India Pekoes—Are ordinarily of a greyish-black hue, with a fair sprinkling of grayish-yellow tips, downy in appearance, while the liquor is very strong, brisk and pungent, varying in quality and flavor according to the district of production.
Orange-Pekoe—Is a small, evenly-curled leaf, having a yellowish or golden “tip” at the ends. In liquor and flavor it approximates close to plain Pekoe, being devoid of scent, that many growers make no distinction between them.
Flowery-Pekoe—Is not picked from the plant, but separated from the other grades, only the buds and youngest leaves being selected. The cured leaf is small, uniform and tender, silvery-green in color, although highly-fired, pale but strong in liquor, approaching that of a Moyune Green in flavor, being very deceptive in strength and astringency. The infused leaf is symmetrical in form, small and light-green in color, approaching that of a Foochow Oolong in appearance in the cup.
Souchong—Forms the bulk of the India product and may be classed as the “Standard grade;” the qualifications for being comprehended under this rating are its even, straight, slightly curled leaf, dark color, stylish appearance and greater quantity. Yet while its liquor does not possess the deep strength and pungency of the Pekoe sorts, it is generally full and round in body and mellow or “malty” in flavor.
Pekoe-Souchong—Is a term applied to Pekoe leaves devoid of tips, as well as to Souchong containing a fair sprinkling of tipped leaves. But, as a general rule, it is an unassorted tea, composed principally of the larger and coarser leaves of both Pekoe and Souchong that will not pass through the sieves, and possessing in the cup the distinctive properties of the combination.
India Congou—Is a tea of the Souchong order too large to be made into that kind or a smaller leaf unevenly prepared. In liquor and flavor it is much the same as Souchong, but is not always as heavy, strong or mellow in flavor.
Broken-leaf—As its name implies, is composed of a mixture of the various kinds broken in manipulation, and is a term of great comprehensiveness, as it may include all the lower grades or approach the choicest kinds in character and value. It varies in color from brown to blackish, its strength being seldom great, though the flavor of the finer grades is, in general, good; that of the commoner ones being poor, thin and coarse.
India Bohea—Consists chiefly of the old and coarser leaves which do not attain a desirable black color in firing, being devoid of sap. The leaf is generally brown, sometimes yellowish in color, the liquor possessing scarcely any strength, usually coarse and rough in flavor, and never of much value at any time.
Fannings—Are composed of the refuse, much broken leaves and dust of all the preceding kinds, and bear the same relation to India teas that Twankays do to Green and Nibs to Japan teas.
Namuna—In Hindostanee literally means “Sample,” being accidentally applied to a class of India tea, possessing great strength and high, peculiar flavor not confined to any particular district or plantation. The dry leaf may have the regular grayish-black hue, or be of a greenish-black color, the green leaves being intermixed and distinct from the black ones. It invariably yields a pale, corn-yellow colored liquor, resembling that of Oolong, heavier and stronger than ordinary Pekoe, and in flavor like a Moyune, yet distinct from the former and not as pungent as the latter. Frequently, however, it is intermingled with a nasty black leaf, the flavor of which is destroyed by over-firing, the green leaves being due to deficient or under-firing.