Grades and Quality

How is Tea Graded?
The first thing to keep in mind is that these are descriptions of the dry, cured leaf only. They have no necessary relation to the aroma, color or flavor of the end product. It is possible to get a delicious cup from ugly, broken leaves; it is possible to get an awful cup from well-handled, beautiful whole leaves. But since you may have little information to work with other than the grade, let's look at the various grades. There are different grading schemes for black and green teas.

Black Tea Grades

Flowery Orange Pekoe
Pekoe
Souchong
Broken Orange Pekoe
Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings
Broken Pekoe
Fannings
Dust

Flowery Orange Pekoe is often abbreviated FOP. The term "flowery" refers to the leaf bud, since actual tea flowers are not used in the preparation of the drink. "Orange" is described as a reference to the Dutch House of Orange or as a reference to an old Chinese practice of including orange blossoms as a flavoring agent. Whichever story is true, Orange Pekoe leaves are higher quality than Pekoe leaves. "Souchong" means large leaves that are generally not picked from the tip of the branch. Processed tea is sieved to insure that leaves of uniform size are packaged together. Fannings and dust are bits and pieces of tea leaves left over from the shifting that separate out whole leaves and large pieces of leaf. Fannings are slightly larger than dust. Loose tea is generally whole leaves.

Pekoe (pronounced 'PECK-oh') is derived from a Chinese word meaning "white;" this is referred to the white hair on the leaf bud. Early Western merchants used the word to describe that the leaves were exclusively plucked from the tip of the branch: the leaf bud and the two leaves below the bud. Its use in India and Sri Lanka broadened to mean whole leaves of a uniform size, and this is what it generally means now. This may include leaves picked from lower on the branch.

Broken Orange Pekoe and Broken Pekoe, Fannings and Dust is usually bagged tea. The broken grades are created by mechanized crushing of the leaves. Broken leaves infuse more quickly which is desirable in a tea bag. But because of their larger surface area, broken leaves also become stale more quickly. Since much of the bagged tea sold in the US is marked "Orange Pekoe," many people think that Orange Pekoe is a special kind of tea. But it is not. It is a grading measurement that applies only to the size and physical condition of the leaves, not their kind or quality. Most tea that is labeled "Orange Pekoe" is blended black tea, typically from India and/or Sri Lanka. High-quality Darjeeling is often graded according to a complex system including terms such as TGFOP and FTGFOP. TGFOP represents Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. Tippy, Golden and Flowery are all references to the leaf bud at the tip of the branch. Buds have a lighter color than fully formed leaves, hence golden.

FTGFOP: Fancy (or Fine) Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. "Fancy" is a term also used in the grading of oolongs.
SFTGFOP: Super-Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe.

When dealing with Darjeelings, you may also see the following terms:

Estate: names the plantation where the leaves were grown.
Vintage: means that the leaves are the product of one harvest, and are not blended with any others.
First Flush: the leaves were plucked in the first growth of the season. It usually produces a very light, delicate drink.
Second Flush: second-growth harvest. More robust and complex than first flush.
Autumnal Flush: harvest after the rainy season.

How do the Flushes Differ?

First flush (Easter Flush) is the first plucking after the dormant winter months. The leaves are tender and light green in appearance. The liquor is light, clear, bright with a pleasant brisk flavor.
Second Flush (Spring Flush) is known for its quality. The leaf has a purplish bloom. The liquor is round and mellow with more amber color and a slightly fruity flavor. During this period, the Muscatel flavor for which Darjeeling is known becomes pronounced.
Monsoon Flush (Summer Flush) is the longest plucking period. This is when the Monsoon breaks and the heavy rains come. The liquor gets stronger but the overall quality generally suffers during this time.
Autumnal Flush is a light, coppery tinge and the liquor has a delicate character.

Green Tea Grades
There is no uniform grading terminology for green tea. Chinese greens are graded differently depending on where they come from.

Some terms that you may find with regard to Chinese green teas are:

Gunpowder: pellets, tightly rolled from young leaves and buds. It is rolled very tightly; the leaves look like small pellets. The Chinese term for this tea, Zhucha, means Pearl Tea. It is grown in Zhejiang province near Shanghai.
Young Hyson: young leaves rolled long and thin.
Imperial: pellets loosely rolled from older leaves.
Twankay: unrolled leaves of poor quality.

Oolong Tea Grades
Grading for oolongs changes from Fanciest or Extra Fancy (best) to Common (worst). Unlike other grading systems, this one actually rates the quality of the drink you can get from the leaves. The top grades are Fanciest or Extra Fancy, Fancy, and Extra Choice (or Extra Fine).

Judging the Quality of Tea
How do you know whether you're getting good tea? It is difficult to gauge the quality if you buy it ready packaged. Then you'll have to learn by trial and error. It is easier when you can see the tea and buy it loose. The four criteria for good tea are appearance, color, aroma and flavor. Here are a few guidelines, but individual teas provide many exceptions.

Appearance
Quality green tea should be clean and taut with leaf and bud in one piece. Such leaf sets also indicate that the leaves are young and tender therefore more flavorful. Quality runs in a descending order from bud/one leaf, bud/two leaves, and so on. Teas with incomplete leaves and bits are inferior quality. Exceptions are blends which are composed of more than one kind of tea, broken black, and of course compressed teas.

Color
Quality tea leaves are glossy rather than dull. A properly made infusion should be clear, and with clear, bright color as a rule, reddish for black tea, yellowish green for green tea, a lively orange-brown to dark brown for oolong. Pu-erh is darker. Quality tea never produces a dull or muddy liquid.

Aroma
Oolong and black tea, because they are oxidized, have more aroma than ordinary green unscented tea. There are many variations and exceptions.

Flavor
Fine tea should have a smooth, fresh taste. For green tea it should be fresh and light, and for black, stronger. Any hint of sharpness indicates that there is an imbalance of the tea's components. Bitterness is from excessive caffeine, over-sweetness from rich amino acids, harshness from tannins. Exceptions to the fresh taste rule are Pu-erh and other compressed teas. The best tea comes from the early spring picking. The Chinese names frequently let you know this. Names denoting picking times are: spring tea - Chunfen, Qingming and Guyu; summer tea - Lixia and Mangzhong; autumn tea - Liqiu and Bailu. Green tea should be used within a year after harvesting. It is often wiser to buy a somewhat more expensive grade than the cheapest grade for with the latter you may have to use a lot of tea and still may not get good flavor. Since a pound of tea makes at least 200 cups, even the most expensive tea is a low-priced beverage.