Pekoe Fannings
PF is CTC manufacture's answer to BOPF, the fannings-size grade that fills the overwhelming majority of ordinary teabags produced by the crush-tear-curl method rather than the orthodox roller.
What it is
A CTC fannings grade, small enough to brew a quick, strong, coloury cup, which is the whole point of the CTC process in the first place. Sold as 'PF 1' to mark the finer, top cut within the grade.
Where you meet it
PF 1 is the most commonly used CTC grade for teabag packing worldwide, the CTC counterpart to orthodox BOPF.
How to read it
Read PF the same way as BOPF: a deliberately small particle size chosen for speed and strength, not a marker of low quality.
A common mistake
Confusing PF with the whole-leaf or broken CTC grades. CTC manufacture is built around producing small, fast-brewing particles from the start, so its most common grade is a fannings, not a whole leaf.
Sources
- PF 1 (Pekoe Fannings One) is the most commonly used CTC grade for teabag packing. Heiss & Heiss, The Story of Tea (2011)