Understanding Tea Grading: What Does FTGFOP Mean?
Welcome to the brewed world of tea grading, tea lovers! For tea enthusiasts, understanding tea grading is more than just knowing the quality. It is a way to appreciate the depth and artistry behind each cup of tea and pick the most preferred one. It is a common joke that FTGFOP interprets as "Far Too Good for Ordinary People". In reality, it stands for "Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe", which is used to describe black tea. There are a lot of things to know about tea grading, such as identifying the leaf quality and picking the blends that you actually like.
From where this tea grading system originated to some common misconceptions, the world of tea grading is vast and interesting. In this blog, we will explore this fascinating world of tea grading to help you make informed decisions. By the end of this blog, you will have basic information about its meaning, components, terms, variations, differences, tips, how to use it and many more. So, let's delve into tea grading and what exactly FTGFOP means.
Tea Grading Explained: Brief History of Tea Grading Systems
Tea grading is a process of evaluating products after their picking and processing. This evaluation is based on the size, quality, aroma, processing method, and condition of the tea leaves.
The history of tea grading systems traces back to the industrialization of tea production in India. Before machines took over, tea was made using the traditional orthodox method, where hand-picking and careful processing resulted in whole, intact leaves. However, with the rise of automation and technology, crushed and broken leaves became the norm, which required a new way to sort and assess tea quality.
In such a situation, a layered sieve system was introduced. In this, the top sieve captures the highest grade of tea—referred to as "whole leaf. The next layers catch the smaller "broken leaf" grade, followed by "fannings" and finally, the tiniest pieces, known as "dust."
During that time, the term "Pekoe" became popular to describe high-quality tea leaves, primarily in China, and later spread to other tea-producing regions. In the twentieth century, India and China created their own grading systems to appeal to both home and export markets. International trade also impacted grading systems, particularly with words like "Orange Pekoe" and "Flowery Pekoe."
Tea grading systems differ by area but are based on basic characteristics such as leaf size, shape, and quality. In addition to traditional grades, terms such as FTGFOP (Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe) emerged to highlight more nuanced differences in quality.
What is FTGFOP? Exploring the Premium and Finest Tea Grade
Tea leaves are categorized into different grades, where each one denotes a specific level of quality.
FTGFOP Acronym: "Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe" is the highest grade of black tea widely known for its abundant golden tips and superior quality. This grade is reserved for some of the highest-quality black teas, particularly those from regions like Darjeeling or Assam. Although it may sound confusing, each word in this acronym carries a significant meaning:
Breakdown of Terms (e.g., "Tippy" = Tea Buds, "Orange" = Dutch Origin)
- Finest: Superior quality.
- Tippy: Abundance of unopened tea buds.
- Golden: Golden-colored tips in the leaves.
- Flowery: Large tea leaves with buds plucked from new shoots.
- Orange Pekoe: Whole leaf classification originating from the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau.
Each part of the acronym highlights key characteristics, such as tippy buds, golden tips, and historical ties to the Dutch.
Why Tea Grading Is Important for Tea Lovers?
Tea Grading is crucial for tea lovers to ensure a consistent and enjoyable tea-drinking experience. It helps in accessing the flavor and aroma of the tea, allowing you to make correct choices as per your taste. Here are a few reasons why understanding tea grading is important for tea lovers:
Identifying Quality: Using tea grading, you can evaluate which are high-quality teas and which are low-grade options. Generally, teas with better flavor, aroma, and appearance are high-quality teas that you and most people would like to choose.
Predicting Flavor and Strength: Different grades of tea offer different tastes and strengths, and tea grading helps you understand this. For example, whole-leaf teas are smoother and more nuanced, while broken teas are stronger and bolder.
Consistency in Brewing: Tea grades influence the tea's behavior during brewing, which helps you adjust brewing methods accordingly. For example, smaller grades, like fannings and dust, infuse quickly, whereas large grades or whole leaves need more time.
Supporting Personal Preferences: Understanding the tea grading helps you make correct choices, whether you prefer the convenience and strength of tea bags or the ritual of steeping whole-leaf teas. You can easily choose the tea that suits your preferences.
Exploring Unique Characteristics: Grading helps you understand the unique characteristics of the tea types. For example, TGFOP has a unique sweetness and richness, while BOP is more focused on boldness.
Grades of Black Tea: Basic Grading Categories and Common Grades
Whole-Leaf Grades (e.g., OP, FOP, FTGFOP)
In whole-leaf grades, tea leaves are almost intact or minimally broken, resulting in more unfragmented leaves. This offers a delicate and flavorful cup of tea with superior flavor, aroma and visual appeal. The common grades in this category include:
OP (Orange Pekoe): Long, thin, unbroken, and full-sized leaves offer a balanced flavor profile. "Orange" in the name refers to the Dutch royal family, not the fruit.
Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP): This is a higher grade than OP, containing whole tea leaves along with tea buds and offering a more delicate flavor.
Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP): High Quality tea containing whole leaves along with golden buds.
Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP): This variety is dense in tips and contains a high ratio of golden buds, offering a complex flavor.
Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (FTGFOP): Premium and highest-grade tea with abundant golden tips and young leaves offering a superior taste.
Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe One (FTGFOP1): Superior to FTGFOP, with more golden buds offering a richer taste.
Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (SFTGFOP): The special word indicates supreme quality, making it a superlative tea with an extremely high proportion of golden buds.
Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe One (SFTGFOP1): The highest tea grade with the maximum quantity of golden buds offering an unequalled taste of flavors.
Broken Grades (e.g., BOP, BP)
Broken leaf grades are teas that are chopped into smaller pieces via tearing or fragmentation. With a retained leaf-like appearance, they offer a more robust flavor and quicker brewing time. The common grades in this category include:
Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP): Smaller, broken leaves offering a bolder flavor. This grade is specially used for black teas.
Broken Pekoe (BP): It consists of medium to small but slightly larger pieces than BOP and offers a full-bodied flavor.
Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe (FBOP): This grade contains tender tips/tea buds, offering a complex flavor and floral notes.
Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe (GFBOP): This variety has broken leaves and a good proportion of golden buds, offering rich flavors.
Tippy Golden Broken Orange Pekoe (TGBOP): Features a higher proportion of golden buds than GFBOP, offering a mix of delicate and intense flavors.
Tippy Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe (TGFBOP): With a high proportion of golden buds, this is the highest tea grade in broken leaves offering superior flavor complexity.
Fannings
Fannings refer to the small fragments of tea leaves that maintain a distinctive coarse texture, often used in tea bags. They produce a quicker and stronger brew, offering a rich aroma and taste. Types include Pekoe Fannings, Orange Fannings, Flowery Orange Fannings, Golden Flowery Orange Fannings, Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings, etc. For example, Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings (BOPF) are finely broken leaves that are often used in tea bags. They offer even faster brewing and a rich flavor profile.
Dust
Dust consists of the smallest pieces of tea leaves, mainly in powdered form, used in the production of premium tea grades. It is also used in tea bags for fast and quick brews, exotic aromas, and flavors. The types include Dust 1, Pekoe Dust, Pekoe Dust 1, Broken Orange Pekoe Dust, etc.
Grading Variations in Other Teas
While black tea grading is the most common and standardized, other teas, like green, white and oolong, also have their own unique grading systems. These systems reflect cultural traditions, production methods, and even legends tied to the teas. Let's explore differences in grading for Green, White, and Oolong Teas:
Green Tea: Green tea is graded by assessing the leaf shape and color, appearance, size, aroma, and quality. Some high-quality grade teas include Gyokuru, Sencha, Macha, Longjing, and Dragon Well.
White Tea: White tea is evaluated by the bud count and fine white/silver downy hairs. Some high-quality grade teas include Silver Needle, the highest grade, White Peony, a mix of buds and leaves, and Darjeeling White Tea, with floral and fruity notes.
Oolong Tea: Oolong tea is assessed based on the oxidation level, leaf appearance, and quality. Some high-quality teas include Tie Guan Yin, Da Hong Pao, Dong Ding, Milk Oolong, etc.
How to Use Grading When Buying Tea
To ensure you purchase the right tea aligning with your taste and preferences, using grading is the best option. Here's how you can use grading when buying tea:
Identify Your Preference
The first and most important thing is your personal preferences. Understand what kind of flavor and experience you want. If you want a refined tea-drinking experience, go for whole-leaf teas, whereas for stronger and quicker brews, choose broken tea grades. If you consider tea bags, fannings and dust is the right choice for a quick cup.
Match the Grade to Your Brewing Style
Every person has a different brewing style, and it is important to consider your brewing style when choosing the right tea. If you prefer loose-leaf brewing, opt for high grades like white tea (silver needle) or green tea (Longjing) for the best flavors. However, if you prefer strong, fast-steeping teas, consider broken grades, and if you like rich and complex teas, choose whole-leaf grades.
Don't Be Fooled by Fancy Names
Make sure that you have complete information on grading terms and meanings. For instance, the term "Orange Pekoe" is often misunderstood as an orange flavor or color of tea. However, the reality is that it is not linked to oranges; it is just the size and appearance of the tea leaves. So, understand and research the grades to choose the one that aligns with your expectations.
Understand Regional Variations
Indian and Sri Lankan teas follow strict grading systems, which makes it easier to compare different options. However, for Chinese and Japanese teas, understanding regional variations is very important. They use words like superior and finest rather than standardized grades, so make sure to focus on quality indicators like origin and leaf appearance when making correct decisions.
Experiment and Explore
It's important to understand that grading is a guide, not a rulebook. Therefore, make sure to explore different grades, know the origin, processing, and freshness of teas, and also look beyond grading. This helps you find what suits your taste and preferences, from the elegance of whole-leaf teas to the boldness of broken grades.
Tips for Choosing Quality Tea based on Grading
Understand common tea grading systems: Different teas have different grading systems, and to choose a quality tea, understanding the specific grading system of the particular tea is crucial.
Evaluate the appearance: Look for teas with unbroken leaves, consistent size, shape, and color, and visible golden or silver tips, as these indicate better quality, aroma, and processing.
Assess the aroma: A strong, clean aroma is a sign of freshness and high quality. Different teas have different aromas, so make sure to know which one you want.
Check the origin: Look for teas from renowned regions, as they have superior flavors. Consider Assam and Darjeeling for black tea, Japan and China for green tea and Taiwan for oolong tea.
Understand your preferences: Consider your personal preferences when choosing the tea grade. For a bold and robust taste, choose CTC black teas, whereas for a delicate and light taste, consider green or white teas with premium grades.
Focus on leaf quality over quantity: Larger, unbroken leaves (OP, FOP, etc.) offer a more flavorful and aromatic brew than broken or fanning grades.
Test the taste: If possible, taste before buying to evaluate the tea flavor, balance, quality, clarity and aroma. If tasting is not the option, buy a small amount first to try at home.
Research the brand or seller: Read online reviews and purchase from reputable tea sellers who focus on quality and transparency and are well regarded by others.
Common Misconceptions about Grading Systems
Higher grades always indicate better quality: Grades reflect characteristics such as size, appearance, and other measurable factors but not necessarily overall quality.
Grading dictates best choice: The grade reflects the leaf quality, size, and condition, but your personal preferences, such as flavor, aroma, brewing style, etc., ultimately dictate the best choice.
Grading systems are universal: Grading criteria are not universal and vary by industry, region, and institution, as well as between orthodox teas and CTC teas.
Smaller leaves are always inferior: Smaller or broken leaves can better suit specific purposes. For example, BOP might produce a stronger and faster brew, making it best for milk teas.
Grading reflects the entire value: Grades focus on specific aspects but do not reflect the entire value. They indicate leaf size, color, processing, etc., but not origin or harvest freshness.
More expensive tea is always a higher grade: Tea price is influenced by various factors, including brand, rarity, packaging, flavor, etc., not just grade. This means a tea from a lower grade can also offer a premium taste at an affordable price.
Conclusion
Tea Grading is the process of assessing the quality of tea products based on different aspects like leaf size, appearance, quality, aroma, condition, etc. There are 4 main categories of grading for black tea, and each one consists of several grades to assess the quality. Apart from black tea, green, white, and oolong tea also have grading systems that help evaluate tea quality. Besides that, we have also discussed how to use grading to buy tea, the important tips as well as misconceptions to help you grade properly. In the end, we give you the assurance that grading is one part of the tea experience, not the whole story. Therefore, do not focus entirely on grading; enjoy the taste, aroma, and experience that each cup of tea brings.
