Tea Grading

Tea grading provides a common language for quality and consistency in the global tea trade, though no single universal system exists. The most familiar is the Western/Indian grading hierarchy for black tea, built on the Orange Pekoe foundation: whole leaf grades ascend from OP to FOP, GFOP, TGFOP, FTGFOP, and the rare SFTGFOP (Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe). Broken grades (BOP, FBOP) indicate smaller leaf pieces that brew more quickly, while Fannings and Dust are the smallest grades used in tea bags. In China, grading is more subjective, using terms like Te Ji (special grade), Yi Ji (first grade) through San Ji (third grade), combined with specific quality names: Longjing is graded from Superior through grades 1-5, each reflecting bud-to-leaf ratio and processing precision. Japan grades teas by production method (sencha vs gyokuro vs matcha), region, and competition awards. Kenya and East Africa use a separate system reflecting CTC grades: BP1, PF1, PD, D1. Professional tea tasters grade holistically — evaluating dry leaf appearance, wet leaf aroma, liquor color, and cup quality — with the written grade serving as shorthand for the expected standard.