A tea’s grade indicates the size of its leaves. Since different leaf sizes infuse at different rates, the final step in quality tea production is grading, or sifting leaves into uniform sizes. One significant marker of quality is how thoroughly and consistently a tea has been graded—a well-graded tea results in an even, reliable infusion, while a poorly-graded tea will have a muddy, inconsistent flavor.

The most common industry grades and their acronyms are:

Whole Leaf

TGFOP

Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe: one of the highest qualities grades, consisting of whole leaves and golden leaf buds

TGFOP

Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe

GFOP

Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe: an open leaf with golden brown tips

GFOP

Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe

FOP

Flowery Orange Pekoe: long leaves that are loosely rolled.

FOP

Flowery Orange Pekoe:

OP

Flowery Orange Pekoe: long, thin, and wiry leaves, more tightly rolled that FOP leaves.

OP

Flowery Orange Pekoe:

Pekoe

Sort, small leaves, loosely rolled.

Souchong

Broad, flat leaves.

Broken Leaf

GFBOP

Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe: broken, uniform leaves with golden bud tips.

GFBOP

Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe

FBOP

Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe: slightly larger than standard BOP leaves, often containing golden or silver leaf buds.

FBOP

Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe

BOP

Broken Orange Pekoe: one of the smallest and most versatile leaf grades, with a good balance of color and strength. BOP

teas are useful in blends.

BOP

Broken Orange Pekoe

BP

Broken Pekoe: short, even, curly leaves that produce a dark, heavy cup.

Tea Bag and Ready-to-Drink

BP

Broken Pekoe

Fannings

Much smaller than BOP leaves, fannings should be uniform and consistent in color and size

Dust

The smallest leaf grade, very quick-brewing