Tea 101: Grading Tea

Because Orthodox Manufacture produces black tea leaf in varying sizes, the last step in this method of manufacture is called grading, which means sifting the leaf for uniform size or grade. Larger particles of tea steep more slowly than finer particles do. Grading is essential, therefore, because tea leaf must be of uniform size to cup consistently, much less to be combined by weight with other lots of leaf in uniform and consistent blends. A series of sieves are employed to separate the various sizes of leaf. The largest size is called OP, the abbreviation for Orange Pekoe. Contrary to popular misconceptions, Orange Pekoe simply means the largest size of tea leaf, i.e. any whole leaf or leaf particle too large to pass through a sieve of designated size. Smaller than OP is the particle size designated BOP for Broken Orange Pekoe. Smaller than BOP are several grades called fannings beginning with PF for Pekoe Fannings. Grades smaller than fannings are designated Dust.

Now for the complications! Fine teas require fine plucking, or "two leaves and a bud" meaning only the youngest growth at the end of the shoot, which terminates with an immature and thus unopened leaf bud. This budding tip has developed no chlorophyll content as yet and on the bush appears golden or, after manufacture, khaki-colored. To indicate a high proportion of tip—proof of fine plucking—the tea-maker often adds letters to the basic OP and BOP designations. Thus OP may become GFOP for Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe or TGFOP for Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe right up to FTGFOP (Finest, etc.)—or SFTGFOP1 for Special-Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe #1.

Any letters added to OP may be added to BOP also, so that FOP and FBOP are equally common in most producing districts, and so forth. But no matter how lofty its designation sounds, a tea's grade is no guarantee of good taste. This can only be determined by tasting, which tea professionals always do in a ritual exercise of comparison known as cupping.