Tea
Tea can be specified by origin, by grade, and by oxidation. While any leaf brewed in water may be termed ‘tea’, we limit the discussion here to the leaves of the plant known as tea.
Tea is the leaf of the plant, but not every leaf of the plant can be used. Only the unopened terminal leaf bud (‘tip’) and the two leaves that cloister it (‘two leaves and a bud’ is a phrase in the business) are fit for making tea. Tea is still picked by hand by estate workers snapping the three-leaf set right below the bud. The tea is picked in various phases, known as ‘flushes’ through the season.
Grades
Once the leaves have been collected, grading begins. Here is the terminology of grades of tea:
These are the grades of whole-leaf tea, in increasing order of dignity:
P is Pekoe, a word of uncertain origin, commonly understood to mean the two leaves and the bud collectively.
OP is Orange Pekoe, a grade of fine black tea, named either for the tinge of the dried pekoe or the House of Orange.
FOP is Flowery OP. It’s OP with large leaves, typically from the second flush on.
GFOP is Golden FOP, a sample with a higher portion of young, early season pekoes in the sample, giving it a brighter hue.
TGFOP is Tippy GFOP, with an abundance of tips.
FTGFOP is Finest TGFOP. The highest grade, as determined by tastings.
(FTGFOP is sometimes expanded as Far Too Good For Ordinary People.)
SFTGFOP (Special FTGFOP) is an occasional label for the very finest, although not applied frequently.
There are also grades for broken tea (the leaves are broken) more or less in line with those above, grades for fannings, and grades of dust. Fannings are small fragments of tea leaves used in making tea bags, and dust is inferior yet. Fannings and dust are the reason why most tea from bags tastes nothing like the brew proper.
Origins
Tea is grown in estates in many parts of the world, though it is thought native to only the Yunnan mountains in China and Assam in India.
Some of the main sorts are Darjeeling, a tea of southern Chinese origin grown in the Darjeeling, a northern district of West Bengal, a state in eastern India; Assam, a tea of Indian origin grown in the neighbouring state of the same name; Ceylon, grown in Sri Lanka; and Nilgiri, grown in the Blue Mountains of southern India. Darjeeling, a light, sprightly variety, is considered the Champagne of Teas.
Some of the main sorts are Darjeeling, a tea of southern Chinese origin grown in the Darjeeling, a northern district of West Bengal, a state in eastern India; Assam, a tea of Indian origin grown in the neighbouring state of the same name; Ceylon, grown in Sri Lanka; and Nilgiri, grown in the Blue Mountains of southern India. Darjeeling, a light, sprightly variety, is considered the Champagne of Teas.
Oxidation
Tea comes in five ‘colours’ – green, yellow, white, black, and oolong. This depends purely on how the leaves, once collected, are treated.
The leaves may first be wilted in the sun and indoors, or steamed. Wilted leaves lead to black, oolong, or white (B.O.W.) teas, while steamed leaves will become green or postferment.
Wilted leaves destined to become black tea are lightly crushed to allow them to oxidise fully, then passed through a roller and dried.
Oolong and white teas are not crushed directly, but lightly tossed in a basket for partial oxidisation, then baked, passed through a roller, and dried. White teas undergo a less rigorous rolling, and oolong teas are fired for a more indubitable drying. White teas are also withered in the sun.
Returning to the steamed leaves, they may be sweltered (allowing wet leaves to sit and yellow slowly) before rolling and drying. Sweltered steames leaves end up as yellow teas, while the unsweltered ones give green tea. Green is the least oxidised version of all teas, while black is the most.
