
b) free from living insects, moulds, filth and adulterants ; PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
© EAC 2018  – All rights reserved  3 
 c) free from added colouring matter and harmful substances; and 
d) free from foreign and extraneous matter 
NOTE Black tea may be graded especially when it is sold in bulk (See Annex B) 
4.2 Specific requirements 
The black tea shall comply with the specific requirements specified in Table 1 when tested in accordance with 
test methods specified therein. 
Table 1 ▬ Specific requi rements for black tea 
S/N Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i.  Moisture  content , %, (m/m), max.  7 ISO 1573  
ii.  Water extract, %, (m/m) , min. 32 ISO 9768  
iii.  Total ash, %, (m/m)  4-8 ISO 1575  
iv.  Water soluble ash, as percentage of total ash, min.  45 ISO 1576  
v.  Alkalinity of water -soluble ash (as KOH), %, (m/m)  1.0a- 3.0a ISO 1578  
vi.  Acid-insoluble ash, %, (m/m),  max.  1.0 ISO 1577  
vii.  Crude fibre, %, (m/m), max.  16.5 ISO 5498 or ISO 15598b 
viii.  Total polyphenols (m/m), min.  9.0 ISO 14502 -1 
Apart from moisture conten t, other parameters are calculated on dry basis  
a When the alkalinity of water -soluble ash is expressed in terms of millimoles of KOH per 100 g of ground sample, the limits shall be 17.8 - 
53.6.  
b The specific method for the determination of crude fibre i n tea is specified in ISO 15598, however for the purpose of routine estimation, 
the general method specified in ISO 5498 is adequate. In cases of dispute, the method of determination should always be that specified in ISO 
15598. The requirement of 16.5 % m ass fraction remains unchanged regardless of the method used.  
5 Hygiene 
5.1 Black tea shall be processed and handled in a hygienic manner in accordance with EAS 39. 
5.2 Black tea shall comply with microbiological requirements specified in Table 2 when tested in 
accordance with test method stated therein. 
Table 2 — Microbiological limits for black tea 
S/N Micro -organism  Maximum limits  Test method  
i.  Yeasts and Moulds CFU/ g  CFU/ g  104 ISO 21527 -2 
ii.  E. Coli , CFU/ g  Absent  ISO16649 -2 
6 Contaminants 
When tested in accordance with Annex A, the amount of iron filings in black tea shall not exceed 150 mg/kg . 
7 Pesticide residues 
Black tea shall comply with the maximum residue limits established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
4 © EAC 2018 – All rights  reserved  
 8 Sampling 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 1839. 
Liquor for the sensory assessment shall be prepared in accordance with ISO 3103.  
10 Packaging 
The product shall be packaged in closed, clean and dry materials which do not compromise the quality and 
safety of black tea. 
11 Labelling 
In addition to the requirements specified in EAS 38, each package of the black tea shall be legibly and 
indelibly marked with the following: 
a) name of the product as “Black Tea’’;  “Blended black tea” ; 
b) name and physical address  of the manufacturer/ blender/packer/ importer/ exporter; 
c) date of manufacture; 
d) best before; 
e) identification number net weight in g or kg; 
f) country of origin; 
g) instruction for use and storage; and 
h) grade of tea (when sold in bulk). PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
© EAC 2018  – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex A 
(normative)  
 
Determination of Iron fillings 
A.1 Apparatus 
a) Magnet (at least 4000 gauss) 
b) Polythene sheet 
c) Petridish 
A.2 Procedure 
A.2.1 A known amount of (25 g) tea is spread evenly on petridish 
A.2.2 A powerful magnet wrapped in polythene sheet is run over the sample repeatedly till no more iron 
filings cling to the magnet 
A.2.3  Collect the iron filings in a clean, dry and previously weighed petridish 
A.2.4 Note down and express the mass of iron filings as mg/kg  
A.3 Calculation 
 
Where; 
M1=Mass, in g, of iron filings, and 
M2=mass, in g, of sample taken for the test. 
 PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
6 © EAC 2018 – All rights  reserved  
 Annex B  
(informative )  
 
Black tea grades 
A.1 Leaf 
TGFOP - Tippy golden flowery orange pekoe 
TFOP - Tippy flowery orange pekoe 
GFOP - Golden flowery orange pekoe 
FOP - Flowery orange pekoe 
OP - Orange pekoe 
FP - Flowery pekoe 
P - Pekoe 
A.2 Brokens 
TGFBOP - Tippy golden flowery broken orange pekoe 
TGBOP - Tippy golden broken orange pekoe 
GFBOP - Golden flowery broken orange pekoe 
TBOP - Tippy broken orange pekoe 
GBOP - Golden broken orange pek oe 
FBOP - Flowery broken orange pekoe 
BOP - Broken orange pekoe 
BP - Broken pekoe 
BPS - Broken pekoe souchong 
PS – Pekoe souchong 
S - Souchong 
BM - Broken mixed 
BT - Broken tea PUBLIC REVIEW DRAFT 
© EAC 2018  – All rights reserved  7 
 A.3 Fannings 
TGOF - Tippy golden orange Fannings 
GOF - Golden orange Fannings 
FBOPF - Flowery broken orange pekoe Fannings 
BOPF - Broken orange pekoe Fannings 
FOF - Flowery orange Fannings 
OF - Orange Fannings 
OPF - Orange pekoe Fannings 
BPF - Broken pekoe Fannings 
PF - Pekoe Fannings 
FF - Flowery Fannings 
F - Fannings 
BMF - Broken mixed Fannings 
A.4 Dust 
BOPD - Broken orange pekoe Dust 
PD - Pekoe Dust 
D - Dust 
FD 
CD 
RD 
Fine Dust 
Churamoni Dust 
Red Dust  
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