The Cooking Inn : Tea Terminology F PageSelect an item from the list to go to it's site
Fannings:
Small grainy particles of leaf (1 to 1.5 millimetres) sifted out of better grade teas. Fannings will make a liquor that is often as good as that of a whole leaf grade and its grade which applies to both Orthodox and CTC teas. In the Orthodox teas fannings will include broken orange pekoe fannings (BFOP) and golden orange pekoe fannings (GOPF) which describe the amount of tips in a grade.
Fermentation:
The tea trade term for the third stage of tea manufacture whereby the leaf enzymes oxidise on contact with air. The broken and crushed leaf is laid out on trays or in troughs and slowly as oxidisation takes place, changes from green to a rusty brown colour. For black tea oxidisation period can take up to four hours, for a semi-fermented tea the leaf is fired or dried before oxidisation is complete.
Firing:
The tea trade term for the drying of tea after oxidisation and forms the fourth stage of manufacture. The oxidised leaf, or partially oxidised leaf in the case of semi-fermented tea is tipped into an oven onto a conveyor belt which carries the fermented leaf through the oven slowly drying it. It comes out of the oven as black tea, or semi-green in the case of the semi-fermented teas.
Flaky:
Flat open pieces of leaf often light in texture.
Flat:
Not fresh, usually due to age Tea tends to lose its characteristics and taste with age, unlike some wines which mature with age.
Flavour:
A most desirable extension of character caused by slow growth at high altitudes. Relatively rare.
Flowery Orange Pekoe:
Can be either whole leaf or broken leaf Orthodox black tea with a lot of tip which gives it a finer quality.
Flowery Pekoe :
A whole leaf black tea with the leaf rolled lengthwise.
Formosa:
An island off the Chinese coast formally known as Taiwan which produces Oolong, Pouchong and black teas made by the Orthodox method.
Fruity:
Can be due to overfermenting during manufacture and/or bacterial infection before firing or drying, which gives the tea an over ripe taste. Unlike wines this is not a desirable taste in tea.
