|
Yeah, it really is cool. If you are into usenet at all, be sure to check out food.rec.drink.tea.
Orange pekoe is not a type of tea, but a level in a grading system that refers to the size of the leaf of a black tea. Strange words to refer to a tea grade, but that's what Thomas Lipton used, and it stuck. Though the quality of a black tea is not determined by it's grade, I definitely see a correlation a lot. Here is a small rundown...
Dust/Fannings - This is basically tea powder. Many companies add it to teabags to release color quicker. Because the bits are so small, they go stale quickly.
Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) - These are small bits of the tea that have been broken off the
leaf. Many top quality Assams are made from BOP leaves.
Orange Pekoe (OP) - This is the largest leaf size, though it may still be broken somewhat.
Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP) - Like OP, but the leaves are even more uniform and intact
Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP) - Teas of this type include the immature tea buds. Good to have as they add a mellow complexity to the tea.
Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP) - Even more tips.
Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (FTGFOP) - Really high quality version of TGFOP.
SpecialFine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (SFTGFOP) - This is a tea that the estate thought was extra good. If you see one of these, it's at least worth a try.
One thing to remember about grades is that they are not controlled by any standardized means. Each individual tea estates does their own unregulated grading. Also, these grades are only used for Indian black teas. Green teas and oolongs all have their own grading system, which can vary by even the type of tea it is and are often graded by quality and not leaf size.
|