Understanding Tea Grades and Terms

Tea names often come with abbreviations that look obscure at first. This glossary explains the meaning behind common tea grades and terms—from FTGFOP to CTC—so you can better understand what’s in your cup. Use it as a reference whenever a term feels unclear. Not everything needs to be memorized; this is here to guide you.

1. Tea Grades

• GFBOP — Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe. Produced mainly in Assam. A top-rate broken-grade tea, also the only broken tippy from Kenya. Popular in East Frisia.
• GBOP — Golden Broken Orange Pekoe. Second sorting with few tips.
• CTC BOP — CTC Broken Orange Pekoe. “CTC” means Cut, Tear, Curl, a machine-automated production process emphasizing uniform leaf and quickly colored infusion.
• TGBOP — Tippy Golden Broken Orange Pekoe. Finest broken grade from Darjeeling and Assam. Highly tippy with smooth leaves.
• TGFOP — Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. Main grade of Darjeeling and Assam.
• FOP — Flowery Orange Pekoe. Plain grade of Indian leaf tea.
• FTGFOP 1 — Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1. Mainly from Darjeeling, some from Assam. Manufactured with exceeding care; even leaves and tippy.
• SFTGFOP — Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1. Superlative grade.
• BOP — Broken Orange Pekoe. Main broken grade from Ceylon, South India, Java, and China.
• FBOP — Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe. Coarser broken grade with some tips; comes from Assam, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, or South America. In Southern India, “Pekoe” is often called FBOP.
• BPS — Broken Pekoe Souchong. Assam and Darjeeling; pearl-shaped leaves.
• OP / OP Sup. — Orange Pekoe / Orange Pekoe Superior. Tippy leaves; OP Sup. produced only in Indonesia.
• GFOP — Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. Top grade from Kenya’s surviving tippy tea gardens.
• BP — Broken Pekoe. Brown to black, heavily broken tea from Indonesia, Ceylon, and Southern India; often woody or stalky.

2. Leaf Types & Processing Terms

• Tippy / Tip — Light, golden tips of the young, tender tea leaf bud. Add smoothness without affecting color.
• Broken — Smaller or cut leaves.
• Fannings — Tiny tea particles (~1 mm), mostly used in tea bags.
• Dust — Smallest grade, used exclusively in tea bags.
• Extraneous Particles — Stem and woody stalks sometimes processed with leaves.
• Pekoe — Chinese term meaning “white down,” referring to tender young leaves.
• Infusion — Tea leaves after brewing.

3. Matcha Terms & Concepts

Matcha is a unique tea with its own terminology. Understanding these terms will help you choose, brew, and enjoy it safely and mindfully.

• Organic / High-Quality Matcha — Produced by small Japanese farmers with careful cultivation. Labels may not exist in Japan; quality depends on farming practices.
• Ceremonial Matcha — Made from the youngest leaves, ideal for traditional whisked tea. Highest flavor quality.
• Culinary Matcha — Slightly coarser, often used in lattes, smoothies, and cooking.
• Usucha — Thin matcha, lightly whisked; used in casual tea sessions.
• Koicha — Thick matcha, whisked slowly; used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies.
• Hyperpremium Matcha — Extremely high-quality matcha from small, meticulous Japanese farms. Rare, finely powdered, ultra-umami flavor.
• Tencha — Shade-grown leaves that are dried and ground to make matcha.
• L-Theanine — Amino acid in matcha contributing to calm alertness.

 4. How to Use This Glossary

• Refer here when a term in a tea listing confuses you.
• Link it from your tasting notes or origin guides.
• Bookmark for quick reference—the tea world loves abbreviations!

This glossary is updated over time. If you come across a term that isn’t listed, check back; I may add it in the future.