OP

What is “Orange Pekoe”?

Orange Pekoe (OP Tea) is not an orange color tea or an orange flavored tea. Although maybe the liquor has a slight orange tint to it. Orange Pekoe is just a grade nomenclature used to identify certain grades of Black Teas.

OP teas are grades that consist of larger whole leaf particles. These teas are produced off Two leaves and Bud that are plucked by hand from tea bushes. Young tender larger leaf particles get twisted and rolled during the orthodox black tea manufacturing process unlike aged rugged leaf which is broken in to smaller particles. Once these leaves complete the manufacturing process, they get their unique appearance.

Generally all larger leafy Black tea grades have a lighter liquor compared to smaller tippy and dust type grades. So these have lesser caffeine compared to smaller tea grades. These are some of the popular Ceylon Tea varieties across the globe for their unique liquor.