[Illustration: SORTING TEA IN CHINA.
_Frontispiece._]
TEA AND TEA DRINKING.
[Illustration]
BY
ARTHUR READE,
AUTHOR OF "STUDY AND STIMULANTS"
London:
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON
CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET.
1884.
[_All rights reserved._]
LONDON:
PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LIMITED,
ST. JOHN'S SQUARE.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
Introduction of Tea 1
CHAPTER II.
The Cultivation of Tea 18
CHAPTER III.
Tea-Meetings 32
CHAPTER IV.
How to make Tea 49
CHAPTER V.
Tea and Physical Endurance 66
CHAPTER VI.
Tea as a Stimulant 79
CHAPTER VII.
The Friends and the Foes of Tea 105
CHAPTER VIII.
Tea as a Source of Revenue 134
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
Sorting Tea in China _Frontispiece_
A Tea Plantation 25
Watering a Tea Plantation 41
Gathering Tea-Leaves 57
Pressing Tea-Leaves 73
Pressing Bags of Tea 89
Drying Tea-Leaves 108
Sifting Tea 125
Tea-Tasting in China 137
PREFACE.
The question of the influence of tea, as well as that of alcohol and
tobacco, has occupied the attention of the author for some time. Apart
from its physiological aspect, the subject of tea-drinking is extremely
interesting; and in the following pages an attempt has been made to
describe its introduction into England, to review the evidence of its
friends and foes, and to discuss its influence on mind and health. An
account is also given of the origin of tea-meetings, and of the methods
of making tea in various countries. Although the book does not claim to
be a complete history of tea, yet a very wide range of authors has been
consulted to furnish the numerous details which illustrate the usages,
the benefits, and the evils (real or imaginary) which surround the
habit of tea-drinking.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION OF TEA.
Introduced by the East India Company--Mrs. Pepys making her first
cup of tea--Virtues of tea--Thomas Garway's advertisement--Waller's
birthday ode--Tea a rarity in country homes--Introduced into the
Quaker School--Extension of tea-drinking--The social tea-table a
national delight--England the largest consumer of tea.
"I sent for a cup of tee--a China drink--of which I had never drank
before," writes Pepys in his diary of the 25th of September, 1660. It
appears, however, that it came into England in 1610; but at ten guineas
a pound it could scarcely be expected to make headway. A rather large
consignment was, however, received in 1657; this fell into the hands
of a thriving London merchant, Mr. Thomas Garway, who established a
house for selling the prepared beverage. Another writer states that
tea was introduced by the East India Company early in 1571. Though it
may not be possible to fix the exact date, one fact is clear, that it
was a costly beverage. Not until 1667 did it find its way into Pepys'
own house. "Home," he says, "and there find my wife making of tea,
a drink which Mr. Pelling, the potticary, tells her is good for her
cold and defluxions." Commenting upon this entry, Charles Knight said,
"Mrs. Pepys making her first cup of tea is a subject to be painted.
How carefully she metes out the grains of the precious drug which Mr.
Pelling, the potticary, has sold her at an enormous price--a crown an
ounce at the very least; she has tasted the liquor once before, but
then there was sugar in the infusion--a beverage only for the highest.
If tea should become fashionable, it will cost in their housekeeping as
much as their claret. However, Pepys says the price is coming down, and
he produces the handbill of Thomas Garway, in Exchange Alley, which the
lady peruses with great satisfaction."
This handbill is an extraordinary production. It is entitled "An exact
description of the growth, quality, and virtues of the leaf tea, by
Thomas Garway, in Exchange Alley, near the Royal Exchange in London,
tobacconist, and seller and retailer of tea and coffee." It sets forth
that--
"Tea is generally brought from China, and groweth there upon little
shrubs and bushes. The branches whereof are well garnished with white
flowers that are yellow within, of the lightness and fashion of
sweet-brier, but in smell unlike, bearing thin green leaves about the
bigness of scordium, myrtle, or sumack; and is judged to be a kind
of sumack. This plant hath been reported to grow wild only, but doth
not; for they plant it in the gardens, about four foot distance, and
it groweth about four foot high; and of the seeds they maintain and
increase their stock. Of this leaf there are divers sorts (though all
one shape); some much better than others, the upper leaves excelling
the others in fineness, a property almost in all plants; which leaves
they gather every day, and drying them in the shade or in iron pans,
over a gentle fire, till the humidity be exhausted, then put close
up in leaden pots, preserve them for their drink tea, which is used
at meals and upon all visits and entertainments in private families,
and in the palaces of grandees; and it is averred by a padre of
Macao, native of Japan, that the best tea ought to be gathered but by
virgins, who are destined for this work. The particular virtues are
these; it maketh the body active and lusty; it helpeth the head ache,
giddiness and heaviness thereof; it removeth the obstructiveness of
the spleen; it is very good against the stone and gravel, cleaning
the kidneys and ureters, being drank with virgin's honey, instead
of sugar; it taketh away the difficulty of breathing, opening
obstructions; it is good against tipitude, distillations, and cleareth
the sight; it removeth lassitude and cleanseth and purifieth acrid
humours and a hot liver; it is good against crudities, strengthening
the weakness of the ventricle, or stomach, causing good appetite and
digestion, and particularly for men of corpulent body, and such as are
great eaters of flesh; it vanquisheth heavy dreams, easeth the frame
and strengtheneth the memory; it overcometh superfluous sleep, and
prevents sleepiness in general, a draught of the infusion being taken;
so that, without trouble, whole nights may be spent in study without
hurt to the body, in that it moderately healeth and bindeth the mouth
of the stomach."
Other remarkable properties are attributed to the Chinese herb; but the
extracts we have given sufficiently indicate the efforts made to arrest
attention and to induce people to buy tea. As a further inducement,
this enterprising dealer assures his readers that whereas tea "hath
been sold in the leaf for six pounds, and sometimes for ten pounds the
poundweight, the said Thomas hath ten to sell from sixteen to fifty
shillings in the pound." This clever puff had the desired effect; for,
according to the Diurnal of Thomas Rugge, "There were at this time
(1659) a Turkish drink, to be souled almost in every street, called
coffee, and another kind of drink called tea; and also a drink called
chocolate, which was a very hearty drink." It was advertised in the
public journals. The _Mercurius Politicus_, of the 30th of September,
1658, sets forth: "That excellent, and by all physicians approved,
China drink, called by the Chineans Teha, by other nations Tay, alias
Tee, is sold at the 'Sultaness Head' coffee-house, in Sweeting's Rents,
by the Royal Exchange, London." It was sold also at "Jonathan's"
coffee-house, in Exchange Alley. In her "Bold Strike for a Wife" Mrs.
Centlivre laid one of her scenes at "Jonathan's." While the business
goes on she makes the coffee boys cry, "Fresh coffee, gentlemen! fresh
coffee! Bohea tea, gentlemen!" But the most famous house for tea was
Garway's, or, as it appears in "Old and New London," "Garraway's
Coffee-house," which was swept away a few years ago in the "march
of improvement." For two centuries, however, it had been one of the
most celebrated coffee-houses in the city. Defoe mentions it as being
frequented about noon by people of quality who had business in the
city, and "the more considerable and wealthy citizens;" but it was also
the resort of speculators. Here the South Sea Bubblers met, as well
as the lovers of good tea. Dean Swift, in his ballad on the South Sea
Bubble, calls 'Change Alley "a narrow sound, though deep as hell;" and
describes the wreckers watching for the shipwrecked dead on "Garraway's
Cliffs."
But the influence of Royalty did more than anything else to make
tea-drinking fashionable. "In 1662," remarks Mr. Montgomery Martin, in
a treatise on the 'Past and Present State of the Tea Trade,' published
in 1832, "Charles II. married the Princess Catherine of Portugal, who,
it was said, was fond of tea, having been accustomed to it in her own
country, hence it became fashionable in England." Edmund Waller, in a
birthday ode on her Majesty, ascribes the introduction of the herb to
the queen, in the following lines:--
"Venus her myrtle, Phoebe has his bays;
Tea both excels, which she vouchsafes to praise.
The best of Queens and best of herbes we owe,
To that bold nation which the way did show
To the fair region, where the sun does rise,
Whose rich productions we so justly prize.
The Muse's friend, tea, does our fancy aid,
Repress those vapours which the head invade,
And keeps that palace of the soul serene,
Fit on her birthday to salute the Queen."
Waller is believed to have been the first poet to write in praise of
tea, and no doubt his poem did much to promote its use among the rich.
In Lord Clarendon's diary, 10th of February, 1688, occurs the following
entry:--
"Le Père Couplet supped with me; he is a man of very good conversation.
After supper we had tea, which he said was as good as any he had drank
in China. The Chinese, who came over with him and Mr. Fraser, supped
likewise with us."
In the _Tatler_, of the 10th of October, 1710, appears the following
advertisement:--
"Mr. Favy's 16_s._ Bohea tea, not much inferior in goodness to the
best foreign Bohee tea, is sold by himself only at the 'Bell,' in
Gracechurch Street. Note.--The best foreign Bohee is worth 30_s._ a
pound; so that what is sold at 20_s._ or 21_s._ must either be faulty
tea, or mixed with a proportionate quantity of damaged green or Bohee,
the worst of which will remain black after infusion."
Tea continued a fashionable drink. Dr. Alex. Carlyle, in his
"Autobiography," describing the fashionable mode of living at
Harrowgate in 1763, wrote:--"The ladies gave afternoon's tea and coffee
in their turn, which coming but once in four or six weeks amounted to a
trifle." Probably the ladies did not drink so much as their servants,
who are reported to have cared more for tea than for ale. In 1755 a
visitor from Italy wrote:--"Even the common maid-servants must have
their tea twice a day in all the parade of quality; they make it their
bargain at first; this very article amounts to as much as the wages of
servants in Italy." This demand was a serious tax upon the purses of
the rich; for at that time tea was still excessively dear. According to
Read's _Weekly Journal, or British Gazetteer_, of the 27th of April,
1734, the prices were as follows:--
Green tea 9_s._ to 12_s._ per lb.
Congon 10_s._ " 12_s._ "
Bohea 10_s._ " 12_s._ "
Pekoe 14_s._ " 16_s._ "
Imperial 9_s._ " 12_s._ "
Hyson 20_s._ " 25_s._ "
Gradually, however, the prices came down as the consumption increased.
In 1740 a grocer, who had a shop at the east corner of Chancery Lane,
advertised the finest Caper at 24_s._ a pound; fine green, 18_s._;
Hyson, 16_s._; and Bohea, 7_s._ The latter quality was no doubt used in
the "Tea-gardens" which at that time had become popular institutions
in and around London. The "Mary-le-Bon Gardens" were opened every
Sunday evening, when "genteel company were admitted to walk gratis,
and were accommodated with coffee, tea, cakes, &c." The quality of
the cakes was an important feature at such gardens: "Mr. Trusler's
daughter begs leave to inform the nobility and gentry that she intends
to make fruit tarts during the fruit season; and hopes to give equal
satisfaction as with the rich cakes and almond cheesecakes. The fruit
will always be fresh gathered, having great quantities in the garden;
and none but loaf-sugar used, and the finest Epping butter." In one
respect the "good old times" were better than these. Gone are the
"fruit tarts," the "rich cakes," and the fragrant cup of tea from the
suburban "Tea-gardens," which rarely supply refreshment either for man
or beast. At any rate, it is a misnomer to call them "Tea-gardens."
We think "Beer-gardens" would more accurately indicate their
character. Some day, probably, the landlords of "public-houses" and
of "tea-gardens," will endeavour to meet the wants and tastes of all
persons. At present they utterly ignore the existence of a large class,
not necessarily teetotalers, to whom a cup of tea is more cheering than
a glass of grog after a long walk from the city.
Among the most famous tea-houses is Twining's in the Strand. It
was founded, Mr. E. Walford says, "about the year 1710, by the
great-great-grandfather of the present partners, Mr. Thomas Twining,
whose portrait, painted by Hogarth, 'kitcat-size,' hangs in the back
parlour of the establishment. The house, or houses--for they really
are two, though made one practically by internal communication--stand
between the Strand and the east side of Devereux Court. The original
depôt for the sale of the then scarce and fashionable beverage, tea,
stood at the south-west angle of the present premises, on the site of
what had been 'Tom's Coffee-house,' directly opposite the 'Grecian.' A
peep into the old books of the firm shows that in the reign of Queen
Anne tea was sold by the few houses then in the trade at various prices
between twenty and thirty shillings per pound, and that ladies of
fashion used to flock to Messrs. Twining's house in Devereux Court, in
order to sip the enlivening beverage in their small China cups, for
which they paid their shillings, much as now-a-days they sit in their
carriages eating ices at the door of Gunter's in Berkeley Square on hot
days. The bank was gradually engrafted on the old business, after it
had been carried on for more than a century from sire to son, and may
be said as a separate institution to date from the commercial panic of
1825."
Although tea was extensively used in London and some of the principal
cities, it did not become popular in country houses. "For instance, at
Whitby," writes the historian of that town, "tea was very little used
a century ago, most of the old men being very much against it; but
after the death of the old people it soon came into general use." Old
habits die hard. The stronger beverage of English ale had been so long
in use that the old folks could not be induced to relinquish it for a
foreign herb. A striking instance of the force of habit is related by
Dr. Aikin, in his history of Manchester (1795). "About 1720," he says,
"there were not above three or four carriages kept in the town. One of
these belonged to Madame ----, in Salford. This respectable old lady
was of a social disposition, and could not bring herself to conform
to the new-fashioned beverage of tea and coffee; whenever, therefore,
she made her afternoon's visit, her friends presented her with a
tankard of ale and a pipe of tobacco. A little before this period a
country gentleman had married the daughter of a citizen of London;
she had been used to tea, and in compliment to her it was introduced
by some of her neighbours; but the usual afternoon's entertainment at
gentlemen's houses at that time was wet and dry sweetmeats, different
sorts of cake, and gingerbread, apples, or other fruits of the season,
and a variety of home-made wines." At that time it was the custom for
the apprentices to live with their employers, whose fare was far from
liberal; but "somewhat before 1760," remarks Dr. Aikin, "a considerable
manufacturer allotted a back parlour with a fire for the use of his
apprentices, and gave them tea twice a day. His fees, in consequence,
rose higher than had before been known, from 250_l._ to 300_l._, and he
had three or four apprentices at a time." Tea was evidently a costly
beverage, for "water pottage" appears to have been the usual dish
provided for apprentices. Those who could afford it, however, drank the
Chinese herb. There are many references to tea in "The Private Journal
and Literary Remains of John Byrom," a famous Manchester worthy; and
these clearly indicate that in the middle of the eighteenth century tea
was very generally provided for visitors. But in some towns the older
people were much opposed to tea. The prejudice against it was, however,
gradually overcome; the young took kindly to it, and the women,
especially, found it an agreeable substitute for alcoholic drinks.
Not until 1860 was tea introduced into the Quaker School at Ackworth,
where John Bright received a portion of his early education. When
a boy the great orator was unable to endure the Spartan system of
training in force there, and after twelve months' experience he
was removed to a private school. For breakfast both boys and girls
had porridge poured on bread; for dinner little meat, but plenty
of pudding. For a third meal no provision seems to have been made.
Mr. Henry Thompson, the historian of the school, thus describes the
circumstances under which tea was introduced into the school:--
"In the autumn of 1860, Thomas Pumphrey's health having been in a
failing condition for some months, he was requested to take a long
holiday for the purpose of recruiting it, if possible. On his return,
after a three months' absence, learning that the conduct of the
children had been everything that he could desire, he devised for
them a treat, which was so effectively managed that we believe it is
looked upon by those who had the pleasure of participating in it as
one of the most delightful occasions of their school-days. He invited
the whole family--boys, girls, and teachers--to an evening tea-party.
The only room in the establishment in which he could receive so
large a concourse of guests was the meeting-house. In response to
his kind proposal, willing helpers flew to his aid. The room where
all were wont to meet for worship, and rarely for any other purpose,
was by nimble and willing fingers transformed, in a few days, into
a festive hall, whose walls and pillars were draped with evergreen
festoons and half concealed by bosky bowers, amidst whose foliage
stuffed birds perched and wild animals crouched. Amidst the verdant
decorations might also be seen emblazoned the names of great patrons
of the school and of the five superintendents who for more than eighty
years had guided its internal economy. They who witnessed the scene
tell us of two wonderful piles of ornamentation which were erected
at the entrances to the minister's gallery--the one symbolic of the
activities of the physical, the other of the intellectual, moral, and
religious life, as its good superintendent would have them to be....
The village having been requisitioned for cups and saucers for this
great multitude, the whole school sat down to a genuine, social,
English tea table for the first time in its history."
There can be no doubt that milk is better than tea for the young,
but tea now forms part of the dietary at almost every school, and we
question whether there is a house in England where tea is unknown. Dr.
Edward Smith, writing in 1874, said,--
"No one who has lived for half a century can have failed to note
the wonderful extension of tea-drinking habits in England, from the
time when tea was a coveted and almost unattainable luxury to the
labourer's wife, to its use morning, noon, and night by all classes.
The caricature of Hogarth, in which a lady and gentleman approach in
a very dainty manner, each holding an oriental tea-cup of infantile
size, implies more than a satire upon the porcelain-purchasing habits
of the day, and shows that the use of tea was not only the fashion of
a select few, but the quantity of the beverage consumed was as small
as the tea-cups."
In another chapter we have given some interesting statistics showing
the extent of the consumption of this wonderful beverage, which has
exercised such an influence for good in this country.
"A curious and not uninstructive work might be written," Dr. Sigmond
said in 1839, "upon the singular benefits which have accrued to this
country from the preference we have given to the beverage obtained
from the tea-plant; above all, those that might be derived from the
rich treasures of the vegetable kingdom. It would prove that our
national importance has been intimately connected with it, and that
much of our present greatness and even the happiness of our social
system springs from this unsuspected source. It would show us that
our mighty empire in the east, that our maritime superiority, and
that our progressive advancement in the arts and the sciences have
materially depended upon it. Great indeed are the blessings which have
been diffused amongst immense masses of mankind by the cultivation of
a shrub whose delicate leaf, passing through a variety of hands, forms
an incentive to industry, contributes to health, to national riches,
and to domestic happiness. The social tea-table is like the fireside
of our country, a national delight; and if it be the scene of domestic
converse and agreeable relaxation, it should likewise bid us remember
that everything connected with the growth and preparation of this
favourite herb should awaken a higher feeling--that of admiration,
love, and gratitude to Him who 'saw everything that He had made, and
behold it was very good.'"
Tea is the national drink of China and Japan; and so far back as 1834
Professor Johnston, in his "Chemistry of Common Life," estimated that
it was consumed by no less than five hundred millions of men, or more
than one-third of the whole human race! Excluding China, England
appears to be the largest consumer of tea, as shown in the following
table compiled by Mr. Mulhall, and printed in his "Dictionary of
Statistics:"--
_Consumption of luxuries per inhabitant per year._
+--------------------------+-------------------+
| | Ounces. |
| +---------+---------+
| | Coffee. | Tea. |
+--------------------------+---------+---------+
| United Kingdom | 15 | 72 |
| France | 52 | 1 |
| Germany | 83 | 1 |
| Russia | 3 | 7 |
| Austria | 35 | 1 |
| Italy | 18 | 1 |
| Spain | 4 | 1 |
| Belgium and Holland | 175 | 8 |
| Denmark | 76 | 8 |
| Sweden and Norway | 88 | 2 |
| United States | 115 | 21 |
+--------------------------+-------------------+