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The difference between BOP, BOPF and CTC of Ceylon black tea

Published: 2026-08-25 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/08/25, 1.OP (orangePekoe, Orange Bai Hao) the word OP here has nothing to do with the type of tea or the taste of the tea. Although the word orange is used, the whole phrase has nothing to do with the taste of oranges. It just refers to the size and shape of black tea. What exactly does OP mean? The most common explanation is that

1. OP(orange Pekoe) The word OP here has nothing to do with the type of tea or the taste of the tea. Although the word "orange" is used, the whole phrase has nothing to do with the taste of oranges. It simply refers to the size and shape of black tea. What exactly does OP mean? The most common explanation is that it refers to those thin and straight leaves, about 7-11 mm, with white hairs (tips), which can appear pale orange after brewing. 2. BOP(Broken Orange Pekoe)BOP is usually interpreted as OP class blades, cut into small pieces of 2-3 mm in length. Compared with other leaves, the finished broken leaves contained the most shoots. However, there is no uniform standard for BOP grade in the world, and it may vary according to different production areas and recovery seasons. OP tea is processed differently from BOP tea; the latter is produced by crushing OP leaves under high pressure. 3. BOPF (Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings) Fannings(F) tea is smaller than BOP tea. This is a broken leaf, about the size of a needle tip (1-2 mm). BOPF tea is darker in color and is usually used to make black tea bags.

4. D(Dust black tea)Dust(D) is the lowest grade tea produced by CTC method, while Dust(D) is tea produced by orthodox method. This size of tea leaves is the smallest fragment left after sifting, sometimes referred to as "gold dust," and is used only to make tea bags. 5. CTC tea CTC(squeeze, tear, twist)(crumble, tear) method has become very popular because of its efficiency and convenience. CTC processed tea leaves can be picked by hand or harvested by machine. When the machine harvests, CTC processes gather the traditional upper two leaves and buds and other leaves on the tea tree. The leaves are then processed through CTC machines, and they always have a broken size.

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