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 All
tea is graded consistently
according to leaf size. Most
people are familiar with the
term “Orange Pekoe” and
assume this refers to a kind
of tea. But, in fact, this
term is used by the tea
industry to denote a
particular size of black tea
leaf. One purpose of grading
and sorting is to ensure the
uniformity of the leaf size;
the other is to prevent
smaller particles from
detracting flavor away from
tea brewed with large
leaves.
Drinking whole leaf tea
allows one to experience a
wider range of complex and
nuanced flavor profiles.
This does not imply that
smaller, broken leaf tea is
of poorer quality, just that
a tea’s taste and body will
vary depending upon leaf
size. So, grading is not
related to quality – the
climate, location and the
type of processing all
contribute to determining a
tea’s quality. However, the
shape and size of the leaf
does play a role in
influencing the essence of a
cup. For example, breakfast
tea’s like English Breakfast
are commonly made with
smaller broken leaves to
ensure that a pungent and
robust bodied cup of morning
tea results.
To grade tea, tea growers
employ mechanical sorters
that use sieves to separate
out leaves into whole leaf,
broken leaf and fanning
grades.
Tea Grades
Green and oolong tea
leaves are generally not
graded like most black teas.
Whole
Leaf
Whole leaf teas boast a
range of complex and subtle
flavors. Below are grades
for black tea leaves.
|
F.O.P. |
Flowery Orange Pekoe -
Refers to high quality
whole leaf tea made from
the first two leaves and
bud of the shoot. India
produces large amounts
of this grade.
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G.F.O.P. |
Golden Flowery Orange
Pekoe - The golden
refers to the colorful
tips at the end of the
top bud.
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T.G.F.O.P. |
Tippy Golden Flowery
Orange Pekoe - FOP with
larger amount of tips
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F.T.G.F.O.P.
|
Finest Tippy Golden
Flowery Orange Pekoe -
An even higher quality
with more tips than FOP
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O.P. |
Orange Pekoe: Refers to
a high quality thin,
wiry leaf rolled more
tightly than F.O.P.
Picked later in the year
than F.O.P.
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S. |
Souchong - A twisted
leaf picked from the
bottom of the tea bush.
China produces this
grade used in their
smokey teas. |
Broken
Leaf
Broken leaf teas produce
a darker cup and infuse
faster than whole leaf teas.
|
P. |
Pekoe - A wiry, large
broken leaf usually
without golden tips. Sri
Lanka produces large
amounts of Pekoe.
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B.O.P. |
Broken Orange Pekoe - A
small, flat broken leaf
with medium body.
|
Other broken leaf grades
exist including F.B.O.P
(flowery broken orange
pekoe), G.B.O.P ( golden
broken orange pekoe) and
F.G.B.O.P (flowery golden
broken orange pekoe).
Fanning
& Dust
Leaf particles too small
to be classified as broken
leaf falls into two
categories, fanning and
dust. Many grades exist for
each.
|
F. |
Fannings - Crushed leaf
particles smaller than
B.O.P. Infuses liquor
quickly
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D. |
Dust - Smallest grade
used for mass-marketed
tea bags..
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