China Black Tea O.P. (Orange Pekoe)

Loose tea has a stronger and fresher flavor and uses whole (or very large pieces of leaves) which in turn allows all the essential oils of the tea leaf to be expressed in the water. Loose tea can be re-steeped several times without losing their favor.

All “true” tea comes from the same plant, called the Camellia sinensis. Any leaf, root, fruit or flower that comes from a different plant is considered an herbal tea. “True teas” can be categorized into 5 major categories: white, green, oolong, black, pu-erh. Generally, categories are defined by how the leaf is processed, the cultivars used and how much a tea is oxidized. Black and pu-erh tea are fully oxidized, oolong tea is partially oxidized and green and white teas are unoxidized.

Orange Pekoe is a world-adapted black tea grading system that has a Dutch signature on it. There is no orange in it, and it is not orange in color. The term orange pekoe is used for determining the size and style of a leaf. It also clearly carries the mark of the very origin of the commodity: South China. 

Most commonly used grade names:

• Orange Pekoe ( OP )
• Flowery Orange Pekoe ( FOP )
• Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe ( GFOP )
• Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe ( TGFOP )
• Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe ( FTGFOP )
• Super Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe ( SFTGFOP )