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Tea grades - OP, FTGFOP, pekoe and what these abbreviations mean

When buying tea, especially black tea from India or Ceylon, you often come across mysterious abbreviations: OP, FOP, FTGFOP, and even SFTGFOP or BOP. To the uninitiated they look like a cipher, but in reality they are a system of classifying tea leaves, called the orange pekoe system. It speaks about the size and type of leaves, their wholeness and the presence of buds. Importantly, these abbreviations describe above all the look of the leaf, and not necessarily the quality of the brew itself. In this post we will decode this system: we will explain where the name orange pekoe came from, what the individual letters mean, what the hierarchy is from whole leaf to dust and what a grade really reveals and what it does not. After reading, you will read a tea label like an open book.

What the orange pekoe system is

The orange pekoe system is a way of classifying tea, used mainly for Western and South Asian teas, that is above all black teas from India and Ceylon. It consists in assessing tea on the basis of the quality and condition of the leaves themselves: their size, wholeness and the presence of buds. The highest grades are called orange pekoe, OP for short, and the lowest fannings and dust. The grades depend on how many adjacent young leaves, two, one or none, were picked together with the leaf bud. It is a system created to order and describe tea in trade, giving a common language to producers and buyers. It is worth noting right away that it applies mainly to black teas from specific regions, and other traditions, like Chinese or Japanese, have their own systems. Orange pekoe is the foundation of Western tea classification and the key to understanding the abbreviations on labels.

Where the name orange pekoe comes from

The name orange pekoe can be misleading, because it has nothing to do with an orange flavour or aroma. The word orange, according to a popular theory, derives from the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau, that is Oranje, ruling in the Netherlands. It was the Dutch who played a key role in the European tea trade, hence this historical reference. The second part, pekoe, is a term denoting in the classification a tea leaf of a particular type. Together orange pekoe is the name of the highest, basic grade of whole leaf in this system. Importantly, despite the name, there is no orange in orange pekoe tea. It is a common misunderstanding among beginners, who expect a citrus flavour. In reality it is a purely technical classification term of historical, Dutch origin. Understanding the etymology helps avoid this mistaken association and treat orange pekoe as what it really is: a designation of leaf grade, not flavour.

Whole leaf - the hierarchy

The highest grades in the orange pekoe system are teas from whole leaf, prized the most. Within whole leaf there is an elaborate hierarchy, from the simplest to the most refined. The base is OP, that is orange pekoe, consisting mainly of the first leaf below the bud. Higher stands FOP, that is flowery orange pekoe, a high-quality tea from the first two leaves and the bud. Further, GFOP adds golden, that is golden buds, and TGFOP means tippy, where all the buds have golden tips. At the top stand FTGFOP, that is finest tippy golden flowery orange pekoe, and SFTGFOP, where the letter S means special, that is exceptional quality with a huge proportion of golden buds. The longer the abbreviation and the more letters, the theoretically higher the leaf grade. This hierarchy lets you describe precisely from which parts of the plant and how young a given tea was harvested.

Decoding the abbreviations

The key to the system is understanding what the individual letters mean, because each adds a specific piece of information to the abbreviation. Let us break them down: F at the start is finest, that is the highest quality. T is tippy, that is an abundance of unopened buds. G is golden, that is golden tips in the leaves. The next F is flowery, denoting large leaves with buds picked from young shoots. OP is orange pekoe, that is the classification of whole leaf. S, when it appears, is special, denoting above-average quality. Reading the abbreviation, you put these meanings together: for example FTGFOP is finest tippy golden flowery orange pekoe, that is a top-grade, golden-bud-rich whole-leaf tea. Once you understand the meaning of the letters, even the longest abbreviation stops being a cipher. It is a simple puzzle: each letter is one trait, and their sum describes the leaf grade. This knowledge lets you consciously read the labels of black teas from India or Ceylon.

Broken leaf

Below whole leaf in the hierarchy is broken leaf. It is tea made of torn or broken pieces of leaves that can still be recognised as fragments of a tea leaf. Broken leaf is marked with the letter B, from broken. The broken grades are equivalents of the whole-leaf grades, only in a broken version. For example BOP is broken orange pekoe, that is a broken version of orange pekoe, formed from the second layer of the sieve during sifting, but originating from a leaf of the orange pekoe grade. Broken leaf has a larger surface, which is why it brews faster and gives a stronger, darker brew than whole leaf, but releases flavour less subtly. Broken grades are popular in strong everyday teas. They are not worse in an absolute sense, but simply intended for a different purpose: they give a robust, intense brew. The letter B in the abbreviation is a signal that we are dealing with broken leaf, rather than whole.

Fannings and dust

At the very bottom of the orange pekoe hierarchy are fannings and dust, the finest fractions. Fannings, marked with the letter F, are small pieces of tea left over after the higher grades have been gathered. They are finely broken leaves, used mainly for the production of tea bags. Even finer is dust, marked D, consisting of very small particles resembling dust, used exclusively for tea bags. These finest fractions brew very quickly and give a strong, intense, dark brew, ideal for tea bags, where fast brewing matters. Although fannings and dust are the lowest grades in the system, this does not mean the tea from them is worthless, it is simply intended for mass, convenient consumption from a bag. It is these that fill most ordinary tea bags around the world. Understanding these lowest grades explains why tea from a bag usually tastes different, stronger and simpler, than loose leaf.

A table of grades

Let us gather the hierarchy of the orange pekoe system in one place, from highest to lowest:

The table shows the full hierarchy: from golden-bud-rich whole-leaf teas, through broken leaf, to the fine fractions for tea bags. The higher in the table, the subtler the brew; the lower, the stronger and faster to brew. It is a practical map of the grading system.

What a grade says and what it does not

Here lies the most important caveat: the leaf grade describes above all the look and size of the tea, and not necessarily its quality or flavour. This is a key misunderstanding. A high grade, like FTGFOP, says that the tea consists of whole leaves rich in golden buds, but does not guarantee that the brew will be delicious. What is more, the standard of awarding grades is largely left to the producer, so the same abbreviations at different producers can mean somewhat different things. A grade is a hint about the look and structure of the leaf, not a final verdict on quality. A lower-grade tea can be excellent, and a highly marked one can disappoint. That is why you should not buy tea solely on the basis of the abbreviation. The best judge remains the brew itself and the assessment of the leaf with your own senses. Grades are useful, but they must be understood as a description of form, not a promise of flavour. We write more about assessing the leaf visually in our post how to recognise a good leaf.

Grades versus other traditions

It is worth remembering that the orange pekoe system is the domain mainly of black teas from India, Ceylon and similar regions. Other great tea traditions have completely different systems. China, the cradle of tea, usually does not use orange pekoe abbreviations, but classifies teas by their own names, regions, cultivars, time of harvest and their own quality systems. Japan also has its own categories, based on the type of tea and the way of production. That is why abbreviations like FTGFOP you will meet on tea from Darjeeling or Ceylon, but not on Chinese Longjing or Japanese sencha. It is important not to look for these markings where they are not, and to understand that the classification of tea depends on the region’s tradition. The orange pekoe system is one of many ways of describing tea, dominant in the Western and South Asian world, but not universal. Knowing this limitation helps you navigate different tea markets without confusion and mistaken expectations.

How to use this

How to practically use the knowledge of grades? First, treat the abbreviations as a hint about the look and structure of the leaf, not a guarantee of quality. A high grade suggests whole leaves and golden buds, which is sometimes a good sign, but confirm it with an assessment of the leaf and taste. Second, match the grade to the use: whole leaf for attentive, subtle brewing, broken grades for a strong, everyday brew, accept fannings and dust in bags. Third, do not overpay for a long abbreviation alone, because it does not always mean a better tea in the cup. Fourth, remember that grades apply mainly to black teas from specific regions, so do not look for them on Chinese or Japanese ones. Fifth, combine knowledge of grades with assessment of the leaf’s look and your own tasting, because only together do they give the full picture. Conscious use of the grading system makes buying tea more considered, though it will never replace tasting the brew. It is a helpful tool, not an oracle.

The key points in a nutshell

Abbreviations like OP, FOP, FTGFOP or BOP are the orange pekoe grading system, used mainly for black teas from India and Ceylon. It describes the size and type of leaf and the presence of buds: F is finest, T is tippy (buds), G is golden (golden tips), the next F is flowery, OP is orange pekoe, and S is special. The hierarchy runs from the highest-grade whole leaf, through broken leaf like BOP, to the fine fannings and dust for tea bags. The name orange comes from the Dutch royal house, not from oranges. Most importantly: a grade describes the look of the leaf, but does not guarantee the quality of the brew. China and Japan have their own systems. Want to consciously assess teas and record your impressions? Keep notes in the GustoNote app. See also our posts on assessing a tea leaf and black tea regions.