Black Tea
Black tea is the fully oxidised leaf of Camellia sinensis. Plucked shoots are withered to remove water, rolled or cut to rupture the leaf cells, left to oxidise until the leaf turns copper and then brown, and fired to arrest the reaction. It accounts for the large majority of the tea drunk worldwide. Two manufacturing routes dominate. Orthodox manufacture rolls the leaf whole and produces the long twisted grades sold as single garden teas from Darjeeling, Assam, Nepal, Sri Lanka and China. Cut, tear and curl manufacture shreds the leaf into hard granules that infuse fast and strong, and supplies the tea bag and milk tea trade out of Kenya, Assam and Malawi. Black tea moves through origin auctions, direct garden sales and blender contracts, and is bought on leaf grade, chemical specification and cup character together.
Listed black tea markets
Each line is a grade at a delivery point. Open one for its full specification and terms.
Grades
Black tea is graded on manufacture and particle size using the orthodox leaf grade ladder or the cut, tear and curl grade set, and is specified chemically against ISO 3720.
Orthodox leaf grade
10 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| SFTGFOPSpecial Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe | The top of the orthodox whole leaf ladder. Long wiry leaf with a very high proportion of golden tip. A numeral 1 appended by the garden indicates its own best invoice of that grade. |
| FTGFOPFinest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe | Whole leaf with abundant golden tip, one step below SFTGFOP. |
| TGFOPTippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe | Whole leaf with a substantial proportion of tip. |
| GFOPGolden Flowery Orange Pekoe | Whole leaf with golden tip present but not dominant. |
| FOPFlowery Orange Pekoe | Whole leaf plucked fine, made from the bud and the first two leaves. |
| OPOrange Pekoe | Long wiry whole leaf without significant tip. |
| BOPBroken Orange Pekoe | Leaf broken during rolling, giving a smaller particle and a faster, stronger infusion. |
| BPSBroken Pekoe Souchong | A larger and coarser broken grade. |
| Fannings | Small particles screened out below the broken grades. Infuses quickly and strongly, used in blends and bags. |
| Dust | The finest particle fraction. Used in tea bags and in strong milk tea preparations. |
Cut, tear and curl grade
5 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| BPBroken Pekoe | The largest CTC fraction, a coarse granule. |
| BOPBroken Orange Pekoe | A medium granule, the mainstay of loose CTC trade. |
| PFPekoe Fannings | A smaller fraction below the brokens. |
| PDPekoe Dust | A fine fraction giving quick strong liquor. |
| Dust | The finest fraction, used in tea bags and strong milk tea. |
Manufacture and plucking
5 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| OrthodoxRolled whole leaf | Leaf withered and rolled rather than cut, preserving leaf structure. Produces the whole leaf grades. |
| CTCCut, tear and curl | Leaf passed through toothed rollers into hard granules. Produces a fast, strong, coloury infusion. |
| Two leaves and a budFine plucking | The plucking standard for premium orthodox manufacture, stated as a minimum percentage of fine leaf in the delivered shoot. |
| FlushSeason of plucking | First flush, second flush, monsoon and autumnal describe when in the year the leaf was taken. First and second flush command the premium in Darjeeling and Nepal. |
| Hand plucked or machine harvestedHarvest method | Declared on the contract, as it drives the uniformity of the shoot and therefore the achievable grade. |
Chemical requirements
7 grades
| Grade | Definition |
|---|---|
| Water extractMinimum 32 per cent | The proportion of the dry leaf that dissolves in boiling water. The single best measure of strength and of whether the leaf has been adulterated with spent material. |
| Total ash4 to 8 per cent | The mineral residue after incineration. A figure outside the band indicates contamination or the inclusion of non leaf material. |
| Water soluble ashMinimum 45 per cent of total ash | The fraction of the ash that dissolves in water. |
| Acid insoluble ashMaximum 1.0 per cent | The fraction of the ash that will not dissolve in acid, effectively sand and soil. |
| Alkalinity of water soluble ash1 to 3 per cent as potassium hydroxide | A further check on the mineral profile of genuine tea leaf. |
| Crude fibreMaximum 16.5 per cent | A measure of how much stalk and coarse material was plucked with the leaf. |
| MoisturePercentage by mass | Determined on the delivered lot. The contract states the maximum, which is set low because tea takes up moisture from the air and loses character when it does. |
Grades outside this list trade on request. Send us the contract specification you work to and we will price against it.
Locations
| Country | Region | We trade it as |
|---|---|---|
| India | South Asia | Origin and destination |
| China | East Asia | Origin and destination |
| Kenya | East Africa | Origin |
| Sri Lanka | South Asia | Origin and destination |
| Nepal | South Asia | Origin |
| Turkiye | Europe | Origin and destination |
| Vietnam | Southeast Asia | Origin and destination |
| Indonesia | Southeast Asia | Origin and destination |
| Malawi | East Africa | Origin |
| Rwanda | East Africa | Origin |
| Uganda | East Africa | Origin |
| Tanzania | East Africa | Origin |
| Bangladesh | South Asia | Origin and destination |
| Iran | Middle East | Origin and destination |
| Argentina | South America | Origin and destination |
| Russia | Europe | Destination |
| United Kingdom | Europe | Destination |
| United States | North America | Destination |
| Pakistan | South Asia | Destination |
| Egypt | North Africa | Destination |
| Morocco | North Africa | Destination |
| United Arab Emirates | Middle East | Origin and destination |
| Germany | Europe | Destination |
| Poland | Europe | Destination |
| Japan | East Asia | Destination |
| Australia | Oceania | Destination |
Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown here.
Timing
Harvest is when the crop is taken at origin. Arrival is when a shipment from that origin typically lands in a consuming market. The gap between them is processing, grading and the voyage.
HarvestArrival
| Origin | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Harvest Mar to Nov, arrival Jun to DecDarjeeling and Nepal first flush from March, second flush from May. Assam first flush from March and the main crop from May to September. Nilgiri plucks nearly year round. | ||
| Nepal | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Mar to Oct, arrival Jun to DecIlam and Dhankuta first flush from March, second flush from May, autumnal from October. | ||
| Sri Lanka | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecPlucked year round. The western quality season runs from January to March and the eastern from July to September. |
| Kenya | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecPlucked year round with quality peaks after the long rains and again in the dry months from January. |
| China | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest Apr to Sep, arrival Jul to DecKeemun, Yunnan and Fujian black teas plucked from April, with the spring plucking the most sought. | |||
| Malawi | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest Oct to Apr, arrival Jan to JunPlucking concentrated in the rains from October to April. | |||
| Rwanda | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Mar to DecHigh altitude gardens pluck year round. |
| Indonesia | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest Jan to Dec, arrival Jan to DecJava and Sumatra pluck year round. |
| Vietnam | Arrival | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Harvest Mar to Nov, arrival May to JanPlucking from March through to November in the northern highlands. | |
| Turkiye | Harvest | Harvest | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Harvest and arrival | Arrival | Arrival | Harvest May to Oct, arrival Jul to DecRize plucks in three or four rounds from May to October, largely for the domestic market. |
Windows outside this pattern trade on request, including carry, forward positions and stock already sitting in a destination warehouse.
Customs, packing and contract terms
Indicative terms for black tea. Tariff classification is the importer’s responsibility and limits change, so confirm both against the destination customs authority and the current regulation before you fix a contract.
- HS heading0902.30 Black fermented and partly fermented tea, immediate packings of 3 kg or less
0902.40 Black fermented and partly fermented tea, other - PackingTea in foil lined paper sacks, plywood chests or corrugated cartons of 20 kg to 60 kg. Green coffee in 60 kg or 69 kg jute bags, or 1 t bulk container liners with GrainPro or equivalent barrier for specialty lots. Cocoa in 62.5 kg or 65 kg jute bags.
- Container loading20ft: 18 t to 21 t bagged. 40ft: 24 t to 26 t with a bulk liner. Coffee and cocoa are weight limited, tea is volume limited.
- Contract and arbitrationCoffee on the European Coffee Contract or GCA terms with ICE Futures US as the price reference, arbitration under ECF or GCA rules. Cocoa on Federation of Cocoa Commerce or CMAA contracts with FCC arbitration in London. Tea on the rules of the selling auction centre or on the terms of the importing association.
- Destination limitsEU pesticide MRLs under Regulation 396/2005, where anthraquinone and glyphosate are the recurring tea failures. Ochratoxin A and aflatoxin limits and cadmium limits on cocoa under Regulation 2023/915. EUDR (Regulation 2023/1115) due diligence with plot geolocation applies to cocoa and coffee. US FDA import alerts apply to pesticide residues and to mould.
Common questions
What grades of black tea does SIP Global trade?
We quote 25 published grades of black tea, including SFTGFOP - Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, FTGFOP - Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, TGFOP - Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, GFOP - Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe, FOP - Flowery Orange Pekoe and OP - Orange Pekoe. Every grade is tied to a delivery point and a settlement route. Grades outside the published list are priced on request.
How is black tea graded?
Black tea is graded on manufacture and particle size using the orthodox leaf grade ladder or the cut, tear and curl grade set, and is specified chemically against ISO 3720. Grading runs on 4 systems: Orthodox leaf grade, Cut, tear and curl grade, Manufacture and plucking and Chemical requirements.
Where does SIP Global trade black tea?
We trade black tea in India, China, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Turkiye, Vietnam and Indonesia and 18 further markets. Origins and destinations outside this list trade on request. We are not limited to the locations shown.
When is black tea harvested and when does it arrive?
Typical windows are India: harvest mar to nov, arrival jun to dec; Nepal: harvest mar to oct, arrival jun to dec; Sri Lanka: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; Kenya: harvest jan to dec, arrival jan to dec; China: harvest apr to sep, arrival jul to dec. Harvest is when the lot is taken at origin, arrival is when a shipment from that origin lands in a consuming market. Windows outside this pattern, including carry, trade on request.
What is the HS code for black tea?
Black tea is normally classified under HS 0902.30 (black fermented and partly fermented tea, immediate packings of 3 kg or less) and HS 0902.40 (black fermented and partly fermented tea, other). The heading follows the form the goods are in at the border, and national tariffs extend it beyond six digits, so confirm the full line with the destination customs authority before you fix a contract.
How do I get a price for black tea?
Send the grade, the origin and the delivery window to the SIP Global desk. That is enough for a trader to come back with a level and a settlement route. 1 listed black tea market is published on this page, each with its full specification and terms. We take both sides, physical and financial, prompt to long dated.
Standards and data sources
The grading language on this sheet follows published standards. Trade volumes and tariff lines are public record. Verify anything here against the source.
- ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
- UN ComtradeOfficial international trade statistics by HS code
- ITC Trade MapBilateral trade flows and tariff data
- FAOSTATFAO production and trade series for agricultural commodities
Price this with our desk
Grade, origin and window if you have them. If what you are carrying does not fit the sheet above, describe it in your own words and a trader will take it from there.