Black Tea
Tea that has been fully fermented and fired.

Green Tea
Tea that has skipped the fermentation step of processing entirely.

Oolong Tea
Tea that has only been partially fermented, the leaf color remains mostly green

Green Tea is favored by the tea drinkers of China and Japan while Black Tea accounts for around 98% of all tea consumed in the West.

While the type of tea results from the length of the fermentation period during processing, the Grade is related to the size of the leaves after processing. Some leaves will come through the process intact, but most leaves will be broken into pieces or ground into dust. One of the more important attributes of a tea grade is the infusion property of the final product. A broken grade will infuse more quickly into hot water giving a darker and more strongly flavored liquor than a full leaf grade.

The six most common black tea grades are:

Three Full Leaf Grades:

Pekoe:
Small Leaves producing a strong liquor.

Orange Pekoe:
Long thin leaves, with a wiry twisted look.

Souchong:
Broad leaves producing a less delicate flavor,the leaves sometimes are smoked.

Three Broken Leaf Grades:

Broken Orange Pekoe:
Roughly broken leaves with some buds.

Fannings:
Smallest broken leaf grade producing a rich liquor.

Dust:
The very finest sifting often used for tea bags.

Some factories will produce fancy grades like Flowery Fannings and Flowery Orange Pekoe. Buds in the tea leaves, under certain conditions of manufacture, turn a bright silver or gold color and are known as "tips." Any grade that contains a large number, or show, of tips is prefixed by the word "flowery." Flowery grades command premium prices at tea auctions. The record price for a flowery grade at auction in Sri Lanka was $65.00 per pound.

Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) has become the tea of choice in the West as it combines the broken leaf infusion properties, which give good color and strength with the accented flavor that comes from including some quality buds or tips.

It is very important to understand that the critical differences in the flavor and quality of tea arise not from the type or grade of the leaf, but from the precise geographical area in which the tea is grown, uniquely combined with the skill used in processing. As we have previously stated, tea is very sensitive to its growing conditions and factors such as soil, rainfall, temperature, humidity, winds and sunshine all play a key role in determining the final taste of a tea. Yet even the finest Darjeeling can easily be ruined by a mistake at any step in the manufacturing process, such as by over-firing or under-firing.

When a cup of tea is prepared the liquid may be referred to as either the infusion or the liquor. When taste testing and evaluating a cup of tea, certain key terms are used to define the characteristics and the quality of the infusion.

Aroma
The smell of the tea leaf infusion, also called nose or fragrance. The aroma may be lacking, fain, medium, full, expansive or flowery. A complex aroma is as a bouquet.

Bakery
A slightly burnt taste in the tea that is the result of a tea that has been over-fired so that too much moisture is removed.

Biscuity
The pleasant aroma occasionally sensed in the leaf or liquor of a well fired Assam tea.

Body
The tactile sensation of weight and substance of the infusion experienced in the mouth. Body may be described as thin, medium, full, and so on. Body is accented by flavor and pungency.

Bold
A rich and well pronounced infusion.

Bright
A sparkling, reddish infusion that can have a copper look , and characteristic of all fine teas.

Brisk
Tea that has been well-fired, resulting in a pungent, lively taste.

Character
A desirable property of the infusion that allows a well trained taster to define the origin of the tea leaf, as in "This is the character of an Assam".

Clean
Often applied to a thin, plain tea infusion of no other distinction than that of being free of other undesirable taste characteristics. The lack of a desirable aftertaste.

Color
The hue of the infusion that varies with tea type and origin but should be bright, limpid or deep, as opposed to stewy or dull.

Coppery
Bright, copper-colored infusion, which is the sign of a well-prepared black tea.

Dull
An infusion that lacks brightness, with an unclear or muddy appearance that can be caused by poor manufacturing.