FTGFOP1 – what does that mean?

Maybe you wondered as well what those letters on your tea package mean?
 
FTGFOP1 is only used for whole leaf teas. Tea that consists of fine uncrushed leaves with a delicate taste. In short a synonym for high quality. Besides leaf teas there are also crushed and torn leaves that are referred to as broken. Even smaller particles will be referred to as fannings or dust. [FTGFOP1]Orange Pekoe relates to the quality of the tea leaves.  Orange does not refer to the colour but to the Dutch word oranje meaning royal. Pekoe (in Chinese pak-ho) can be translated as white – the colour of the fine fluff beneath young shoots. The F (for flowery) before OP indicates that tender and delicate flower buds were picked for this tea.
 
FOP1 allows conclusions about the care with which the tea was plucked – just two leaves and a bud. The coarser leaves remain on the tea bush. Only teas from that meet premium standards will bear the number 1.
 
FTG (Finest Tippy Golden) indicates that the tea has a lot of fine, light coloured tips. Tips are of lighter shades since they do not contain as much cell sap that turns dark during oxidation (fermentation). As a general rule you may keep in mind the longer the string of letters, the better the tea. FTGFOP1 will ensure a superior quality tea that has been carefully manufactured.
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