Tea Term of the Month: “Orange Pekoe”
The basic term used in grading black tea is Orange Pekoe (pronounced PECK-oh), or OP. The OP designation simply indicates that the tea is a basic leaf grade, without any tips or other distinguishing characteristics. The word “pekoe” is derived from the Chinese term”bai hao,” for white tip, a reference to the white downy hairs found on the buds of the tea plant. The word “orange” has nothing to do with orange flavor or scent, but may be a reference to the Dutch House of Orange, the Dutch royal family in the early days of the European tea trade. In addition to the OP designation, additional letters are often assigned to describe the leaves’ various characteristics. For instance, the grade of our Rembeng Estate Assam Black Tea is TGFOP, which stands for “tippy golden flowery orange pekoe.” This indicates that the tea is a leaf grade with a generous proportion of tips. It is worth noting that this grading scheme is generally reserved for Indian and Ceylon (Sri Lankan) black teas.
January 08 2009 | Tea Terms | No Comments »
We’re happy to report that Natural Health Magazine has come to learn what so many of our customers already know: that Arbor Teas offers top-quality organic teas at reasonable prices! In their most recent issue, they named our 
This holiday, Dave had to contend with somewhat more generous snowfall than we’ve seen in recent years. And of course, on the morning of our last day of shipping for Christmas Eve delivery, we got a major dump. Even before the City could clear the streets, Dave arrived to haul away the last of our holiday deliveries. And although many, MANY cars and trucks found themselves mired in the snowy mess that day, our packages made it through the first leg of their jouney to our customers safe and sound.