I would agree with you here Michael, I have to say that even if a black tea
(say assam or ceylon) is labled as OP, or FOP, it's always broken somehwhat
in the bag. The only full-leaf teas that steep and unfurl as actual whole
leaves that I've seen are the oolongs and greens from Taiwan and China (also
maybe some puerh leaves). Even sencha is a bit fragmented in the bags I've
bought.

Melinda


"Michael Plant" > wrote in message
...
> 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
>
>