Is Orange Pekoe a Black Tea?

What is Orange Pekoe Tea, and is it a Black Tea? 

Here, we will cover everything to know about the Orange Pekoe tea grade!  

The wonderful world of tea is full of fascinating flavors, tantalizing tea types, and legendary leaf grades. Delicious black tea leaves, bright green teas, and delicate white tea mixes from all over the world can be brewed to make any number of distinctive drinks. But what about Orange Pekoe teas?

What exactly is Orange Pekoe tea and what category does it fall into? If you have ever wondered whether Orange Pekoe was a black tea, or simply wanted to learn more about these renowned OP tea leaves, you’ve come to the right place! We'll go over it all right here. 

What is Orange Pekoe (OP) Tea and is it Black Tea? 

Orange Pekoe is a type of high-quality black tea. Generally sourced from India or Sri Lanka, Orange Pekoe (represented by the letters OP) is an umbrella term that describes a tea’s differentia and leaf grade. Orange Pekoe includes an array of higher-end teas with minimal dust fragments left after processing. 

Is Orange Pekoe Tea Orange in Color? 

Although many people think that Orange Pekoe describes the tea’s color or flavor, it is in fact a leaf and quality grading term applied to certain black teas from India, Sri Lanka, and places in Asia. This term can be confusing, as it is rarely applied to teas from China or Japan. 

What are black teas? 

To help you better understand Orange Pekoe teas, let's go over what black tea actually is. With flavorful nuances and unparalleled aromatic essences, black tea is among one of the most popular tea types. Generally, black tea is any kind of strong, bold, rich tea with a dark color, processed and oxidized to develop its flavors in a specific way. Black teas come in a myriad of styles, grades, flavors, and combinations. 

Black Tea VS Green or White Tea 

Black teas differ from white tea and green tea in how they are processed for oxidation. Ergo, white and green teas are processed to halt oxidation and maintain a lighter leaf color, whereas black teas are left to darken and oxidize.

Black teas can be distinguished from green and white teas in many ways. For one thing, black tea leaves have a darker color, ranging from rich brown to deep black. Additionally, most people agree that black teas have a stronger and bolder flavor than their green or white tea counterparts. Black teas also often contain slightly more caffeine than white or green teas. 

What is the flavor of black tea? 

The flavor of a specific type of black tea will depend on many factors, including the oxidation process, any flavorings added, the type of tea leaves used, when these leaves were picked, and whether the tea was dried, processed, or heated. 

Brewed black tea flavors can range from light and airy with floral undertones to rich and sultry with smoky flavor nuances. Black teas can also be savory, sweet, and basically everything in between. Many black teas come mixed with herbs, spices, or even pieces of fruit to enhance the brewed flavors in your cup. 

Is Orange Pekoe Black Tea? 

Now that we've gotten some basic facts about black tea out of the way, let’s discuss Orange Pekoe a little bit more in-depth. Often, people confuse this type of tea with a specific color or style and expect it to have orange flavors. However, the term Orange Pekoe tea does not describe the tea's color or flavor, but instead its leaf grade. 

So exactly what is Orange Pekoe tea? Orange Pekoe is actually a system of grading Indian black tea leaves according to their size and quality. Although Orange Pekoe sounds like the name of a specific type of tea, (like Jasmine tea or lemon tea) it is actually a grade of tea. 

What does the term Orange Pekoe (OP) mean?

The term Orange Pekoe describes black tea from Sri Lanka, India, and other parts of Asia. However, the origins of the phrase Orange Pekoe are hard to determine. Chinese black teas are usually not graded in the same system.

Many people believe that the term Orange Pekoe is a loose translation of a Chinese phrase referring to the soft tips of the buds found on the tea plants that Orange Pekoe teas come from. The name might also originate from the Dutch House of Orange Nassau, which was associated with the Dutch East India Trading Company and helped popularize this higher tea grade. 

Understanding Tea Grades and Terms

Orange Pekoe is a grade of loose-leaf black tea. Being graded as Orange Pekoe is an indicator of quality, representing tea that is composed of whole loose leaves, with minimal dust or fragments left after processing. There are many different terms used to describe black tea grades and quality. 

Grades for whole-leaf teas often include:

• FTGFOP: Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe
• TGFOP: Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe
• GFOP: Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe
• OP: Orange Pekoe
• FOP: Flowery Orange Pekoe

Related grading systems for high-end broken-leaf teas include: 

• TGFBOP: Tippy Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe
• GFBOP: Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe
• GBOP: Golden Broken Orange Pekoe
• BP: Broken Pekoe
• FP: Flowery Pekoe
• FBOP: Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe

What are the Benefits of Orange Pekoe Teas?

As with many whole-leaf high-grade teas, Orange Pekoe tea is known for its rich flavors, and high levels of antioxidants, and caffeine. Whole-leaf black teas can also contain the amino compound l-theanine, which is known to help reduce anxiety and stress and may also be a viable option for the holistic treatment of ADHD.

Order Fresh High-Grade OP Orange Pekoe Tea Here

Have you been looking for the best place to order Orange Pekoe tea online? Click here for delicious aromatic Assam and Orange Pekoe black tea sourced responsibly from a region north of the Brahmaputra River. Exported from Calcutta, this is a top-rated black tea with fresh flavors, a strong body, and many antioxidants. Delicious when combined with milk, its bold flavor nuances are sure to tantalize your taste buds in every rich, smooth sip.