Orange Pekoe (OP)

Orange Pekoe denotes a leaf tea of whole, rolled leaves that usually look somewhat long and wiry. "Pekoe" is commonly traced to a Chinese word for the white down on young shoots. Where "orange" comes from is not clearly established; it has nothing to do with the fruit or with flavouring.

OP is the basic grade on which additions such as F, G, T or B build. As with all grades, the label says something about leaf size and sorting, not directly about quality.