The tea discharged from the drier is a mixture of long and fine leaf which has to be sorted or graded and the teas are taken to the Sifting room for this purpose. The sifting room is usually a large one, well lit and so constructed that the fluff and dust from sifters do not find their way into other parts of the factory. A dust fan is usually provided to discharge the dust and fluff outside the building, and large bins of ample dimensions are installed for storing of made tea until sufficient has accumulated to form a break. Usually these bins are conveniently arranged to form the lower part of the interior walls or partitions so that they can be filled from within the sifting room and emptied though small doors fitted at near ground level, opening into the firing and packing room. It is very essential that the floor should be cemented and has a smooth finished preventing grit and sand getting into the smaller grades of tea.
The recognized grades as accepted by the tea trade are as follows:-
Broken Orange Pekoe ---------B.O.P
Flowery Broken Or. Pekoe -- F.B.O.P
Orange Pekoe --------------- O.P
Broken Pekoe ------------------ B.P
Flowery Pekoe --------------- F.P
Pekoe --------------------------- P
Broken Or. Pekoe Fannings --------------- B.O.P.F
Flowery Broken Or. Pekoe Fannings -----F.B.O.P.F
Broken Pekoe Fannings ---------------- --B.P.F
Dust ------------------------------------------- D
Broken Mixed -------------------------------B.M
Broken Pekoe Fannings -------------------- B.P.F
The above grades are divided into Broken Grades and Leaf Grades. Broken grades are those which are broken in the rollers or which are cut. The various B.O.P,B.P.F and Dust grades will come under this classification
