Leaf Styles

CIMG0983Tea comes in all kinds of styles and shapes.  Black tea is often associated with a grade:
  • OP - orange pekoe (denoting a full leaf tea)
  • FOP - flowery orange pekoe
  • BOP - broken orange pekoe
  • TGFOP - tippy, golden flowery orange pekoe
Within the grade, however, appearances can differ widely.  Pictured on the right here is a classic, wiry Ceylon OP.  An Assam, Nilgiri or Keemun OP will have a completely different look and usually not have that long, wiry leaf style.  It is important then to recognize regional variances in tea. On the left is a Ceylon pekoe which is a more rolled, dense type of leaf.  Both are black teas although you can see that the OP has silver tips whereas the pekoe does not.