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Loose leaf teas generally contain higher grades of tea than in tea bags, while allowing the leaves to unfurl in the cup and release the full flavor of the tea.
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Tea grading is based on the size of the leaf and types of leaves included in the tea. Though leaf size is an important quality factor, it is not, by itself, a guarantee of quality. Orange Pekoe is a tea term that is commonly misunderstood. Pekoe means teas picked as 2 leaves & a bud. Orange originally referred to the “prince of orange” and thus conveys tea of “noble quality”
| Pekoe |
smaller, shorter leave than OP |
| Orange Pekoe |
long, thin, tightly rolled leaves |
| Flowery Orange Pekoe |
longer leaf than an OP but not as tightly rolled |
| Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe |
FOP with some golden tips |
| Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe |
GFOP with more golden tips |
| Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe |
Better quality TGFOP teas |
| Broken Orange Pekoe |
OP leaves that are broken |
| Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe |
FOP leaves that are broken |
There is no uniform grading system for green teas, but the better quality green consist of a leaf & bud, then 2 leaves & a bud and so on. Some common green tea leaf terms are:
also called pearl tea, young leaves & buds are rolled tightly into pellets which unfurl in the cup
loosely rolled pellets made from older leaves
young leaves rolled long & thin
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