Types of Tea
Tea is a beverage made from the infusion of water and the leaves of an evergreen plant, the Camellia sinensis. There are four major types of tea - white, green, oolong and black tea - which are all made from the leaves of the same plant. These types of tea should not be confused with herbal teas such as rosehip tea and chamomile tea, which contain no tea leaves. There are also tea spin-offs such as scented teas (for example, Earl Grey) and blended teas (for example, Irish breakfast tea).
The four major types of tea - white, green, oolong and black - differ by the way they are processed. The production process can include oxidation (fermentation), heating, drying, bruising, and the addition of other herbs, flowers, spices and fruits.
Grades of Tea
Tea is not only distinguished by the chemical changes caused by the production process; black tea is also distinguished by the size and appearance of the tea leaves. The two main grades are "leaf" and "broken leaf". Leaf grades have larger leaves and are classified as Orange Pekoe and Pekoe. Broken leaf grades are also known as Broken Orange Pekoe and Broken Pekoe.
The broken leaf grades are further subdivided into "fannings" and "dust". Fannings are small parts of tea leaves and produce a stronger taste then broken leaves. Dust refers to very fine-grained tea, made from the smallest particles resulting from the breaking of tea leaves. (It does not contain dust from the floor!) This is the lowest quality and produces a very strong brew.
Black teas from India are also graded by means of the following initals, listed from best to worst:
- SFTGFOP
- Supreme Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, the best Flowery Orange Pekoe.
- FTGFOP
- Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, tea of exceptional quality.
- TGFOP
- Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe: Flowery Orange Pekoe with many Golden Tips.
- GFOP
- Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe: Flowery Orange Pekoe with Golden Tips.
- FOP
- Flowery Orange Pekoe
- OP
- Orange Pekoe: tea with longer, bigger leaves than Flowery Orange Pekoe.
- BOP
- Broken Orange Pekoe
- BOPF
- Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings