When people come to the store for a pack of tea, they think little about what varieties it is. One of the highest quality drinks is Peko. Reviews about this tea are always enthusiastic. This is due to the amazing rich taste and exquisite aroma. So, what blends of Peko tea exist and which one to choose? Which manufacturers are responsible for the production of their favorite drink?
The origin of Peko
Many people ask: "What is Pekoe tea? Where did the name come from?" This drink necessarily contains kidneys covered with white fluff. This indicates the highest quality product. The word “pekoe” comes from the combination of “buy hao,” which is translated from Taiwan as “white fluff”. In English, it sounds like “pack hoa.” Western merchants used this term to refer to the unblown petal bud and the two leaves beneath it.
In Russian, there is also a word consonant with a foreign one. This is a long version of the drink, which means a high-quality product. In order for Russian merchants to become interested in goods, the Chinese often used “bai hao” in their speech. This meant that there were a lot of kidneys in the product. And the merchants considered that this translates as “high-quality”, and therefore the word “long-necked” has taken root in our country. By the way, in the future this term fell into state standard specifications. Although today the term "long leaf" can be used in relation to elite types of tea, it is increasingly found on the packaging of the most common low-grade drinks.
Types of tea
Experts distinguish this drink by color:
- The black. Its distinguishing feature is its high strength.
- Green. The drink has a pleasant rich taste.
- Red. Differs from other types in bright refined aroma.
- Oolong It can be purple, turquoise or blue.
- Yellow.
- White.
- Puer.
Teas are also divided by appearance and packaging into:
- pressed;
- whole leaf;
- granulated;
- chopped;
- soluble;
- in bags.
Fermentation refers to the process of oxidation and fermentation of tea leaf juice. At this point, chemical reactions occur, leading to the receipt of a particular taste and aroma.
You can classify tea leaves by fermentation:
- Unfermented. These include green teas.
- Weakly fermented. White and yellow teas stand out here.
- Semi-fermented. These include various oolongs (red, blue, purple, yellow).
- Fermented. In this case, it is customary to talk about the complete completion of the process itself. This category includes black teas.
- Refermented. Puer is the only subspecies that can be attributed here.
Separation by the method of processing leaves
The following classes are distinguished according to the mechanical method of processing leaves of long leaf teas:
- Large-leaved. High quality drink made from first-class raw materials. Otherwise, this group is called Big Leaf.
- Broken sheet. Otherwise, it is called Broken. It has its own advantages: when brewing, the brightness of taste and aroma is revealed, during production, fermentation is better.
- Small leaf tea. This includes seeding, crumbs and often dust. First thought: the product is considered garbage. However, experts believe that high-quality dust is better than an unsuitable sheet.
Big Leaf Class
Experts divide it into 4 subgroups:
- Flowery Pekoe. The international mark on the package is FP. This Peko tea is made only from a pair of young and delicate leaves. Their parameters do not exceed 5-15 mm. The production process allows you to not twist them much, including the mandatory attribute - a tea bud. This is a first-class drink.
- Orange pekoe. International Mark - OP It is produced from a second pair of leaves. Their size is 8-15 mm. When brewing, the drink acquires an orange color.
- Pekoe. International labeling - P. Presented Peko tea is made from thick and hard leaves ripped from the penultimate shoot. Twist them slightly.
- Pekoe Souchong. International grade - PS. For its production, you need large leaves under the first and second shoot. They are rolled up in the form of a ball.
Class Broken
There are also 4 categories:
- Broken Orange Pekoe. International Labeling - BOP This contains a significant proportion of leaf buds. Thanks to this, the drink is strong and aromatic. Peko tea from this category is considered the most popular.
- Broken Pekoe International labeling - BP The drink is weak in strength because it contains a large number of veins.
- Broken Pekoe Souchong. International marking - BPS They make it from large parts of the tea leaf, which are then twisted into balls.
- Pekoe Dust. International Labeling - PD Contains the largest amount of fine particles.
Small Tea Category
Peko (tea) is not in this classification. Small-leaved drinks are divided into:
- Fannings. International labeling - F. This includes 1-1.5 mm seedlings or powdered tea from old leaves.
- Dust. International Labeling - D. Particles are less than 1 mm in size. Since the small size allows you to quickly reveal the taste and aroma of what is left of the tea leaves, this category is used to produce a packaged product.
Peko tea blends and its main producers
It is extremely rare to find selected Ceylon tea varieties, as products manufactured in Sri Lanka and sold under various trade names are a mixture.
Medium-quality drinks have dominated the Russian market for a long time. It was the British (Ahmad or Twinings trademarks) who introduced the Russians to the use of first-class assams and darjeeling.
Peko black tea is usually divided into the following blends:
- English breakfast. There are no strict standards for the production of this blend. Typically, the manufacturer creates a mixture of medium and small leaves of Chinese and Indian teas. The taste of each drink will depend on the proportion in which this or that ingredient is located. If Chinese tea predominates, then its taste is saturated with earthy shades with notes of oolong. Such a drink is better to drink with milk. If the blend is dominated by the Indian variety, then the taste of the mixture is more like ordinary black tea.
- Irish Breakfast The presented blend is made from a mixture of Assamese teas with medium and small leaves. Ordinary Indian or Ceylon varieties are sometimes added. A distinctive feature of the blend are the fortress, intense red tint of the drink and rich aroma.
- Russian Caravan In the West, this blend is very popular, although in Russia it is almost unknown. The mixture includes the following varieties: Chinese black (kimun or Yunnan), Indian or Ceylon ordinary black tea, a small proportion of Lapsang Sushong or Chinese oolong.
- Ceylon tea Orange Pekoe (Orange Pekoe). What is advertised as the indicated product is a mixture of varieties grown in Ceylon and in India.
- Indian tea, sold in the domestic market, combines cheap blends.
The best of the best manufacturers
Preferred Black Peko Teas:
- Lopchu Golden Orange Peko. It is harvested in the summer in the Darjeeling region. This tea is preferable to drink in the morning. As additives, honey, milk or sugar are added to it. The advantages of this variety are considered to be a long invigorating effect and normalization of metabolism. For mental workers, it is perfect. Tea can relieve fatigue and enhance brain function.
- Tea Ahmad Orange Peko. It has nothing to do with citrus or a remarkable color. In the XVI century, merchants from the Netherlands almost monopolized the supply of the drink. First-class teas headed toward the courtyard. It was the name of the dynasty of the Princes of Orange (from the Netherlands. - Prins van Oranje) that contributed to the introduction of the English tracing-paper "orange". This is the name of high-grade whole-leaf teas made only from unbroken twisted raw materials. The orange category can be classified as tea delivered to the yard. Another translation is also known. It sounds like "tea worthy of the Prince of Orange." The drink is made from top leaves. You can use it at any time of the day. Advantages are called inhibition of the formation of body fat, quenching thirst and saturating the body with vitamins, minerals, essential oils and caffeine.
- Tea Ceylon Peko brand Bagir Super Pekoe. The leaves of this variety are curly with a pleasant aroma. The rich taste acquires a slight bitterness, but it can be eliminated by eating acid-containing foods with tea. For example, cherry jam. Odorless, unboiled milk is added to the drink.
- Tea Nuri Pekoe. The basis of the drink is large tender and juicy leaves, twisted across. So the tea leaves are able to maintain valuable qualities for a long time. Thanks to this, the drink acquires a delicate taste and a refined aroma.
The right choice of Pekoe tea blend is the key to a good mood and excellent health.