Ceylon Tea Grades
Discover The Pure Essence Of Ceylon Tea
The Essence of Our Tea Collection
The Grades for Ceylon Teas which are the basic grades going back to the inception of tea production in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) However, India has over time created their own grading system with longer names such as T.G.F.O.P., F.T.G.F.O.P.'s or S.T.G.F.O.P.'s. In Ceylon teas the above Indian tea grades would equate to open type F.B.O.P's or Ceylon O.P. grade.
Orthodox Black Tea Grades
Production Note: Typically, 4.65 kg of green leaf will produce 1kg of Black Tea. Once grading is completed the average grade percentages that can be obtained are as indicated below, but will vary depending on green leaf standard and elevation/weather.
Leafy Manufacture - Low Grown
| Main Grades | % | Off Grades | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| OP | 10% | BOP1A | 2.5% |
| OPA | 9% | BM | 1% |
| OP1 | 3% | BP | 2% |
| Pekoe | 9% | FGS | 1% |
| Pekoe 1 | 6% | FGS1 | 1% |
| BOP1 | 4% | Dust | 3.5% |
| FBOP1 | 6% | Off Grade: 11% | |
| FBOP | 14% | ||
| FBOPF1 | 15% | ||
| FBOPF Ex. Sp | 0.5% | ||
| FBOPF | 1% | ||
| FBOPF Sp | 0.5% | ||
| BOP | 8% | ||
| BOPF | 2% | ||
| Dust 1 | 1% | ||
| Main Grade: 89% | BMF (Refuse): 12-16% | ||
Small Leaf Manufacture - High Grown
| Main Grades | % | Off Grades | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOP | 13% | FGS | 2% |
| BOPF | 27% | FGS1 | 12% |
| Dust 1 | 25% | Dust | 12% |
| BOPS | 6% | Off Grade: 26% | |
| PEK | 3% | ||
| Main Grade: 74% | |||
Tea Tasting Terminology
Terms Describing Dry Leaf
Terms Describing Infused Leaf
Terms Describing Liquors
Manufacturing Cost Breakdown
| Cost Category | Percentage |
|---|---|
| General Charges | 26% |
| Field Cultivation Costs | 16% |
| Tea Leaf Plucking Cost | 33% |
| Manufacturing Cost | 14% |
| Transport | 11% |
*These costs will fluctuate from estate to estate, and crop intake.
Average Auction Price per Kg
| Year | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| 2015 | US$ 2.96 |
| 2020 | US$ 3.42 |
| 2024 | US$ 4.06 |
Market Reality: The vast majority of teas are sold as commodity teas, and as shown above the price has moved up only by US$1.10 over the last decade!
Rolling Programme Information
The tea rolling programme involves either Orthodox methods or a combination of Orthodox + Rotorvane systems. These processes determine the final grade distribution and quality characteristics of the manufactured tea.
Labor Cost Challenges
In 2021 the government decided to ban all chemical fertilizer, hoping to ensure all agriculture produce is organically produced. This unilateral decision badly affected the agriculture sector as a whole and the tea industry lost 48 million kilograms of made tea by end 2022.
For skilled hand plucking to continue, it is believed that a daily wage of US$5.00+ will have to be negotiated and that seems unlikely. Unless consumers value tea and do not allow the commercial interests to degrade it, all high grown quality teas will be abandoned and the tea fields revert to other uses.