• September 25, 2014
• admin
• Tea Talk

No we don’t mean that tea goes to school, however tea does get grades based on the quality of the tea leaves after processing.

Grading tea leaves is complicated and is done differently in different countries. The most extensive grading is found in black teas, followed by green teas. The most basic or the first grade of black tea produced is called OP or Orange Pekoe (say peck-oh). Pekoe is derived from the Chinese word “pak-Ho” meaning “hair” or “down” relating to the light white down on the bud leaves. One explanation for the “Orange” half of the name is that the Chinese sometimes used Orange blossoms to flavor these leaves. Another suggests that it is a remaining reference to the Netherlands House of Orange, a powerful entity in the early days of tea trading. Either way, today Orange Pekoe describes leaves, specifically the best, most tender leaves plucked from the tips of the plant’s young shoots. Black tea is classified into four different categories: WHOLE LEAF, BROKEN LEAF, FANNINGS and DUST.

These prized leaves get graded as follows during the manufacturing process:

-WHOLE LEAF: FLOWERY ORANGE PEKOE (FOP) – Consists of fine, tender, young leaves rolled with a certain proportion of “tips.” These tips, being the very ends of the bud’s leaves, constitute a guarantee of quality.

-GOLDEN FLOWERY ORANGE PEKOE (GFOP) – with “golden tips” (fine tips of the golden yellow bud’s leaves)

-TIPPY GOLDEN FLOWERY ORANGE PEKOE (TGFOP) – with lots of “golden tips”

-FINEST TIPPY GOLDEN FLOWERY ORANGE PEKOE (FTGFOP) – Exceptional quality

-SPECIAL FINEST TIPPY GOLDEN FLOWERY ORANGE PEKOE (SFTGFOP) – The very best FOP with a large proportion of leaves having golden “tips” of new leaf buds—a guarantee of very, very high quality.

-ORANGE PEKOE (OP) – Long, pointed leaves (larger than FOP) rolled lengthwise, harvested when the terminal buds open into leaf. Orange Pekoe rarely contains “tips.”

-PEKOE SOUCHONG (PS) – Shorter, coarser leaves. SOUCHONG (S) Large leaves rolled lengthwise. Often used for China smoked teas.

Basically, the more letters and numbers the better when it comes to leaf grades. Check out some of our teas that are in different leaf grads!

 CLICK HERE to start shopping for your tea and choose which grade you prefer!

source: Tea Mans Tea Talk