Tea Grades

Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP)

These tips are the very ends of the buds leaves. This guarantees quality. FOP consists of fine, tender, young leaves rolled with the correct proportion of tip.

Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP)

FOP with golden tips - refers to the colour of the tips at the end of the top bud.

Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP)

This is FOP with a larger amount of golden tips.

Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (FTGFOP)

Exceptionally high quality.

Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (SFTGFOP)

The very highest quality.

Orange Pekoe (OP)

Contains long, pointed leaves, larger and rolled more tightly than FOP and have been haversted later in the year than FOP, when the end buds open into leaf. OP rarely contains "tips."

Pekoe (P)

Shorter, less fine leaves than OP.

Flowery Pekoe (FP)

The leaves are rolled into balls.

Pekoe Souchong (PS)

Consists of shorter, coarser leaves.

Souchong (S)

Large twisted leaves are rolled, lengthwise, producing coarse, ragged pieces. Often used for China smoked teas.

Broken Leaf Grades

The broken grades are sifted out, leaving the leaf grades. These teas produce a darker cup and infuse faster. E.g. BOP - A small flat broken leaf with medium body.

Fannings

Made up of the finest siftings and commonly used in blends for tea bags.