How Does the Coffee Grading System Compare to Tea Grades?
Kenya is one of the world's largest black tea exporters, and most of its crop is processed by the CTC method, which crushes, tears, and curls the leaf into small, fast-brewing pellets. The country's tea grades follow an international scale based on leaf size and appearance, from whole-leaf Pekoe to broken pieces, fannings, and dust. Each grade ends up in a different product, from loose-leaf tea to tea bags.
In the whole-leaf black tea scale, Pekoe is shorter than Orange Pekoe, Flowery Orange Pekoe runs longer with some buds, and the golden and tippy grades add increasing amounts of bud. Kenya began producing CTC black tea in the 1930s and refined the method over decades. The coffee grading system follows a comparable path, where bean size and sorting determine the grade on the bag.
Loose-leaf tea allows you to observe it with your own eyes, touch it with your own hands, and smell its aroma in person, thereby gaining a deeper appreciation of its flavor. Take the time to get to know tea, and you will find that it takes on more personality and charm, enriching your experience of this fascinating culture. This article will start with the basic standards of tea grading, outline the grading system and naming conventions of whole-leaf black tea, and then focus on Kenyan CTC black tea, introducing its production process and the grading system based on particle size. Whether you are a newcomer to tea or an enthusiast looking to further understand the logic of black tea grading, you will gain clear insights from it.
Loose-leaf tea lets you see, smell, and even touch the leaves with your own hands, so you can fully enjoy the taste of tea. Take the time to get to know tea, and your tea will become more personal and fascinating, deepening your enjoyment of this captivating cultural experience.
Tea Leaf Grading Standards
The grading of tea is determined by the size of the tea leaves and the type of tea. Although leaf size is an important quality factor, it is not in itself a guarantee of quality.
Tea is often named OP or FOP. These names are part of the whole-leaf black tea grading system and refer to the leaf size of the tea and the number of tips. Pekoe is tea made from two leaves and a bud. OP, also known as Orange Pekoe, is a whole-leaf tea with no tips or buds. FOP, also known as Flowery Orange Pekoe, has longer leaves than OP and some buds. Grading systems and terminology vary by tea type and country. Generally speaking, the more whole the leaves and the more buds, the higher the grade of the tea.
Black Tea Grades
P Pekoe, shorter than OP leaves
OP Orange Pekoe, tightly rolled leaves
FOP Flowery Orange Pekoe, leaves longer than OP but less tightly rolled
GFOP Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, FOP with some golden tips
TGFOP Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe with even more golden buds
FTGFOP Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe,
BOP Broken Orange Pekoe
FBOP Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe
Kenyan Black Tea Grading System
Kenyan CTC Black Tea
CTC black tea is a product Kenya takes pride in. Kenya began producing CTC black tea in the 1930s, attracting many tea lovers around the world. Through continuous improvement and organizational learning, Kenya has produced high-quality tea that guarantees a sip like no other.
The CTC black tea process begins with withering the leaves. The tea leaves are withered in troughs or in a withering room, a process that lasts up to 16 hours. The leaves then undergo oxidation and fermentation for about an hour and a half, after which they are conveyed to a drying room with hot air. The purpose of this is to reduce the moisture content to about 3% and change the color from green to black.
Kenyan CTC tea is classified into BP1, PF1, PD, and Dust1. Their grading is based on particle size. More commonly, these grades also appeal to different markets. The larger the particle size, the lower the density, and the lighter the color and flavor of the tea liquor. The smaller the particle size, the higher the density, and the darker and richer the color and flavor of the tea liquor. Those not falling within the above grades are classified as Fannings.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
