Orange pekoe

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Orange Pekoe is also the name of a Japanese jazz band.

Orange pekoe is a term mainly used to describe a grade found in the grading system of the same name used for sorting Black teas [1] [2]. The system is based solely upon the size of the processed and dried black tea leaves.

The term "Orange Pekoe" is used in the tea industry to describe a basic medium grade black tea consisting of many single whole tea leaves of a specific size [1], however, it is usually used in popular Western culture to describe any generic black tea or in some cases even a specific variety of black tea[3][4]. Black teas to be graded in this system must be obtained from new flushes, which are the terminal leaf bud along with a few of the youngest tea leaves. Grading is based solely on the size of the individual leaves and flushes, which is determined by their ability to fall through screens of of specific meshes[5]. This parameter also determines loosely the wholeness, or level of breakage, of each leaf, which is also part of the grading system. Although the grading system is not an indicator of quality, the size of the leaves will more often then not influence the taste and clarity of the resulting brew[6]. Black teas of the basic grade (Orange Pekoe) are highly fragrant, with strong floral and fruity aromas, as well as a pleasant woody note. The taste should be slightly bitter with no astringency and a sweet aftertaste.

When used outside the context of black tea grading, the term "Pekoe" or occasionally "Orange pekoe", is used to describe the unopened terminal leaf bud (tips) in tea flushes. As such terms such "a bud and a leaf" or "a bud and two leaves", which are used to describe the "leafiness" of picked flush, is often used interchangebly with "pekoe and a leaf" or "pekoe and two leaves", respectively [7].


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[edit] Etymology

The origin of the word pekoe is not definitively known. One explanation is that "pekoe" is derived form the transliterated mispronunciation of the Amoy (廈門; pinyin: Xiàmén) word for a Chinese tea known as "white down/hair" (白毫; POJ: pe̍h-ho, pronounced as "pek-ho")[8]. The term refers to the down-like white "hairs" on the leaf and flower buds, and also the youngest tea leaves. Another supposition is that the term derives from the Chinese bai hwa "white flower" (Chinese: 白花; pinyin: báihuā; POJ: pe̍h-hoe), referring to the bud content of pekoe tea.

The "orange" in Orange Pekoe is sometimes mistaken to mean that tea has been flavoured with orange and orange oils, or that is otherwise somehow associated with the orange fruit. However, the word Orange has little to do with the tea's flavour[1]. There are generally three popular explanations given for the meaning of "Orange" in Orange Pekoe, though none of them are definitive. Orange is believed to refer to either:

  1. The Dutch royal House of Orange-Nassau. The Dutch East India company having had a central role in bringing tea to Europe may have marketed the tea as "Orange" to suggest a royal warrant[8].
  2. A supposed Chinese practice of using orange blossoms to flavour tea [2]. However, this may not be true since flowers are mainly added to green tea and it is also more customary to use jasmine blossoms.
  3. The copper colour of high quality oxidized leaf before drying or final bright orange color of the dried pekoes in the finished tea [9]. These usully consist of the one leaf bud and two leaves that are usually covered in fine downy hair, which attains an orange colour when the produced tea is fully oxidized.

[edit] Manufacture and Grades

The Chinese Pekoe teas are classified into various qualities according to whether the adjacent young leaves (two, one or none) were picked along with the leaf buds. Top quality pekoe consists of only the leaf buds. The buds are picked using only the balls of the finger tips. Fingernails or mechanical tools are not used to avoid bruising the picks.

When crushed to make bagged teas, the tea is referred to as "broken", as in "Broken Orange Pekoe" (also "Broken Pekoe" or "BOP"), sometimes sold as loose leaf for reduced price. Bagged teas often also include fannings and dust, which are simply tiny remnants of the sorting and/or crushing process.

Orange Pekoe is often referred to as "OP"; the grading scheme contains several other categories considered to be of higher quality than OP, which are determined primarily by leaf wholeness and leaf size [10][5]. The grades for whole leaf orthodox black tea (in ascending order) are:

  • OP (Orange Pekoe)
  • FOP (Flowery Orange Pekoe)
  • GFOP (Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
  • TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
  • FTGFOP (Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)
  • SFTGFOP (Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)

Broken, Fannings and Dust orthodox teas have slightly different gradings. CTC teas have a yet different grading system.

A common joke among tea aficionados is that "FTGFOP" actually stands for "Far Too Good For Ordinary People".

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "Stash Orange Pekoe Tea". Stash Tea (2006). Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  2. ^ a b Swann's Classic Teas. "The Leaf is All: Leaf Grading". Swann's Classic Teas. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  3. ^ Peet's Coffee (2006). "Learn: Tea Grades". Peet's Coffee & Teas. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  4. ^ Barnes & Watson Fine Teas (2006). "Leaf Grades". Barnes & Watson Fine Teas. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  5. ^ a b Marian Segal (March 1996). "Tea: A Story of Serendipity". FDA Consumer magazine. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  6. ^ Olde Wyndham Tea Company (2002). "Grades of Gourmet Tea". Olde Wyndham Tea Company. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  7. ^ AFD (Appui à la Formation et au Développement). [/www.afd-lv.org/plant-ch/theier/techniqu/NCthe.htm " Les techniques d'exploitation - Cueillette - Normes de cueillette"]. Théier (Camellia sinensis). Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  8. ^ a b James Norwood Pratt (May 2002). "The Dutch Invent "Orange Pekoe"". TeaMuse Monthly Newletter. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  9. ^ Gillards of Bath (2006). "Dargeeling teas". Gillards of Bath. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
  10. ^ TeaFountain (2004). "Tea Leaf Grades & Production Methods". TeaStation & TeaFountain. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.

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