Black tea is usually referred to as []{}.
> a friend asked me, , would it be odd to reply, ?
might be understood as Japanese tea (like, {} or {}).
> Would another term like be more appropriate?
Yes, is also common. So I'd recommend using or to avoid any confusion.
(That said, you'd still say {} etc. to invite someone out for tea or coffee... here you don't mean you're gonna drink Japanese tea at a cafe.)