Orange Pekoe Tea represents the lowest grade of loose leaf black tea. That said, being graded as Orange Pekoe is still an indicator of quality, and indicates that the tea is composed of whole loose leaves, rather than the dust and fragments that are left over after higher grade teas have been processed. Represented by the letters OP, Orange Pekoe can also be understood as an umbrella term that includes other higher grades of tea.
Since 1706, Twinings of London has been masterfully blending teas to create a special moment with each cup of Ceylon Orange Pekoe tea you brew. Ceylon tea comes from the country that today is known as Sri Lanka. Twinings Ceylon tea is a pure, black tea that is made using the finest quality high grown teas from the Dimbula region in western Sri Lanka and blended with a subtle hint of citrus flavor and the fresh aroma of succulent grass on a summer’s day. In the 1870s, Ceylon became a major tea-producing area after the coffee crop failed. Its tea is still referred to as “Ceylon” despite the country changing its name to Sri Lanka in 1972 following independence. Ceylon is ideal to drink at any time of day and is great for ice tea too. Drink black, with a little milk and sweeten to taste. Each of the six boxes comes packed with 20 standard-sized tea bags, so you can brew your tea by the cup or by the pot without any hassle. 20 bags.
For tea snobs, the orange pekoe is among the highest grades of tea where every aspect matters. In fact, there is an entire industry that categorizes the quality of the tea by the quality of the leaves used, its aroma, and flavor. This multi-million dollar industry determines the fate of many tea manufacturers.
What is Orange Pekoe Tea?
Orange pekoe is a grade of black tea originating in South Asian countries. Over the years it has come to denote a particular genre of black teas that mostly originate in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The grades are decided based on the size of the processed and dried black leaves. Although many people see it as a synonym of black tea, it is actually just a grade. There are also many different types of grades within orange pekoe.
Variations of Orange Pekoe Tea
Orange pekoe is an umbrella term for many different grades. It depends on the type of tea leaves and how they are processed. These variations are:
- Orange pekoe: It mainly consists of long wiry leaves, but without tips. It is further categorized as OP1 (delicate, pale liquor), OPA (stronger than OP1), and OPS (OP grade from Indonesia).
- Flowery orange pekoe: It consists of long leaves that are picked in the second or third flush. It includes an abundance of buds.
- Finest Tippy golden flowery orange pekoe: This is considered the finest grade in this category. This high-quality tea includes plenty of fine golden tips. The abbreviation is also jokingly known as ‘Far Too Good For Ordinary People’, an indication of its snobbish status in the tea world.
- Tippy golden flowery orange pekoe: Usually found in Darjeeling and Assam tea. It contains a very high proportion of golden fresh buds and tips.
Benefits of Orange Pekoe
Orange pekoe is one of the best grades of black tea. A cup of this tea, therefore, means premium quality black tea. Drinking this tea gives you the benefits that are associated with black tea, such as managing diabetes, heart diseases, stress, and asthma. High in antioxidants, it also shows anticancer potential. [rx]
How to Make Orange Pekoe Tea?
Considered to be among the best grades of black tea, it has long been revered by tea snobs. Connoisseurs of black tea are even particular about the addition of lemon or milk with opinions divided on whether or not one should add them. Many tea lovers consider these additions unnecessary that dilute the quality of the tea. If you want to enjoy this tea, here are a few tips that you should follow:
- Heat the teapot by rinsing it with warm water before steeping your tea leaves. It ensures that tea leaves are exposed to warm temperatures.
- The orange pekoe has a very delicate aroma and flavor. But it gets bitter the longer you steep. People have their preference for how strong they want their tea. If it seems too light, try steeping it for longer. However, avoid steeping it for longer than 5 minutes.
- For a true tea connoisseur, the aroma of the tea is also very important. Steeping time ensures that the fragrance develops.
- Many people consider that the addition of milk, sugar, or lemon dilutes the flavor of the tea. However, if you like it, go ahead.
Orange Pekoe Tea Recipe
- Course: Tea
- Cuisine: British
- Keyword: Orange Pekoe
- Appliance: Teapot, Kettle
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Steeping time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 3 minutes
- Servings: 1 cup
Ingredients
- 1 tsp orange pekoe tea leaves
- 1 cup water boiled
- 1 tsp sugar optional
- 1 tsp milk [4] optional
- 1 tsp lemon juice [5] optional
Instructions
- Before you make the tea, rinse your teapot with warm water. Add the tea leaves to the pot and pour over the hot water.
- Let the tea steep for 5 minutes. Keep in mind that the tea can get bitter if you soak it for too long.
- Strain the tea into a teacup. You can take it without milk. But if you do want milk, add no more than a scant teaspoon. Add sugar as per taste.
- Your cup of hot tea is ready.
The orange pekoe goes excellently with cake or cookies. The steeping time is important here and is usually as per one’s preference. Some like it lightly brewed, while some like a strong, slightly bitter tea.
Proper storage of the tea: The orange pekoe has a delicate flavor. Hence, you must store it carefully. Store it in an airtight container in a dry and dark place to minimize exposure to any moisture or light in the atmosphere. Keep it away from any strong smells, such as spices or perfumes.
A Note on Tea Grading:
When tea is picked and subsequently sorted for selling is it separated into different leaf sizes and qualities. Separating the tea in this way ensures an even brew when making it. You may have seen a series of letters next to the name of your tea, especially if you’ve bought it from us! We like to ensure that as much information about our teas is given to help you make an informed choice!
Whole Leaf Tea Grades
- OP – Orange Pekoe – A large leaf tea that contains pointed leaves and has been harvested when the end buds are opening into leaves.
- FOP – Flowering Orange Pekoe – Tea made from the end bud and the first two leaves of each new shoot. An FOP will contain fine, tender, young leaves that guarantee quality. They will generally be smaller than Orange Pekoe grade leaves.
- GFOP – Golden Flowering Orange Pekoe – An FOP with ‘golden tips’ (unopened buds).
- TGFOP – Tippy Golden Flowering Orange Pekoe – This is a tea with a higher proportion of ‘golden tips’ (unopened buds) than a GFTOP.
- FTGFOP – Finest Tippy Golden Flowering Orange Pekoe – One of the highest grades available – it indicates a high amount of golden tips as well as exceptional quality. Our Darjeeling teas are often this grade, such as our Darjeeling 1st Flush Happy Valley.
This tea grading system is used primarily in India, Sri Lanka and other orthodox tea-producing countries like Kenya and Rwanda.
Oftentimes loose-leaf breakfast teas are made from broken leaf grades known as CTC (cut, tear, curl). This method is often used as a way to strengthen the tea so that it goes well with milk or sugar without creating the powdery bitterness that you find with teabag dust or fannings. Our best-selling Assam Manglam tea is one of these teas and is the perfect strong breakfast tea that we in England just can’t get enough of!
Our Orange Pekoe teas!
- Assam OP Cherideo Purbat – A high-quality large leaf tea grown on the Cherideo Purbat tea estate in Assam, India, and imported directly by us! We have selected this superb tea for its deep red infusion which is rich and smooth with a very refreshing aftertaste. This is the strongest orange pekoe grade tea we offer and goes well with milk.
- Ceylon OP Dimbula Uduwela – Our best selling Ceylon Tea! There can be no doubt when looking at this tea that it is a large leaf! This delicious single estate tea is grown 1400m above sea level. The infusion gives a rich brown color with a sweet, smooth, and well-balanced flavor reminiscent of warm honey.
- Ceylon OP Nuwara Eliya – A refreshing Ceylon tea with a slightly citrus-like aroma. The liquor (infusion) is orange-brown with a sweetness reminiscent of forest honey with a mild smoky finish. The Nuwara Eliya tea growing region is the highest growing area in Sri Lanka at 2,100m above sea level and is sometimes referred to as Sri Lanka’s ‘Champagne of Teas’.
- Rwanda Rukeri OP – This tea comes from the Rukei garden, that lies near the town of Kinihira in the Northern Province. It is the largest tea garden in Rwanda. The large leaves produce a dark reddish infusion with a smooth fruity taste.
From Where To Buy
- BLACK TEA: Created by carefully selecting the finest teas from the high-altitude district of Dambulla, gives this tea its bright, golden colour and crisp, refreshing taste; Caffeinated, 20 Count, Pack of 6
- DID YOU KNOW: Orange Pekoe is a term used to grade the size and quality of dried black tea leaves; Ceylon is the previous name of the country from where it is grown, now Sri Lanka, a small island in the Indian Ocean
- INDIVIDUALLY SEALED TEA BAGS STAY FRESH: Take your tea on the go in your purse, workout bag, backpack, school or work desk or car; Each tea bag is sealed for freshness so every cup of Twinings is the perfect cup of Twinings
- DRINK IN LIFE: With a signature blend of tradition and innovation, Twinings encourages tea lovers to "Drink In Life" by taking small steps towards feeling good and living well, one sip at a time
- SOURCED WITH CARE: We improve communities we source from with access to water and sanitation; Empowering women; Enhancing incomes and resilience through income diversification and careful farming practices
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