Never even heard of this rose until around 2010 and never grew it until 2020. Very surprised at its vigor as I expected “the usual” weak, feeble, uneager growth associated with odd colored varieties. Black Tea, budded on multiflora, creates a stout, hearty and quite vigorous plant covered with distinctive rather narrow, dark green leathery matte foliage. Lots of red thorns. Tends to throw basals that bloom in candelabra fashion as well as nice sized singles. Cooler weather results in some stunning creamy, earthy brown or brownish colored blossoms. Does anyone remember sucking the color off of M&M candy as a kid? Black Tea in cooler temps will look like the dark brown candy with some color removed. For worse or maybe better, in heat, in full sun, the color is a satisfying but not particularly noteworthy medium orange. Sluggish with repeat blooms. I spray so often that most years I have zero disease so on that I cannot comment. Form is surprisingly formal at times, occasionally semi-double. ‘Smoky’ is its peer and wow, there is zero comparison in my opinion with ‘Smoky’ being far and away so much weaker a variety.

Journal of the Faculty of Science, Shinshu University 23(1): 61-67 (1988)
Studies on the Development of Black Brown Color in Rose Petals
Hitoshi Yasuda and Makoto Aoyama

Abstract

Chemical and cytological investigations on the black brown color of rose petals were conducted using a cultivar Black Tea and some unnamed breeding lines, having the similar tinge in flower color.

1) Cyanidin and pelargonidin were detected as the major anthocyanidins in the petals, using the thin layer chromatography.

2) The ratios of pelargonidin to cyanidin contents in the petals were 1 to 1~10, estimated from the sizes of spots and shades of their colors on the chromatograms.

3) Microscopic observations on the fresh epidermis stripped off from the petals provide the following evidences:
(1) Central vacuoles showed an orange tone specific to pelargonidin glycosides.
(2) Some blue spherical bodies were recognized in the cells. The treatment with 0.1% hydrochloric acid brought about the color change of the bodies from blue to orange, being followed by oozing out some orange sap from the bodies.

4) The bodies were recognized microscopically as the homologous structures to the tannin body with the paraffin sections of epidermis, which were prepared by fixing in Kaiser's solution and stained with toluidine blue.

These results offered a new explanation that the black brown of petals such as Black Tea was given by the compound of two colors, one being orange of pelargonidin glycoside and the other being blue of the tannin body causing bluing effects in red petals.

We have one on the way from Rogue Roses in Medford Oregon. We're in Concord CA, east of San Francisco. Gets warmer and drier than the city, so we hope this one does well for us.