Tea labels can read like a secret code. This glossary explains common terms in plain English, with each definition drawn from the sources listed at the end.
- OP: Orange Pekoe — a leaf-size grade
- BOP: Broken Orange Pekoe
- Fannings & dust: the smallest particles
- Flush: a bud and young leaves
- Tisane: herbal infusion, not true tea
Leaf grade terms
Orange Pekoe (OP) — A term used in the Western tea trade for a grade of black tea based on leaf size. Despite its name, it has nothing to do with orange flavour (Wikipedia: Tea leaf grading; Sri Lanka Tea Board).
Pekoe — The Sri Lanka Tea Board describes Pekoe as tea made from just-unfurling buds, tightly rolled into a near-spherical shape. Outside grading, "pekoe" can also mean the unopened terminal leaf bud.
BOP (Broken Orange Pekoe) — The main broken grade, according to the Tea Board; it infuses faster than whole leaf.
FBOP (Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe) — Similar to BOP but larger, a coarser semi-leaf tea with a small portion of tips (Tea Board).
BOPF (Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings) — Particles smaller than BOP, without tips; the Tea Board notes it is ideal for tea bags.
Fannings — Small pieces of tea left after higher grades are gathered. Typically used in tea bags (Wikipedia).
Dust — The smallest particles, which infuse swiftly (Tea Board).
Tips — Leaf buds; "tippy" teas contain many of them. Silver Tips and Golden Tips are rare teas made from buds (Tea Board).
Processing terms
Plucking — Picking the tea. The Tea Board describes plucking an unopened bud with two leaves. See Two Leaves and a Bud.
Flush — A terminal bud and young leaves picked together; also used for a harvest period (Wikipedia: Tea processing).
Withering — Reducing moisture in fresh leaves so they become soft and pliable.
Rolling — Breaking the leaf's cell structure to release its juices.
Oxidation ("fermentation") — The reaction that darkens the leaf. Wikipedia notes "fermentation" is a misnomer here, as no true fermentation occurs in black tea.
Firing / drying — Heating the leaf to stop oxidation and dry it.
Fixing (kill-green) — Heating green tea leaves early to stop oxidation, by steaming or pan-firing.
Orthodox — Traditional rolling of the leaf. CTC — Crush, tear, curl: machine processing into small pellets. See Orthodox vs CTC.
Types and styles
Camellia sinensis — The tea plant. See The Tea Plant.
Single origin — Tea from one place. See What Is Single-Origin Tea?
Tisane / herbal tea — An infusion of herbs, spices or other plants that are not the tea plant (Wikipedia: Herbal tea).
Liquor — The brewed tea in the cup.
High-grown / mid-grown / low-grown — Ceylon teas grouped by elevation. Wikipedia's history of tea article notes Ceylon tea is divided into up-country, mid-country and low-country groups.
