Grading and Packing in Orthodox Tea: Ensuring Quality and Longevity

Once orthodox tea completes the drying stage, it is far from ready to be packed and shipped. What exits the dryer is a rough, mixed mass of tea particles – varying in size, laced with stalks, fiber, and dust. This unprocessed bulk needs to be carefully sorted and separated before it can be sold or stored. The two processes that make this happen – grading and packing – are central to preserving everything that makes orthodox tea valuable: its flavor, aroma, and freshness.

What is grading in orthodox tea manufacture? 🔗

Tea grading in orthodox manufacture is the systematic separation of processed tea into distinct categories based on the physical size, shape, and appearance of the particles. This is not just a cosmetic exercise. Different particle sizes extract at different rates when steeped in hot water – whole leaves brew slowly and gently, while finer particles like fannings and dust infuse quickly and produce a stronger, more intense cup. Without grading, a batch of tea would brew inconsistently, making quality control impossible.

The grading process also serves a second critical purpose: removing unwanted material. Stalks, fiber, and lumps that accumulate during rolling and drying are removed at this stage, since they can negatively affect the taste and visual quality of the final product.

The four primary grades of orthodox tea 🔗

Orthodox tea manufacture yields four basic grade groups – whole leaf, broken leaf, fannings, and dust – each corresponding to a different particle size and brewing character.

Whole leaf grades 🔗

Whole leaf orthodox teas are those in which the entire leaf is largely preserved during processing. These teas are prized for their superior aroma, nuanced flavor, and the fuller expression of the leaf’s natural compounds. The benchmark grade in this category is Orange Pekoe (OP), which consists of long, well-rolled leaves without bud tips. Higher grades like Flowery Orange Pekoe (FOP), Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (GFOP), and Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe (TGFOP) indicate increasing proportions of golden tips or young leaf buds, which contribute sweetness and complexity. Whole-leaf teas are also best suited for multiple infusions, making them particularly valued in premium markets.

Broken leaf grades 🔗

Broken grades consist of leaves that were broken during rolling or processing but still retain a recognizable leaf structure. Common grades in this category include Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP), Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe (FBOP), and Golden Broken Orange Pekoe (GBOP). These grades offer a balance between the delicate character of whole leaves and the robust strength of smaller particles, making them widely popular for everyday drinking and commercial blends. Broken leaf teas require shorter steeping times than whole leaf grades and yield a brisk, full-bodied liquor.

Fannings 🔗

Fannings refer to finely fragmented tea leaf pieces that maintain a distinctive coarse texture. They are smaller than broken leaf grades but larger than dust. Orange Pekoe Fannings (OPF) and Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings (BOPF) are among the most common fanning grades in orthodox manufacture. Fannings brew quickly and produce a strong cup, which is why they are widely used in commercial tea bags. In South Asia and Africa, they are particularly in demand because they are affordable and deliver a powerful brew with a small quantity of leaf.

Dust grades 🔗

Tea dust is the finest grade, sitting at the bottom of the grading hierarchy. It consists of the smallest particles generated during sorting and processing. Dust brews almost instantly and yields a dark, strong cup, but lacks the complexity found in higher leaf grades. In practice, dust grades are almost never sold as loose-leaf tea – they are typically packed wholesale into commercial tea bags. Orthodox dust grades carry the prefix “OD” (Orthodox Dust) to differentiate them from CTC-derived dust grades.

The role of fiber removal before grading 🔗

Before the actual size-based grading begins, the fired dhool (dried tea) must first be cleared of stalks and fibrous material. This step is critical because stalks are not only visually undesirable but also impart a harsh, woody flavor that lowers the quality of the finished tea. The tea is passed through a stalk extractor and a fibre extractor shortly after firing, while the tea is still warm, as warmth helps the machines work more efficiently. Only after this fiber removal is the tea ready for formal grade separation.

Sorting machines used in orthodox tea grading 🔗

The grading of orthodox tea is carried out using a sequence of mechanical sorting machines, each designed to perform a specific separation task. The two most central machines in orthodox factory sorting rooms are the Myddleton sorter and the Arnott sorter.

The Myddleton sorter 🔗

The Myddleton is the primary machine used to begin sorting of orthodox tea. Its main function is stalk and fiber separation – it is the only equipment capable of extracting stalks from bulk orthodox tea before grading begins. The machine works on a simple but effective mechanism: an oscillating motion is imparted to inclined aluminum perforated sieves via a crankshaft rotating at around 200 rpm. Tea is fed onto the sieves at a layer thickness of approximately 1.3 to 1.9 inches. As the sieves vibrate, smaller tea particles fall through the perforations while stalks and fiber – being longer and lighter – slide over the surface bosses and are discharged at the end of the tray. The Myddleton can also be used for grading by treating fine and coarse teas separately using different sieve arrangements. Its capacity is around 300 kg per hour, running on just 1 HP of power.

The Arnott sorter 🔗

The Arnott sorter is used to segregate various sizes of stalk-free orthodox tea using a vibratory wire mesh system. Once the Myddleton removes stalks and fiber, the stalk-free tea is fed into the Arnott, where a double-acting crank arrangement drives multiple wire mesh decks. Tea particles pass through successive mesh levels – oversized particles travel across the top of each mesh tray to a collecting chute, while smaller particles fall through to the next deck. This layered separation produces multiple grades simultaneously in a single pass. The spillover from the Myddleton is typically directed to the rotary hexagonal sifter (Ghugi), where higher whole-leaf grades like TGFOP, GFOP, and FOP are extracted. The output from the Myddleton’s trays then passes into the Arnott and, subsequently, through a Macintosh sorter for final grading precision.

Graded tea storage before packing 🔗

Once graded, the teas are transferred into bins located in the sifting room. These bins are airtight and lined with aluminum sheets to maintain the freshness of the graded tea. This intermediate storage step is important – graded teas waiting to be packed must not be exposed to moisture or atmospheric air, as even brief exposure can begin degrading the aroma compounds that give orthodox tea its distinctive character.

Packing orthodox tea: protecting quality for the long haul 🔗

Grading determines what grade of tea you have. Packing determines how well that quality is preserved until it reaches the consumer. Tea is particularly sensitive to its environment – it readily absorbs moisture, odors, and even oxygen from the air, each of which can significantly alter its taste and shelf life.

Why moisture is the primary threat 🔗

Moisture is the single biggest threat to packed tea quality. When tea absorbs ambient humidity, it creates conditions favorable to mold growth and accelerates the breakdown of flavor compounds. If tea is not well stored, it will absorb moisture, leading to deterioration in the quality of flavor and aroma, or by promoting fungal growth. This is why the selection of packing material is not just a logistical concern – it is a direct quality control measure.

The role of aluminum foil in tea packing 🔗

Aluminum foil is a critical component in high-quality tea packaging due to its exceptional barrier properties, providing an almost impermeable shield against oxygen, moisture, and light – the three primary causes of tea degradation. Extended shelf life with aluminum foil can reach up to 24 months, making it a reliable choice for exports and long-term storage. Its airtight sealing capabilities prevent contamination and lock in the tea’s natural aroma, which is particularly important for premium orthodox grades whose flavor profiles are delicate and volatile.

Aluminum foil packaging prevents tea from absorbing moisture, mildew, and odor while reducing losses during distribution, storage, and transportation. In practice, the foil is typically used as the inner layer of multi-material pouches, often combined with an outer kraft paper or printed film layer for branding and structural strength. Most aluminum tea packages include a layer of paper or plastic between the metal and the tea leaves to avoid any potential reactivity between the foil and the leaf material.

Other packing considerations 🔗

For bulk orthodox tea destined for export, tea is commonly packed in multi-ply paper sacks or plywood chests lined with aluminum foil or food-grade polyethylene. Aluminum foil is commonly used for bulk packaging or individual tea pouches, offering a barrier against moisture, light, and oxygen. For smaller consumer packs, stand-up pouches with resealable zippers lined with aluminum foil are increasingly standard. Laminated aluminum foil, tin cans, and vacuum-sealed pouches are ideal for preventing oxidation and extending shelf life. For vacuum or nitrogen-flushed packs, the foil’s impermeability to gas is equally important – it prevents oxygen re-entry after the inert atmosphere has been created inside the pack.

Airtight packaging prevents exposure to moisture and oxygen, preserving the tea’s freshness and flavor, while light-resistant packaging prevents the degradation of the tea’s quality by blocking harmful UV rays. These are not optional features for orthodox tea – they are essential given the investment of time and skill that goes into producing fine grades.

The connection between grading, packing, and market value 🔗

Grading and packing are not independent steps – they work together to determine the commercial value of the final product. A poorly graded lot introduces inconsistency: a buyer purchasing TGFOP expects a uniform whole-leaf product, not a mix of grades. Tea grading provides information about the appearance and size of the leaf, but the quality of each tea ultimately depends on how it is cultivated, processed, handled, and stored. This is precisely why proper packing after accurate grading is so important – it is the final line of defense that protects the integrity of every earlier stage of manufacture.

For export-oriented orthodox tea producers in India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya, meeting grade specifications is also a regulatory and trade requirement. Tea grading standards are mainly set by national tea boards and authorities in tea-producing countries, such as the Tea Board of India, Sri Lanka Tea Board, and Kenya Tea Directorate. Consistent, well-packed, accurately graded tea builds the producer’s reputation in international markets and commands premium prices at auction.

What do you think? As consumer preferences shift toward sustainability, could biodegradable or compostable packaging materials ever fully replace aluminum foil in orthodox tea packing without compromising shelf life and quality? And with precision sorting technology advancing rapidly, do you think machine-driven grading will eventually eliminate the need for manual quality checks entirely in orthodox tea factories?

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