There are several grades of tea that will be looked at on this page, each one regarding loose leaf tea. Grading tea does not involve taste, color, or even aroma, but instead on the leaf's size and texture.
Another thing is just because a tea is of a higher grade does not necessarily mean it is a better tasting tea. Some higher grades may be more expensive, but usually yield a lighter taste compared to a tea that is a notch down.
Grades Of Tea List Starting From Least To Greatest
Fannings(tea dust) This is the lowest grade of tea and are found in most tea bags. The color produced may be very dark and rich, but the flavor as well as most of the benefits have gone. Expect a sometimes fuzzy, stale or bitter cup when brewing tea from a bag. While some black tea blends out there such as Tetley or Red Rose are decent, it is a far cry from the brew of higher grade loose teas!
Also, white and green teas that come in tea bag form may more than likely give the person a bad experience and unfortunately causing he or she to believe that is what these teas really offer. Remember, fannings are dried out pieces of what is left after, and may be trapped in those bags for over a year before you brew it, way past the recommended time to keep tea!
Pekoe (P) Pekoe grading consists of very small leaves, some which may find there way into tea bags as well. This is considered the lowest whole leaf grade.
Orange Pekoe (OP) This term may actually sound familiar to some, and is commonly mistaken for a variety of tea. However, this is just a grade of tea which is a notch above the pekoe grading and has slightly larger leaves.
Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP) It is at this grade where we get in to higher quality. The leaves are usually from the end bud and leaf of each shoot which will brew a cup of decent flavor.
Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP) This grading is similar to FOP, only difference is that the leaves have golden tips at the end.
Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP) This grade has an even larger proportion of golden tips.
Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (FTGFOP) This is one of the finest grades of tea, and a very high quality, full bodied, well rounded tasting brew is produced. A connoisseur's cup of tea indeed!
Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (SFTGFOP) As you may have guessed, a very high grade! In fact, it's the highest grading term that I have found.
Those are the grades of tea. There are also other grades not mentioned such as the "broken" types, which consist of broken leaves for most categories above.
Well, after reading this page continuing to experience tea from just the bag seems non-rewarding huh? So, next time you are in the mood for tea, treat yourself to a cup of loose leaf brewed tea. A whole new cup of tea awaits!
