The New York Times 1906

NEW-YORK &AJXTF TTUHrXK STNPAY, JUNE 10.190 G.

2

HALF THE WORLD VOTARIES OF "CUP THAT CHEERS."
>

Lhe city cf Amoy, where ItIs "tay." At Shanghai
The Russians
It. U "dzo." and at Pooohow. "ta." Spaniards
use
Portuguese retain "cha." The
and
"te" or "tay," the Germans "thee" and the Ital"tay"
ians both
and "cha."

"It ttir.;wr» t»i» fir«t« «J!4 fcarraoni««s tte_ mind. AU-

prls !a«r.tu<i9 end reUevM ratlrue. »v»k»ns thourhtrana
jir»Vfct» druvrflnte*. JlghtcE* or rcfreshe* the boir. ana
clears the ptrceptXrm
i.ace."

Thla eneamiura on tea -was pronounced tome hundreds of years fjsj by a eentle Oriental, of whom
say:
a reco£nls*d
Ism authority ha-th this to
"Its virtues have not been ar.yrrhere better sumraarized than by the earliest Chinese writer on
toe cubject, Ix> Yu": aE<J It adds the weight of Its
own indorsement <n the shape ef a Pt*tement to tha
effect tLat "Tho rentle *xhaaratlon which accompanies trt rioderat« use of t«?a la not followed by
th«<lepr« rwfeich eucceeds the «cc of alcohollo
«dnnifl. ExperfCDce ha* proved that Itorsustains
mental
tha free:© under severe niussiilar etraln.
exercise. TrtOicut cauelrg eubsequent erhaaatlcn

ORIGIN AND

I

and the Cheapest of Beverages.
Tea Is the Tipple of Peasant and Noble, Beggar
and Plutocrat, in Both Orient and Occident.

The Most Democratic

CULTIVATION.

The tea plant is now generally conceded to belong to the Camellia family, the main differenoe
being In the thickness of the leaf. It is an evergreen shrub, indigenous to Assam, where, in the
midst of dense, moist Jungles. It attains a height
which la variously stated at 15 to £0 and H to SO
feet— the cultivated plant Is from three to five
feet high. Early writers speak of it as having
to be
two varieties, supposing one, Thea bohea.
the mrce of the black, and Thea'viridis of the
green tea; but Robert Fortune established the
fact, in ISI3. that, whjle these two varieties existed, black and green were made indifferently

\u25a0

*

and subtly fraof Shanghai, have a deUcateflawr
_^avlearf
grant odor. Tho Consoua of South OnlyRal
a bUck
Chtoahaye
red. while those of North the best-Congou
i has fuU
the latter are considered
ness, sweetness, richness, ov. aa an •n*hus,|£ftt of
»ty^rei.
scribes it, "a mouthflUto* T^^y. with i_ <y
power to It," in tho cup ia of a deep rch r>

;

-

®f

a*.*aa?tta? TS*g «C;r,:

The leaf is then spread particularly good oolongs. though their a\ erase w
ablo percentage 18 rcflred and packed In the ports. are cast Into the funnel.
covered by wot cloths, until it distinctly below that ot ll<orm
on
wooden
framud.
risucs
->,Ar ct«Tlstlcs
h« rharacte
"greens"
"congous"
and China
are attains a bright copper tint, suoh ad the Infused
The Japanese
latter, which has some of th
green
for ofThe
black, with certain of the cup Quaxmes of it na»
fired In pans; tho India and Ceylons In slroAos
leaves have— or should have—in the tea CUD,
the
two.
tej.
For Rreon
tho tea, somewhat reaemblea a blend of
better teabrighter,
the
the
pass
throuph
In
which
small
hot
air
blasts
furnaces
at this staß*. so the color a ehort, dark curly leaf, with Krayis i h fl
fermentation Is checked
the various metal trajs or sieves upon which the cannot
change. Hut fur the blark, fermentation la and its liquor,is in.color a redOlah, > eUow easily
tno.
leaf Is laid—an 4the oolongrs are all basket fired.
delicate, In strength medium-and It ia
carried a considerable time, the sufficiency 01 whlrh
of the most frasrant of teas.
. jt2ii«i«i
le determined by the smell or appearance
l
he T»htn«
Tho Chinese first spread the leaves on shallow leaves;
lcata J *v,m
the desiccator
f
"Japans" are thin, sharp and d»'l, catd »'l
afterwards theso are fired In
h
t redaro wine of teas. Their liquor Is a
trays, exposing them for two or three hours to dry
—they are spread thinly over wira traya. which
pushed, one after the other, Into the machine,
dish brown, deepening in color as grades daierad.
off tho moisture; than tho leaves ore thrown by
(210 to 220 degrees F.) If basket fired, their leaves ax© dark; Ifpan flreU.
of
hot
air
whore
a
current
collapse.**
and
handfuls Into the roasting, pass,, and rapidly moved Is made to pass through them. The sifting Is done slightly green. The pale tint of the Infusion .do
That to-er.y h«if tne world eat«rtalns opinions
and shaken for four or five minutes, after which In. a machine which has a series of sloping traya
however, indicate lack of tea qu^lty.
tlicilar to thoso expresses *boy« '.3 evtdenced by from both.
"Japans" the leaf -is merely withered possible,n
as
so
tea,
to-day
drinks
put
de fact t.*x half the -world
into
the drying pans as quickly
white,
and has
color.
The tea flower is small, elngle.
that It retains almost its natural
-*nd yet tea's has hbo no royal road to- public
like
fll«Uff.-rs
Burgundy
or teas.
India, the
way no smell; the seeds are three email nuts,,
andtbs
f»vor "it has tad to Uzht every Inch cf iUa
color from Ceylon, It being a deep bla
borts,
have an oily and bitter taste. The
than
latter a dark brown. India teas are stronger
•ver Cnce it was flrst iutroduoed to -".Veftera clvlH- leaves, and
are
young
said,
leaves
tosc-ll
used;
only
only
aro
the
Ceylon ar.-l other congous-due, it is
zati^r.—to coctlr.v;ously combat Ignorance And vul- (
that
they
are
fact
that
the
Juice
younger
and
tenderer
and
to
the
gathered,
and tha
fertUlzation
themselves
expressed from them In the fermentation process
ezr error, wfcich bam perpcrus.tea wherever
They ara collected wnen the plant
itis the better.
are hlghlj
tbrajxh tbi ccnturle*. Itle true that
Is Tt>ut back. They have a rich flavor and
year
process
being
is
continued
years
three
the
old.
valued here for blending purposes. ; The best ara
really known. Itis I ok, and that where It Is real,
teas.
after year until the buali becomes weak and disthe DarJf-liaKs and Asaams. both mountain
fy tfroak Ita oensumption far exceeds that of Idnof the two
Opinions differ as to which is the better
eased, when It Is pulled up to give place to a new
causes,
though tha ilrst brings the higher price, meetins
'
<lred l>Bvcrar-es; tut. ciririg possibly to two
,soil,
. use
phases than shoot.
with a fair Inquiry here.
less its i'cca Joiotth cf It in all tts
Wliile the limits of actual tea cultivation, extend
The Caylon is grown on unfortiiiz^a
to account for ita
of its great r^T&l. cere«. These causes are that. from
Is
h<
Id
origin
volcanio
which
through
tropics,
the
of
latitude,
degrees
north
B
peculiar lemony flavor. IU heavy bodied llaunr 13
unH: comparatively recer.t :"ears. beyond the to Je.j j. Natal, and Brazil, in the Southern Hemlthick, rich looking and dark, and has a fragrant
d tts tafc'tat. the latter was a terra Uv spbere, most
co&ft
Judged by the
the
of
hyof the teas In
marketsFormosa,
this
bouauet. This tea cannot always be
cwrslta; and that the sciences of dietetics,
Country coma from China and Japan.
appearano* of th« leaves, for a flowery— tippy.
may bo inferior
tea
technique
India and Ceylon, the remainder being a negligible
the
of
the
trade—
giene and medicine Hfcve. like xnost other ecieices.
In
to one in which there are Uttle or no tips, say tha
merely attained thfir Eteture wlcaln tha last few Quantity.
Tea gardens differ much in site, ranging from
experts.
by
decadss.
small
farmers
patches
tha
of Bhrubs cultivated
TESTING OF TEAS.
ItIs a cartoon fact timt while the foes of tea have, in China to tha l,ow-acre plantations of Ceylon.
every The yield of the green leaves per acre amounts to
It may Interest tha reader to know how the said
from early 5s r«. charged arainst It nearly
l.uuO pounds, which turns out about 200
table, which. llkt»Arexperts test teas. Imagine a
Itnacintl.:* «-rtl eSect upon tts moral, mental and about
pounds uf the tea of commerce.
thur's, has a round top, but which, unlike Ms.
physical heuith of the rscs, they have seldom agreed
L. China, uiui Japau toere are about three cropa
I'll? of x^artic-alar*. Tfcus. wlifle there are to annually, tha flrsi being gathered aa coon as the
rotutt-s. For a Sjncsj el three or four inches from
break in ti.e spring, April to May, and tha
ie founfl unOOC Its fetrlitr epponents— as, lndeefl. is if-ii\ta
lta extreme periphery this top is depressed a fracby the
ac
new
are
nxada
letter
"flushes"—
buds—
Isjiaiaejsjjr
tion from Its general plane, and on this outer
\u2666he rss« tCMiay—thosa who held that It
plants which have been stripped cf their earlier
margin tha thin white cupa ar* ranged, each, backed
foliage, tola harvest beginning In June or July and
by the little can containing th» sample of tea to
irciteJ to Btreni drink, w« Cnd Mr. Her.ry Ba%llle. Itetn.g
ac late as September or October.
Covenbe tested. In the centre of the table stands a tiny
In 1657. wrltlrr to hi* ur.c3*, Mr. BecretaDj
In Formosa there are live crops, Hprlng, Early
apothecary's scale, in one scoop of which reposed
try. "InCiirp repriMjf cf certr.ln trlends of bis who Summer,
Summer, Autumn and Winter. The
piece" or an equiva United States silver "il-e-cent
bottsts cfter din- "Spring crop" comprises about JSO per cent of the
ci^i fcr «;. JrF'ead cf pipea andpractice,
alent weight. Over a gas steve, near by. la a hum
it,
which
I
is
whole,
base,
brass,
singing
Infiltn
a:id
one-half
of
which
common
in
Its old fireside
mjwmfliy.
ner—a
kettla of burnishod
grade,
'am;
song and emitting Its fairy wry-:
in about tha lirbt of April, the reof
rnwt e\er eflintre your most Christian family fcr mainder,comes
flue, on the 15th of that month. The comaround
but
for
businesslike
stools
the table,
.the
net ciTT'ifl-g-" T.ie tmti seen* to be that those mon grades of the "Karly Bummer" come in on
businesslike men seated on them,
and
the
more
imputed
to its
May 10th, and the fine on the £6th. The common
gravely alternating the hasty conveying of spoon\u25a0wio tevs co-i'eruiiefi tea and have
of the "Summer*' _come in on the 20th of
fuls of the steaming, aromatic beverage to their
tie most perrJC.ous, tave ex- grades
tisrc Dttaecueaoea
June,
July.
mouthy with sven hustler ejections of them. Into
and
the
line
on
tho
i.th
oi
The
comacQualnting
tiiemeelves with mon grades of the "Autumn" come In on the SOth
jciide!! ilixZs labor la
the hupre braxen receptacles provided for the purIt ia o: July, and the rir.e on August 16th. The common
pose, if unsatisfactory, but only after a moment
tht f-J*?J**~t they have co glibly disouasad.
grades of the "Winter" come in on the 10th of
of apparent meditative exaltation. If approved,
\u25a0wltij ti.9 purpose cf supplying- The Trlbune"s. readSeptember, the fine about the 25tn. The "Spring"
one might easily mistake
tha average
"tea
ers \rtth ttft known facts concerning tea that this— crop
furnishes about 80 p<r cent of the whole, the
room" for one of the ccsey "tea parlora," and exRad «JbJ>e;j.er:t fcrtlc'es— !s pressntel.
ng in the way of a good
"Barly Bummer and "Summer about 20 sr cent
pect something reli
each, the "Autumn" about IS per ctnt, and the
gossip about one's neighbors.
Leaning over tha
cup until his face is aim
burled Intho hot. aplcy
TEA'S MYTHICAL HISTOEY.
"Winter" hbout 12 per cent. Tho first, which Is
vapor arising from Ir. the "taster" first lifts tae
delicate,
marketed,
lipht
always
end
Is
not
but
la
A3 to ttM hlEtcry. enly the r.:odfm portion is of often kept by the growers to blend with the Sunilnf*u£ed leavea on his spoon, and, after Uowinc the
liquor to run off, submits the
Nrhat mytMcsl Tl;c*e raer tone, wlich furr.'sh the highest . ades.
to tha test or hi3
The
Ttccr"; th.c earlier is
is
r.ot
too
trained olfactory r.erv<*s; then he .-ips
reliable,
c:t>p
for It varies
much
inttrestiag ptc-rlt:, tie Jepjiii'ssc, have this tradi- Winter
• (7) the liquor
iiiQuality.
es
hereinbefore
described.
tea—
least
tion ot tfce <llsct>vcrj' of ths vi.-tues of
In London, the largest tea market In tha -world,
In
In<i t and Ceylon ther* Is almost continuous
the preparation for and manner of testing are a
so itates & •Quaint old meilso cf the 17th Century, picking, running through. in ton-.* districts, nine
trirl-© mor-s elaborate, though, !n essentials, the
TiOEts Ehart: "Parma, who flourished in the to eleven months and in others less.
came.
The tea is brewed In a small covered cup,
CT-tii ytcT cf Cirtit, wt-s tiie third son of Kaslnespecially for the purpose, enJ, after beinfj
madeVAErETIES
KKD
GRADES.
v:o—jn InfiJan Klt^s ani a kind of Pope, being the
allowed to draw for the required length of tlm<*. Id
Black tea, termed "congous," Is heavily ferstrained oil irto an th*r cup, the leaves beir.gr
2Sth Fiic-cesscr to the Holy Pee of Sir-ka, the founder
poured lr.to the cover of the nr»t. wnleb Is then
China,
by
CeyIndia and
cf their p^gazisia, who vrus a negro, born I.OiS mentejj, and .s furnished
placed on tho table beside that containing the Inmainly,
though
and
tea,
green
lo::;
by
China
J»ii>an
yecrs J<i*ere Ctr'.'t—tad waa a moat austere man.
fusion. This would s«>en: to result tn a more ref-rdrawiag 13 avoided, and all
liable test, sinca

—

*"°
-^iW thl
, *
r-ale-^f^!?.^!

.

* *"
«£? hln
"oraewhftta

not.

,

J3

.

Ja^telr

-

comes, to thia country. is

drunk In Massachusetts*'
Rhode Island. New York acd Cnp.r\ect!cut. and soma>
little in Pennsylvania and JI.-iryl.md—in lact. tho
TZr;
Eastern states taka
9 ct tJm rwipt*. the remaining 23% being scattered throughout the re3t of
the country.
China, greens or» uiied mor<- particularly in the*
South and Southwest— uenerally blended with blaci*.
and sold as "mixed tea"— attributable, it la said, to
the character of the water in thoso sectiocs. St5U.
some of the finer greens, iloyimes. etc., ar» us«»rt in
the Alleshany regions, about Plttsburjr. iew Yorlc
and tha larsrer Ea_*t?ra states are the principal users
of congo .i, or English bre.-ikfrwt tea, although,
with the rapid introduction of the "afternoon tea*
throughout the West, they are morn in U-mand
there than they were a few years slncf.
Of tho
Koocbow oolongs Pennsylvania la tha largest user,
though thero Is a considerable consumption of them
arou/id New York City ari'i Jerspy. iicston and
New York, and the large cities of tho country generally, take most of the Ceylon and ln<sia teaa—
these, as said, are amnw; the latest arrivals, and
thus far no gr^at attempts have been ma/le to
push their salu extensively- in other than the larsrer
cities. It 13 a notable fact tha: wherever the Iriaf*
and English and their dest-endanta have gone India
and Ceylon have a w'de distribution.
It may be explained that the South for a longtime drar.k almost exclusively green tea. buylajr the
best grad"?. but. owinij to thfi imposition practise*!
upon It, since tbo Civil .War. with spurious and Inferlor grades, which were quite common ut> to 1&&,
1when the adulteration act was paseeil t-y Cor. great.,
1 It had rear!-/ given up tea drinking, and Is only*
now resuming
and that slowly. The people of tho
Northern itatos mad<» a depper srudy of It. ac<s
therefore their ratio of consumption was preserved,
though not, however. Increased.
Even In the taste of tea tha
order of things
seems to have passed away. old
In 1*33 Michigan,'
drank 90"*. of China greens— to-day it drinks 3C%:
Japans.
New York, which was divided between
China erreen and Foochow color?. tr>-day drtnkj
most Jajnn, Formosa
ooiong. Ecsrl'.sh breakfast
tea, and Ceylon and India, and the Northwest, that
generally used China green, row largily uses
Japan,

CHANGED TRADE CONDITIONS.

Conditions tn trade ha-

also changed 03 radi-f
cally. Until a p*r!od somewhere between '?2 anit
'63 all tea was brought by sail around tho Case of
Good Hope. This early tea trade waa really d»
pioneer of our present gigantlo foreign commerce,
for tha great tea sWps carried ojt mercha^Ols*
abroad, as well as brousJit tack ti-elr sarsjejasj oZ
the fragrant herb, to be sold aese at aucti-a. and
to be bought prtnclDally by tha largest Jobser»
o*f New York. Boston and Philadelphia; not Li-

frequently on© or two Jobbers would take a Triads*
cargo in those da;-s. The captains* of t£.osa hug»
but
-footed, ocean racers wera m-'ghty men,
very different from th«s sailing master of tio mod- '
ern cargo tramp or even that augi^t personage,
the skipper of the ocean liner. Us had to La a':
well equipped merchant, aa well aa s&ilorman anci
navigator, for ha frequently v.-as a larga. ti cot,
entire, owiw of his ship, and bought ani sold ItsI
cargoes: whereas to-day the cargo tramp is ajxnpiy
the goods truck of the ovf-an, and Its master th*>
driver: he simply deliver* bis freigiit at an address
furnished him. A- tha captain, of tha "ocear.
greyhound." whether transatlantic, traasyaclaa or
coastwise, like tha train conductor, looks merely
after tha running of his vehicle of tra£3c on schedule time, to which duty, however, he add* tha hokttfaa lookir-fj after
Ing of court for hia passengers,
their comfort in good weather, or the battling iorIn
utorra
stress.
safety
their
times of
or
In a aenJ3.
bis responsibility is greater, for he has rcoro vaiu<»i
under his faat and more precious human lives to
care for; but hs needs not to be a trader, or merCbant.
The early tea trade was with China ar.fi Japan^
and many of the great honses which conducted i:.
such a.; Goodhue & Co.. GrtnneO, Minium <ss Co..
A. I* Lot & Bro. ar. '. Howland A Aspmwail,
sprung from tha before mentior.«Hl sea adventurers.
In thosa days it took four rr.cnth3 for orders to getmore to get
to China, and. when executed, as SOS

THt TEA PLANT.
The less dark (and upper) portion shows young pale gresn leaves, which only are p tacked.
Point where young shoot joins old wood shows where twlr?s wora pruned in preparation for
new "flash."
Right branch ahov;s fresh "flush" ready fop picking; left, what remains of new shoot after
picking; also tendrils of a vino most troublesoms to pickors if its leaves get into the tea
they can only be distinguished In the Infusion, to which they impart an execrable flavor.

—

are poured

upon a sorting- table, where ths
takes up n. handful, works it Into a
rnar.ag-eablo ball, which he rolls back and forth on
they

with •wire meshes, placed en© above th« other; the
admlta all but tha coarsest leaves, and
the mesh of -.ach succeeamg tray Is smaller than
the one above. Thia sequence of meshes U designed to allow tho tea to sift itself: as the «mall»at
leaf falls through each. It arrests a particular
trr-nde. Tlif>sieves oscillate at a high rate of speed,
end the Blftera automatically ejeel the various
Kradfis through spouts into the chests, the grades
travelling along the bottoms of their tr.-^ys and
falling' Into their respective boxes, from which
they art- removed, -welshed htkl transferred
to
bins, where they ar<> et-r»>d until a particular grado
makes what la technically known aa a "breeJt."* or
enough to put c?. the market— say tf.OOO pounds, or
upward.
It Is erroneously oln'med that only tho handling
of tea by machinery the rral recommendations
of
are dispatch, economy and uniformity of
\u25a0whlch^
grade^-lnsur*-.- safety fro >. disease ftflM, the Infereuoe being that danger rks In a hand prepared
tea; but, as a matter of fact, tho belief that the
Chinese and 'ar-anoae, are unelenn'y in their
habits is an tx] loded one. So far aa the Japs
aj« concerned, the narrative of the manner in which
they survived the l-»atruer at Port Arthur is sufflclent
nwer to that ehanco; and thf» Chinwnan la
described as always washing himself, whenever he
a teacup Qf water to Co It with. Then,
pan
find
too, the nnttvo processes
ar« carried on In the
country districts, whore, according to a hisrh authority, S. Wells Williams r*'The Middle Kingdom"),
orderliness, thrift and Industry prevail, not In the
overcrowded nnd low qnart< i of the preat cities.
It may be remarked In this connection thnt the .fire
and eartii'iu.ike at San Francisco, which brought
to the light of day his many so-called foul burrows,
disclose
tho fact that, however dark and devious
his ways and
rters raipht ha 1 bepn, they wera
not unsanitary, despite their htvelike character.
ma»
B*»!«ldos>. whether tea be prepared by hand or-which
chine, it Is "fired"—roasted— and the germ,
has been proven capablo of withstanding a degree
of coM appro;\ch!mr the ultimate zero, cannot surAgain, to make tea, boiling
vive thl operation.
vator is v necessity, and the pf>rrn doea not live
that can survlvo, 213 degrees Fahrenheit!
This
erroneous belief may fairly be d ssed with that
other bogy, that creen teas are injurious becanse
they get their
ilor from-be!n^ they
cured in copper
ar^ fired In
pans, when, ns a matt of fact, slight
color, and
gives tnem a
Iron pans. which
those that are brought to the Western markets (the
them, but a tea that has been
Orientals do not use
Fubjected to less firing) are colored artificially. Rut
thia oolorlng matter does not amount to more than
jper cent: of this !per cf>nt. 1 per cent Is Prussian
nluo (a vegetable which some people eat), and 9ft
pstone, which, being a mineral,
per cent is
settles in the liquid
It Is Bald that this coloring matter, or "faclnjj."
was first used in the days of th« old sailing ships;
as it took f!x months of Fea. travel before delivery
unfermented tea was apt to be Injured by th<> absorption of eea air, and ei> this faring waa applied
Tt Imparted the grayish-blue
nc a preservative,
nnd, foreign consumers becoming
color called green,
to it, it was thought unsafe to send
accustomednnfermented
teas unfaced. though, as is
them the
proved in tho en»« of Formosa tea, It can readily
be don« without InjuryIn these days of swift ocean
top tray

workman

iNG TEA—MACHINE METHOD.
\u25a0wto, from an aim at perfect tio'lntpa, rests'.ved \u2666©
tier.? himself bU rest, Eitep uy& r«!ax&t!cn of t>ocy
*md to eunsfccrat*! his v.ti. <3&y and night. \u25a0ttbeot
Intermission. n> God. After he had -watched many
years, beii s c:>> dry -weary aril ever-fasted, he
onlnrlrfly dropped uEleep; mviienlr4T t£<b next day
toll t :eorrow for ireablEK h!s Folemn vowr, h»
cut off both his *y«lids—thoso instruments of
h!s>
• -.< crliae— and with intlir'i&Uun thr«wr them on
erouad. Efltorslag the next <!iiy to the rauio
r-lace. bcho:»3! oi;t c£ h!s tyelMs v ere rowa two
ful \c. ehraba. ]>er:aa. tasting ecme of th«
! :vfc aUy tu'.f-fl with holy Jo;-, and \u25a0R-iijj
nrengtb "jpursue
' fcis divine rruduaUon. Ho pr<^s<.\u25a0:. : to L!s <iit-cip2es what
Jjcn^nt <<< -\u0084\u25a0 round iro?.i tea, which they treat
pub-

.

.

\u25a0.

\u25a0

''

" "\u25a0• -« devotee* cr too. wffl
:
ac-crt the
htetory; Vut :»s this -vrti; rr.c--t
veracious
of
foint who ere laki-wami ar.J of
"'• prejudiced
others
linfnt tea driiikli!?. it carpet Ye
•
:
k
• \u25a0
'..
.ast vili l.c raHiiSed
at^hes«
wbat
'-• irnnU, soriw'what iifks with
authority
petory,
Ana ec Itmay be well to give briefly that
wrbleh is

••

re

\u25a0

\u25a0

a little Is made In Ir.<i'.a an& Ceylon, and "oolongs/*
—really half way between
a RerrJ-fermp-r^ted
"Fr-**er." and "black"—by C!»lna and Formosa.
The varieties and gjadee of tea ere almost InTiumeraOile, and c chart ehowir.e them all would
•MQr fill this pare. Tor practical purposes ItMill
pufflce to explain that black teas are graded as
"flowery pekoe," "ornr., pekoe," "pekoe," "pekoe
and
-uchor.g." "congou" (Er.ellsh breakfast),
•
"bchea"; Kreeiia as "gunpowder,"
i erial," "hy"young
hyson."
(In
Ceylon
sou."
India and
there
Is etUl another pr.-u'.e, and the finest— "broken
Pekoe Is from pak-ho, "wl lt«
orang* pekoe.")
hairs," the flr.e, downy tips of the young bod;
"souchong" from "elaou-chung," "little plant, or

oti

•s

.

'"

f :..-.-.i

i.a

iuithentlc.

TEA'S AUTHENTIC HISTORY.

It i*k.-iowr. from th« historic wirratlve of U.e
be T* mcctloned I» Yu. U:at toa wt^ used us a
!ey< ras« ta Oi,;ju* In Uie Cth Ctutury, and that it
wajs carried into J»j>eji.
w.a Its cultlTatlon estabUsli«a there Jat© la Oie 13th Centurj". That :nar,y
cecttales :^i^ci! ere \Vt«cni nntJcns learned of
tea is certain, for .Marco Polo 0251-I^4)
'HAntitr
ksew notilas of it, as he mado no ynentioa of it—
tu.J Unit abJaultOUfl worthy ntglc-ctcd no Boasij of
onythios wblch ciuats UL.fier hla rotlce.
BM tha
•:a.t« or its flrst iatruuucUoa ai«..-ig:
V.'oattm natioii» !e in dispute. on« authority givlas" it as l^jl.
ber-aa early la t;.r= I7tu Cei.trry; hut. t. they
esre* i: ..: it was brought to Kuroj^e ty the
Eatt laCia fTompaay, and us that *.vaa orjy Dutch
Coand;;. •. .-\u25a0 v is Probable that the latter -•c la
':';: r
A! ;\u25a0\u25a0
l^gan the vise of tea
r>e.l'.sh
about
iiW lltu Oeatury-tbey
,of'; :
received
;
,-t.r
.t :<,. ,„.;..,from Java, ur.tu driven out or
th« iaiaad i,y the Dutch In ICE3—u most hava

.

\u25a0

I

sort"; congou, kung-fu, "labor"; "bohea," wu-1, the
the centre of the China
black tea country, and "hyeon.** yu-tslen. "before
the reln3," or
-•\u25a0-hun, "flourishlrw eprlnp."
Teas are t^ain dc-Ecrlbed (In India and Ceylon)
us "10-v pown" and "hlg-h grown," the latter
being the better, thouKh In congDus not bo flowery
jmd Bhowy. The
Unr grown li planted, as In
Oylon, from below cp'i lerel to tin altitude .of
feet, while thn Ig-h Is grown at un altitude
WOO
of from £.000 to C,Qrt) feet.

mrwintaina In Puh-keen,

PREPARATION OF TEA.
China and Fcrn-.osa teas cro prepajced for the
market entirely by han<J. Jajion now largely by
irachinery, and India, and Ceylon exclusively bo.
Tto China t(;aa are all fired and packed before
belnj brought to the ports,
and about 95 per ceat
of the J\,r^c»a la also fired aad packed before
being brought oown, but <rf Japaa
tea* a. consider-

the table to get rid of the sap and moisture aa the
leaves arc twisted. Those balls, opened irp, are
passed
to other workmen, wbo repeat ths operation, after which the leaves axe cooled and returned to tha Iron pans. Then, if needed, another
rolling- la given on the table. After an hour's tima
they ore dried to a dull green color, and can be
put away for sifting and sorting— <th» color beoomlng brighter after the exposure of sliUng—
winnowed to separate the teas that aro eorted Into
the various dsscriptions of **tuh-cha," or green tea,
\u25a0The fine kinds, those that furnish "young hyson."
"grunj»owder," "imperial," eta, are llnaily nrod
three or four times; the coarse, twankay, hyson
ur.d byson ekin, once.
In the caso of black tea, or, as the Chinese term
It, "hung clia," or red tea, from tho tint of the
Infusion, after tho fresh leaves are exposed to the
air oa bamboo trays overnight or for oaveral hours
they arc tossed about uikj Handled until soft; then
a heap Is n:a
of tho wilted leaves, and they are
left until they become moist and dark colored,
vrLen they are placed in hot pans for live minutes,
then rolled on the rattan table, and again exposed
outdoors for three- or four hours on siev< and
constantly turned and opened out. They are then
submitted to a second roasting and rolling, from
which they obtain their Jl:;al curl.
In "basket firing," an hourglass shaped basket
wiih a One ulcve In the middle, on which the leaves
re thinly spread, lb placed over a charcoal l'.r. ,
where they are dried for flve minutes, when they
are thrown Into n heap uniil ell tha lot has passe!
over tho lire. Th< the leaves are opened out,
and again thinly Ki.ruad on tho eleves in the
baskets tor n low minutes^ 'which finishes the drying und rolllne for most of the heap and makes
the leaves a uniform dark color, approaching black.
Replaced In the busk'-t in a greater mass, they ara
pushed against Its sld>-8 by hands to ailow the heat
to come up through the neve and the vapor to escape. A basket over all retains tho heat, but the
contents are turned over until perfectly dry, and
the leaves become uniformly dark.
Japan's hand processes ure similar, but the Formosun submit the leavts to a third withering and
process, beiore heating them lit pans, for
eutieiiinK
tho principal objective In the preparation of this
is Its perfume, and then Its flavor and
"ookmt?"
color. Tha three 6uc:e«alve operations Insoftening
are for the purpose of eattlns up a slight fermentation, v.hlch perfumes the tea.
Inourtnf? Ly machinery, after the leaves aro sortr-A and withered, t!:.^v- are placed on a droular
table having cylindrical ribs attached to its eurfaca
and a trap door In the centre. Sustained over tha
table Is a Blinllar surface opposed to it, and the
two surfaces are mov«:d in opposite directions by a
crr.nk witli eccentric motion.
The upper la open
In the centre, and extending up from the -whole la
funneLtije
or box, to racelvo the withered leaf. The
lid of
funnel Is gradually sorewod down aa
proceeds, and so th«» pressure la ith- steamers.
the rolling
Tha leaf, or roll, comeß out In mashy
ulated.
HOW TEAS DIFFER.
lumps, and is carried, next, to the •*roll breaker," a
which not only breaks up these lumps,
machine
The China greens are- characterized by tha light,
but eifts the small ana fine leaf through a wire
greenish color of their Infusion; the better
mesh
onto a cloth below. It pperates by rapidly bright
revolving long shafts, to -which are attached Iron "country teas," such aa the Moyunes, grown In the
against
ICiukiang
forks that heaZ
district, eomo nve hundred mllej north
the balls, or lumps, as they

ft

-\u25a0

/

.

api»-;,r»a tn
i^./r?.
-.. ous-'•^•of:»^»»e™ent
Septfeabef. :•;>, to

eifeot

mat

« t..a

not '""^fljatelr < :i i's

Brat

Then?
too.
thai "mV.e
Ird

X

PREFEEEITCES.

.bel4.

CoStToS account

1

umn^m

e&w

X?

1

ti-u

1 ilfiSilli
bwwSn hkvvtoto £10 [«r pound.
postjs, taxes upon

the teas under examination would be, brewed for them here;
therefore thay had to tx» sent eigttt sj
the same Interval of time; bnt thu American
nine nio:iliis ouead of the timo t£a goods woultt b»
is Quicker, en<J the saving of tima Is always am:\le.
,
then
first tha-n
wanted. Tea waj much a_.more of a sra^cila
consideration
with the American business man.
it Is to-day. N"ow
order wf.l fee sect by
While on the saivject of tea. "tasting,"
it may not cabla, the answer xriZlba cr. tho rnercaaaPSi ta^i*
ut -?f? f P**0 lo remark that the experience of to-morrow morning, and tlw tea in the w.ir&liousa
the trade
is a refutation of tht» charge that **the in thirty days. Even th«j methods of distribution m
persistent uea of i«a wrecks the system* for
both this country have cfcar.sred, ar.d that thla change
in London and in Naw York then* are many strong,
by iha foes
has not been for tiia better is evidenced o;
energetic and active, yet elderly,
& peserai
menthat
have
that there are premooitory symptoms
spent the better pare of their lives In tasting
diapoeition
principles
t.«
return
to first
en t-j.it cart
und who declare that they have experienced notea.
ill
of
the
trade.
errects therefrom. Indeed, the average "tea taster"
Once- tha -wholesale grocers of the country car\«
can show as steady a hand as ever lingered a tris> here
twiea a year in ths spring: and in Ui? fall,
up for a week at a time a.c tiiosa
und. putt
famous old hostleries. \u2666_: c St. Nicholas ani tae
SECTIONAL
ropolltan, bought in person from the «obber3 oa
China monopolized the tea trade until about '63, four SBflntbs' time. Xow th« jobbers have resident
the consumption being divided between rreecs, co:i- agents In all the large cities of ttta Union, anii
theso
wire in their offers from tha wuoifiEAla
gous and Foochow oolongs—
teaa of our grand- crocerslastevery
Indeed, tho JcVoera a.r«
mor.,
mothers. The tir.st innovation came Inthe shape of now
Importers as well, and ar»> therefore, srrfntly
Japan and Formosa oolongs— and almost
speaking, "first hands." Certain of th-» whclesala
simultane- grocers, too, who oa< to buy here, ara r.ovr importously: th> first sent a distinct variety, a substl'u's.
so every- larf^j city, froia i:oston ta Sin Franfor greens, *uid the latter a substitute for* anil an <.-r.-i.
cisco, contains one cr n*ore tirma of tea import*:*.
improvement upon, the Foochow ooluu^a.
has made a treiaer.dous chans* in N»w YoTk,
Thia
Tea tastes d!ffor In various sections of this coun
once the sole
for, wttmaa inliZ\ she had
try. and, on tho surface, the distribution
of tha «t least sixtydistributer:
importers and Jr>bbor^ wbo supplied
appear
ti>
varieties would
bo frtakish; but. as I
grocers of the country at larsj, tft»
the
wholesala
matter of fact, in most eases reasons are.
found trad© is now djne by twenty such eaaeuaM.
therefor, either in the vocation of the tea
This
Importation by wholesale irrocers his se^rned t\>
or In tho character of tho water ia the drinke'ra
reiiiorL
Japana. tha entire export of which cornea to th« reach Its climax la the last two years, and it is
saia In the ira.l© taat tho daeluration is now freUnited Btatea and Canada, ara taken In unoer x,tw qaently
heard from, thia clasa that U wIQ ln?.port co
York. Vermont and New Hampshire, tha great ir.L>re, but
of
tham
bel
osed
,
bulk
In tho lumber forests of rtio reason wi'4 buy ir the ooen nUriwt as neods.!.
4 farming
Michigan and in tha
for this Is fotir.d in the fact t>.n! the
and mlnlnjr re*lon<i «# largest
ehlppera from certain of Tho tea countries
tha \vW through to the Puctno
nava laid Down hera such an exce^ji supply tlsat
of tholr oapacity to stand overdrawing
Their
t:.<.'\- hayo In many cases undersold tho east *cf Impopularity in tha Missouri River Valley Lj
account
portatlon aj much as 20 per
ccn.t. Re&UztnjT. there*d for by th« fact that they are better suited
th*n fbre. that tMi
!* tho lowest ten. niarko; in the
other teas to the alkal. plains, as It seems to baVii
world, many larga housfa throughout tha cosatry
possible for any -water to make them rank.
wlnca v. disposition to abandon the empty boaor of
Farruosa oolongs, nearly thd eaUre crop, of
whlcn ppins: class«d aa Importers,
und stow a. bustr.ea*liKa desire to taka advantage of the
orturitr
ottered.
Moreover, the growers of all Wn33 cf tea. from
those produced
tha g*rdaus of India to those d
China, Formosa In and
Jupai>. ara nil reptasented
ncr«, whicli
practically transfers the t-.«i market
from tha country of groi
to New Tork. whare>
the lowest purchi
sir* to be made.
The auctions of a period reaching
up to
four or nvei years ago. not thos« of t>» early a.t<n»t
<£ay»
°- h« trade, rorceU Into
consumption tha 'w«3t
grades of t.a. until tli*
layinc finwa cost
av«:»K»
jraa then '.-k c*nta a pound. Ketailers. they say,
boujrht at aoc&oo on a. declining
market, tv ph»nomenolly low dgures. and coacentrated
all their
eifort* to beat their competitors in the lowwrtsg of
rrt,'<"», tit a, me*na c: building- xip.
trade.
In
outer
words. thr«o-<ju*rters of tho tea was of the lowest
grade.
Thia condition bus somewhat improved !a
tha last five years; 6dl!. to-day, tho lowest grades
nbcut two-thirdi of tha tea conaumptioa
Constitute
of tha country.
Itis held by experienced tea mea
the low
price of Uft Is tha vrevallm* disease th.it
cf tn« tea
trade; tn!* lonJ'tton lw obtained for nftt!«n
years.
point
They
mov>» or less.
out that more flna taaa
were sold from lSui trt 1573, n hen they brought from
XX t,. $1 a pound, than are sola to-day at 7i cent*
a pound; tnat in I*ls the popular prio waa $!: !rj
JS7.*. Ci> i-eiitj, and to-day It ts larcoly Si cents, \\ ita
a etrong tendency toward C5cvtita v pound.
Curiously enouxh. thusa who buy the nt>>re •^oetw
etv« gret the really cceape^t— for th» beat in taa»
aa In everything else, i» tha cheapest.
it -would
surely Hotint that uuly iTnoran^a crtn -\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0y» » the
buying of the lowest priced tej*, when it i^ coneiderod that a pound o: rea'.ly good tea wilt «lv»
th« purchaser thrfo hundred cups cf n. wholesome,
Jv-al:
and palatable beverage.
Of eourw. tha
priced U not a substitute or aduUerated t->a
low
for all t»-:t b*i» to piiaa Uncl« Sam's hupttrTttm lt*j'
the only food importi\ti<m that does— *mi h» won't ;
admit auch; but they ar<- next to useless.
A*rain.
It \m the pretty «en«sral opinion of th« t*a tradii
that tha small r*taxl«rs should learn to know fnxi
•very little Uritlah grocer know* wi.nt he i« buy--f
And it adds, that— thua eqnipDet-.'
tng, it says.
tha small grocer would be In a position t,v cultihis
cuaiom
vate in
a t.iMe for vooO.-t«aa In' *«>.
plying th'-n:. .uul would m> greatly menu hl.i o\vn
trade. The which would a«rm t<^ ba gooa logic, fcip;
scajrc«ly
expects
to bo
It Is
that tn« t»m tor t^l
can wax and stow Btrous upon talsrior. unaoß*tL»T
THe LEAVES.
,T^,
lag and profltleaa tea.

*

th« "Mercurlua

the

WrTHBRINQ THB LEAVER

I

I

\u25a0

M-

-

>'""M't

'i'-ul:ui U c'-J^«-'^"--<»

-

in a letter from a

a I.ir Ldwxrda (another olftcer of th« coml
*r-*«V ur.d
a«iutig for a "pot of their best 'Chaw." "
P-aYi.
TEAS VAiilOUi NAMES.
The writer crtde^-jy refers to "clxa." the
u:±mo
\u25a0

ton

ma«

Peliij.t;. which word !» from

«

I?if re tili!li,?lCTC tt «how
lij*!t
l
l Tu
h« second
*?-tHr-~.y*P*T
t ili!li,?t

,T

PREPARING THE leaf.
*ho entire hand processes.
figure is going tJirouah the first sten vuitherinn

*k.

»

-- .

"

'
fcORTINQ