Well, let me tell you somethin’ about this orange pekoe black tea. It ain’t got nothin’ to do with oranges, no sir! It’s just a fancy name for some kind of black tea. Some folks think it’s real special, and maybe it is, but it’s still just tea, far as I can tell.

This here orange pekoe, it’s all about the leaves, you see. They say it’s gotta be whole leaves, not all broken up like some cheap stuff. They pick these leaves and let ’em sit out and get all wilted and such. Then they roll ’em up, and let ’em sit some more. It’s a whole process, I reckon. That’s how they get that black tea, I suppose. They say it’s called orange pekoe, but I swear it don’t taste nothin’ like an orange.

Now, I heard some folks talkin’ ’bout how this here orange pekoe tea is different from other kinds of black tea. They say it’s all about the size of the leaves and where they come from. I don’t know about all that. Seems like a lot of fuss over nothin’ if you ask me. Tea is tea, last time I checked. But this one, they say it’s a good one. A premium grade tea, that’s it.

• This orange pekoe is just black tea.
• They say only whole leaves can be called orange pekoe.
• It’s supposed to be better, that’s what they say.

They got all these fancy names for tea. Like that Earl Grey fella. That’s black tea too, but they say it’s a Ceylon orange pekoe. It smells kinda funny. They put some kinda oil in it, I think. Then there’s another one, Sydney Breakfast, that’s got a mix of different black teas, like Assam and Keemun and some other one. Sounds like they just throwin’ everything in the pot to me!

I ain’t never been to no Ceylon or these other places, but I guess they grow a lot of tea there. And they got all these different kinds. They say this orange pekoe is a good kind of black tea. Some folks like it strong. They say it’s got more of that caffeine stuff in it than other teas. Makes you get up and go, I guess. I just take mine with a little milk and sugar, and it does the trick just fine.

Now, you might be thinkin’, what’s the big deal with this black tea versus that other kind, like green tea or white tea? Well, from what I hear, it’s all about how long they let them leaves sit out. That there green tea, they don’t let it sit out near as long. This black tea like orange pekoe, they let it sit out a good long while. They call it oxidized or somethin’. Makes it darker, I guess, and stronger too.

• Black tea is let out for a long time.
• Green tea is not let out that long.
• That’s what makes them different, I think.

And then there’s this other tea, Darjeeling. That’s a fancy one too. But this orange pekoe ain’t like that one. This orange pekoe, it’s just about the leaves. It ain’t about a place, it’s about whether they are whole or not. Darjeeling is a whole different thing, they say. And there is something called English Breakfast, I heard that is everywhere, people really like that. I guess I gotta try that someday.

This here black tea, when you pour hot water on it, it gets all dark and red-like. Looks kinda like that muddy water down by the creek after a good rain. But it sure smells better, I’ll give it that. And it tastes pretty good too, especially on a cold mornin’. Warms you right up, it does.

So, there you have it. That’s all I know about this orange pekoe black tea. It’s just tea, but it’s supposed to be good tea. If you like black tea, maybe you’ll like this one. I’m gonna stick to my regular tea, I reckon. But you go on and try it if you want. Might be just your cup of tea, as they say!