snip

[Sasha]
> It [OP (orange pekoe)] always was and still is an attempt to describe the TYPE
OF LEAF from the point of view of it being mostly whole, broken or fannings
plus the presence and quantity of tips, etc.

> OP has to be at least a large part leaf and at least some - whole leaf teas.
> Majority of " box of Assam or Ceylon black, Yunnan black, or Kenya black," -
> will be fannings or broken leaf. If you put an OP label on such a box it
> will be a... hm... misrepresentation.

My instincts say you are right here,
but what about the fact that Assam and
Darjeeling leaves, even excellent ones,
are cut to smaller uniform sizes as part
of the production process? I *think* the
FOP and more elaborate designations refer
to the leaves not as they appear in your
package when you buy it, but rather to a
condition of the leaf in an earlier stage,
back at the ranch as it were. Otherwise,
traditionally (whatever that means), there
would be *NO* OP at all from those two
regions, save for some variations on Oolong
themes that are quite new on the tea scene.
Basic Assam and Darjeeling are *always*
"broken." Am I making any sense here?
Or did I miss a crucial point you made?
Michael