Ceylon Orange Pekoe Tea

The "orange" in Orange Pekoe is sometimes mistaken to mean that the tea has been flavoured with orange, orange oils, or is otherwise associated with the taste of oranges. However, the word "orange" is unrelated to the tea's flavour. There are two explanations for the meaning of "orange" in Orange Pekoe, though neither is definitive:

1. The Dutch Royal House of Orange-Nassau. The Dutch East India Company performed a central role in bringing tea to Europe and may have marketed the tea as "orange" to suggest a royal warrant.
2. The copper colour of a high-quality, oxidized leaf before drying, or the final bright orange colour of the dried pekoes in the finished tea. These usually consist of one leaf bud and two leaves that are covered in fine, downy hair. The orange colour is produced when the tea is fully oxidized.