TESTING, BLENDING
AND
PREPARING.
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There is no article handled by the grocer which engages more of his
time, demands greater attention, or has a more important bearing upon
the success of his business than Tea. In many respects it stands ahead
of all other commodities in commanding and maintaining patronage, also
in that it is expected to attract and retain trade for other articles,
and at the same time yield a larger margin of profit. As gain is the
fundamental object of business, and as Tea plays such an essential part
in determining this profit, we may be excused if, considering the
article from a purely practical standpoint, we urge the relation which
it bears to the success of the dealer in it, and who, as a rule,
experience more difficulty in the selection of Tea than in any other
article he trades in. The cause is obvious, being due to the numerous
varieties and almost innumerable grades, characters and flavors with
which he is confronted, and to be selected from, taken in connection
with the diversity of tastes and preferences to be catered to, it
requiring no ordinary skill or knowledge to make the proper selection
under these circumstances to suit patrons. The acquisition of such
knowledge, for all practical purposes, is not, however, quite as
difficult as many may suppose, as it can be fairly obtained by a little
study, a few simple and inexpensive experiments and repeated trials to
familiarize oneself with the leading characteristics and values of the
different varieties, grades and flavors of the teas best adapted to each
particular class or section of the country.
Teas have two values—an _Intrinsic_ or real value, and a _Commercial_ or
market value; quality, strength and flavor constituting the first, the
latter being more often based on style, appearance, supply and
fluctuations in price. So that in their selection for commercial
purposes four leading features are to be considered—Leaf, Style, Liquor
and Flavor. The drawing and drinking qualities of the tea in the cup are
paramount to the style and appearance of the leaf in the hand, as many
teas, though rough-looking and coarse in “make” or style, draw and drink
well in the infusion. There are five principal methods of testing the
merits of a tea:—
=By Style or Appearance.=—Which, though not invariably an indication of
merit, has still considerable to do with the value and quality of a tea.
Choice teas of all kinds are however, handsomely made and stylish in
appearance, that is, compactly if not artistically curled, twisted,
folded or rolled, according to its make, and all teas being small and
fine in proportion to their youth and tenderness, the ripest and most
“sappy” curling up tightest and retaining their form longest,
consequently the younger and fresher the leaves the richer, more juicy
and succulent the tea. If it be Green tea of the Imperial or Gunpowder
order the leaf is hard-rolled and “shotty,” regular in make, bright
natural green in color, very uniform and pleasing in general appearance.
But if of the Hyson or Young Hyson sorts, the leaf will be well and
evenly curled or twisted, the latter being almost “wirey” in texture and
of the same hue as the former. If Black, of the Oolong or Congou
variety, the leaf will be finely made, “silky” or “crapy” in texture and
varying in size from small to medium, artistically twisted and
attractive to the eye. Old and inferior teas, on the other hand, will be
large, rough and loosely rolled or curled, in proportion to their age,
quality and picking, and being partially or entirely devoid of “sap” or
succulence, they are correspondingly thin, coarse or flavorless in the
infused state.
=By Feeling.=—Judging a sample of tea by feeling is applicable more to
the curled, twisted or rolled sorts, such as Oolongs, Congous, Souchongs
and Hyson teas. If the leaves of a tea of these makes, so tested, be
really choice they will be found smooth, crisp and elastic in the hand,
and capable of resisting a gentle but firm pressure, yielding rather
than snapping or breaking under it. But if old and “sapless,” they will
be found rough and “chaffy” to the touch, very brittle, cracking easily
and crumbling under the same conditions, making much dust.
=By Smelling.=—By blowing or breathing hard upon a sample of tea and
then quickly catching the odor emitted from it a fair estimate of its
general character and value may be arrived at. To judge by this method,
however, an acquaintance with the distinctive flavors and peculiarities
of the various sorts and grades will be first necessary. This knowledge
is best acquired by adopting as a type or “standard” a sample of the tea
to be matched and educating this sense to its flavor and aroma. It is
not for a moment claimed that this test will be at all times accurate or
reliable, and only a general estimate can be formed, especially if
suffering from a cold, in which case its true character or value cannot
be even approximated. Again, many teas that may be “new and nosey” in
the hand will be “thin and flat” in the cup, the “flashy” or evanescent
flavor passing off rapidly on infusion.
=By Masticating.=—A close and almost accurate estimate of the character
and value of a tea can be formed by chewing a few of the leaves. With
this method a good tea may be recognized by the ready manner in which
the leaves almost dissolve in the mouth on slight mastication, becoming
quickly reduced to a “pasty” consistency if young, tender and succulent,
the “sap” or juice yielded will be abundant, pungent and pleasing to the
taste. If of the Green or Japan variety the residue will be of a bright,
natural-green color on removal, rich olive-green if Oolong, of a rich
reddish-brown tint if Congou and dark-red if India or Ceylon. But if
composed of old, inferior, spent or spurious leaves they will be found
difficult to masticate, being dry, “chippy,” sapless and tough in
texture, yielding little or no juice according to its age and
inferiority. Whatever little is expressed being “wild,” “weedy,”
“woody,” “herby,” “mousey,” “grassy” or “metallic” and bitterly
astringent to the taste, the residue being dark in color, coarse or
granulated on removal. This test should not be resorted to only on
extreme occasions, as a too frequent chewing of tea-leaves, owing to the
tannin in their composition, severely affects the nervous system and
ultimately the digestive organs.
=By Infusing or Drawing=—Is unquestionably the most reliable and
satisfactory method of testing or appraising tea, being the one adopted
by all brokers, experts and dealers as the most conclusive and least
injurious to the system. For this purpose a number of small porcelain
cups, scales and half-dime weight is requisite, together with a
perfectly clean kettle and freshly distilled or filtered water, briskly
boiled. Take the weight of the half-dime of leaves and mark the cups to
correspond with the samples under examination, then pour on the briskly
boiling water and allow it to draw from three to five minutes by the
watch, first seeing that the cups are thoroughly clean and dry, or,
better still, heated or rinsed with boiling water before weighing or
putting in the tea, as cups used for drawing other sorts of tea will
impart the flavor of those previously tested to the last if not properly
washed and dried before using again; also see that the water is
_briskly_ boiling before pouring it on the leaves, as water not properly
boiling will cause the leaves to float. If large cups are used the
quantity of leaves should be increased proportionately, say to that of a
dime in weight for an ordinary tea-cup. It is customary with some
brokers and tea-testers to cover the cups with a lid or saucer during
infusion, but this precaution is not absolutely necessary; still it has
its benefits, as it prevents the vapor and aroma from escaping, both
valuable factors in the exact testing of tea. The water used should be
as soft and pure as can be obtained; boiled briskly and used _only_ at
the boiling point. That is, it must boil, but not overboil, for if it be
allowed to do so for even a few minutes it will not extract the full
strength and flavor of the leaves. Expert tea-testers are most
particular in this respect, watching their kettles so that the water may
be used the minute it boils, and if any water remains in the kettle it
is poured off and refilled with fresh water before using again, as the
effect of using water that has been boiled a second time is the same as
that of water which has been overboiled. In testing teas by infusing or
drawing five important points are to be considered: Body, Color,
Strength, Flavor and Aroma of the Liquor, the tea combining these
qualities in the highest degree proving, of course, the best. On
removing the lids, if used, inhale the vapor slowly, noting its aroma at
the same time; next stir the leaves gently with a spoon for a few
minutes, and smell them occasionally, also noting their odor; by which
time the tea will be cool enough to taste. Before doing so, however,
observe the color of the liquor—an important factor in tea—a rich straw,
golden or corn-yellow colored liquor, generally, if not invariably,
indicating a tea of fine quality, except it be of the Congou, India or
Ceylon variety. Next, taste the tea by sipping it so as to strike the
palate, but do not swallow, as it kills the taste, and noting its body,
flavor, strength and pungency while so doing, comparing it with the tea
required or to be “matched.”
But while a clear, bright, sparkling liquor denotes a fine tea it does
not always determine its body or strength, as many light-liquored teas
are full and round in body, pungent and “snappy;” others again, though
dark and heavy in liquor, are yet devoid of strength and flavor, the
liquor of old and inferior teas being invariably dark, thick or “muddy”
in color, and lacking in briskness and flavor. After an opinion has been
formed of the liquor in all its relations, next examine the infused
leaves with regard to their size, color, form, texture and condition, as
all these points have an indirect bearing on the age, quality, character
and value of the tea under examination. The infused leaves of fine, pure
teas range from small to medium in size, perfect or nearly so in shape,
regular and symmetrical in form, uniform and unbroken in appearance.
While the infused leaf of low-grade and adulterated teas is large and
dark-red or brown in color, broken, irregular and different in size,
form and color from the true tea-leaf. The smaller, brighter and more
symmetrical the infused leaf, the higher the grade, and consequently the
greater the value of the tea, that of fine Oolongs being olive-green,
with slightly brown or “burnt” edges, Congous and Souchongs rich
reddish-brown, India and Ceylons, “salmony-red.” Scented teas possessing
a small olive-green infused leaf. In Green teas those yielding a bright,
sparkling, “amber”-colored liquor, with small or medium infused leaf and
presenting an unbroken and uniform appearance are the best; the same
rules that govern in the selection of Green teas also applying to
Japans.
The value of tea commercially, depends principally upon the character
and flavor of the infusion and also on the aroma imparted to it by the
volatile oil, which is not generally estimated by chemists owing to the
imperfect methods of obtaining it and the difficulty attending the
operation. But commercially the value of a tea is based on the amount of
“extract” it yields as well as on the quantity of theine and tannin
contained therein. Tea-testers and experts on the other hand take no
account of theine, which is almost tasteless, but which is at the same
time physiologically the most important constituent of tea. And so far
as total extract is concerned Congou teas are inferior in quantity to
Oolongs, Greens and Japans, while the latter in turn yield a larger
percentage of theine than either India or Ceylons, notwithstanding that
it is claimed that they yield less. Yet it must be admitted that a
deeper color is imparted to the infusion by India and Ceylon teas, and
that they are also of greater strength than China and Japan teas, in
fullness (not delicacy) of flavor, the former claim is not borne out by
either analysis or testing. There is also no uniform relation existing
between the chemical composition of teas and their commercial value, as
the percentage of extract determined by a half-hour’s boiling of the
leaves in 100 parts of distilled water bears in China and Japan teas
particularly a more uniform relation to the price, although the total
extract obtained by exhausting the leaf is very irregular. This result
is also quite in accord with the fact that the finer and more valuable
qualities of all teas are to be found only in the youngest and tenderest
leaves, the decline from the finer to the lower grades in the amount of
theine dissolved being also noteworthy as showing the power to yield
nearly all their theine, the latter doing so only to a limited extent
under the same treatment. But although these results show the difference
in the drawing qualities of all the various kinds of tea, yet they are
not sufficiently uniform to make such analysis the basis for calculating
the price of tea. It is evident, however, that the volatile or essential
oil—to which tea owes it flavor and aroma—plays a more important part
than any of the other constituents in determining the commercial value
of tea. Again, it must be noted the strength and flavor of the infusion
is as much due to the character of the water used in drawing as to any
other cause, the quantity of tannin extracted by soft water being
greater than that obtained by the use of hard.
The taste for tea being an acquired and not a natural one, it
necessarily follows that persons who have been accustomed to a certain
variety or flavor in tea, want that particular kind and will be
dissatisfied if any other is given them. Consumers of wine have their
fancies, so have users of ale or beer—one prefers a dry, another a sweet
wine—one a mild and another a bitter beer. This being the case, it
becomes essential to the success of the tea-dealer to study and learn
what variety of tea or what particular flavor his customers have been
accustomed to before attempting to cater to it. This is a question
somewhat difficult to answer, as not only is there a wide difference of
taste in tea in the different parts of the country, but in every large
town or city alone the varieties and flavors in demand are so numerous
and various that most dealers are compelled to mark out a distinct line
for themselves. In the larger cities this is the most successful course
to pursue, particularly if the kind and quality of the tea be kept
regular and uniform the year round, as it secures the return again and
again of the same customers for that particular tea, and thus keeps a
business always steady and progressive. Even away from the larger cities
it is well to follow this course, but while at first it may be found
advisable to keep close to the established tea-taste of the section, a
gradual change may be found good policy, as a dealer can by a little
effort educate his trade in time to a particular variety or flavor of
tea, for after all is said, and as remarked before, the taste for a
certain tea is only an acquired one. He may, for instance, be selling a
heavy-bodied Amoy or dark-leaved Foochow Oolong and suddenly change off
to a fine Formosa. In such a case his trade would be very apt to find
fault at first, notwithstanding that the latter may be choicer and more
expensive than the former, but by ignoring the complaints at the
beginning and continuing to insist upon their taking it, eventually
succeed in educating them to acquire a taste for it. Still the
importance of retaining and maintaining the quality and flavor to which
his customers are longest accustomed cannot be overestimated, for no
dealer can afford to jeopardize his business or can expect success if
his teas one month consist of fine flavored teas, the next month of
heavy and dull and the third of a sharp and pungent kind. To maintain
this necessary regularity, must be admitted, is difficult, as no two
consecutive importations of tea are exactly alike although selected from
the same picking or chosen from those grown in the same district the
variations may still be so wide as to cause dissatisfaction among
consumers. Therefore it becomes essential to the success of the dealer
to pay particular attention to the quality of his tea, as there is no
article he deals in which will attract trade or retain it longer than
good tea, a fine tea creating more comment in a town or neighborhood
than any other article used at table and if customers once lose
confidence in either the ability or honesty of the dealer they will be
repelled rather than attracted, it being next to impossible to get them
back again. So that it does not pay a dealer to make any mistake in the
selection of his teas, such mistake proving fatal to drawing or holding
trade. Poor teas will drive more customers away in a week than can be
made in a year; it is therefore much better and more profitable in the
long run to sell only good teas at a smaller margin of profit than to
sell poor teas at a larger one. Many dealers make use of the argument,
“I bought this tea so much cheaper and my customers do not appear to
notice the difference; they do not complain.” This may be true, but it
is delusive, as people seldom complain; they go elsewhere and get better
value. Every community becomes accustomed to drinking a particular
description of tea and is quick to discover any change in the character
and flavor of any tea that may be substituted for it, thereby becoming
dissatisfied notwithstanding that even a higher-priced tea, of different
character, may be given them. For this reason the dealer will do well to
keep as close to the grade and variety in use there and as nearly
uniform as possible at all times maintaining a “standard.” To do this
effectually it will be necessary for him to study and learn as near as
he can the particular grade and flavor his trade prefers, which is best
accomplished by first trying them with various kinds until he has found
that which is best suited to a majority of his customers; having
succeeded in this, let him stick to that particular kind. Again, as any
one variety will not suit all tastes, he can next endeavor to find a tea
adapted to the minority by the same method, reserving and keeping these
two or more kinds as the case may be. It is much easier to describe what
teas to avoid than those to select or what may be best adapted to a
particular section, as good tea of all kinds will sell at any time.
Again, some sections of the country possess great advantages over others
in the testing and preparation of tea for use, as, wherever the water is
soft and pure, much better results are obtained from the infusion by a
given quantity of leaves, owing to the fact that such water dissolves
more rapidly and extracts a larger amount of the _theine_ than hard or
muddy water. The coarse as well as fine properties of the tea are also
“brought out” more prominently by the action of the former, it being for
this reason that “high-fired,” “toasty” and “tarry” teas so much in
favor in some sections will not sell at all in others where the water is
soft as a rule, and why China Congous are best appreciated in sections
where the water is soft, as the natural delicacy of their unique
“fruity” flavor is best extracted by that kind of water and to a greater
extent than is the flavor of most other varieties.
The distinctive flavors which characterize the different varieties of
tea may be summed up in a single technical term—Amoys are “nutty,”
Foochows are “mellow,” Formosas are “fragrant,” Green teas are
“pungent,” Pekoes are “piquant,” Congous are “fruity,” Souchongs are
“tarry,” Japans are “mealy,” Scented teas are “aromatic,” Indias are
“malty,” Ceylons are “toasty” and Javas are “sour.” Oolongs of an
“herby,” “weedy” or “wild” flavor should be avoided, as they are
principally mixed with Ankois. Pingsueys, Cantons and all doctored Green
teas should be tabooed altogether; if cheap Green teas must be had,
procure a low-grade Moyune regardless of its appearance, as it will give
better satisfaction than the finest of the foregoing. Japans of a
“fishy,” “grassy” or “metallic” flavor should also be shunned, as they
will be found dear at almost any price. Congous of a “woody,” “mousey”
or “smoky” flavor and too “tarry” Souchongs are also good teas to leave
alone, while Canton and Macao Scented teas should never find a place in
the dealer’s stock. Low-grade India, Ceylon and Javas are either “raw,”
“uncooked,” “baked,” “burnt” or “sour” in flavor, and decay very rapidly
being unfit for use after a few weeks’ exposure. In brief, do not handle
any old, raw, grassy, weedy, woody, smoky, fishy or brassy flavored teas
under any circumstances. There is no satisfaction in them to the
consumer and no profit in them to the dealer. Keep good teas only and
get your price. It pays best in the end.
A tea-dealer with any desire to extend or even retain his trade should
no more attempt to sell poor, inferior, unclean or damaged tea than a
butcher to endeavor to sell tainted meat or a baker to give his
customers sour bread. The offense may not at first seem so
objectionable, but the verdict of the public will be the same in each
case, and the practical manner in which his customers will manifest this
opinion will be to let such dealer severely alone. Good clean teas can
nearly always be purchased for a few cents per pound above the price of
the “trash” now offered in the American market and masquerading under
the name of tea, being nothing more or less than a gross libel on the
“fascinating beverage.” By this mistaken policy of trying to save three
or four cents, the seed is not only sown for the future ruin of the
dealer himself, but it also produces the effect of disgusting the public
and casting discredit on tea as an article of food. While, on the other
hand, if the dealer make a comparatively small but necessary sacrifice
for the sake of future gain by selling _Tea that is tea_ and be content
with a fair and legitimate profit, satisfaction will be given to his
customers, trade fostered and the consumption of this now most important
food auxiliary increased at least two-fold in this country.
“Standard Chop,” or “celebrated district” teas, should always be
selected when possible, and “first-crop” for high-grade teas, as
first-crop teas are invariably superior (except in the case of Formosas)
to the later pickings in flavor, aroma and keeping properties, due to
the larger amount of theine and volatile oil which they contain, and
possessing every quality except weight for which tea is valued or
appreciated. To do this it will be necessary for the dealer to ascertain
which “chop” is the best and which district has yielded the best picking
during the current season, thereby making quality as well as quantity
the test of excellence. For, as with wheat and other crops, the tea crop
also varies according to the season and curing; some years being highly
successful in one district while it may be a comparative failure in
another. The “Tong-lees” may be heavy and flavory this year, thin and
flavorless the next; while the “Tong-mows,” or some other “chop,”
inferior in leaf and liquor last season may possess all the most
desirable qualities this. Green teas, Japans, Congous, Souchongs, India,
Ceylons and all varieties of tea being equally subject to these
variations So that the advantages to be derived from a careful selection
of the best “chop” and “district” teas of the season, with but slight
consideration, will be manifest to the intelligent dealer in tea.
The tastes of communities differing so widely in the various sections of
the country, the dealer must study and learn the particular variety and
flavor best adapted to the locality or town in which he is doing
business, as a tea that may give general satisfaction in one section may
not suit at all in another. But generally in mining, milling or
manufacturing districts or among working classes in cities, heavy-bodied
Amoys and dark-leaved Foo-chous will be found the most popular. The
taste for China and Japan teas in this country is undoubtedly an
inherited one, but irrespective of this cause they are for the vast
majority of tea-drinkers peculiarly the most suitable and best adapted,
being softer, milder, richer, more mellow and wholesome than either the
India or Ceylon growths, and it is only a cultivated and refined taste
that can appreciate them at their true worth. In a community composed
principally of Irish, English or Scotch, thick “fruity” Congous,
heavy-bodied “tarry” Souchongs, Capers, Pekoes, India and Ceylon teas or
combinations formed from these varieties will prove the most
satisfactory. While Green teas are most in demand in the Southern
States. Oolongs in the Eastern and Middle, Foochows and Formosas being
chiefly sold in the larger seaboard cities, Amoys in the principal
manufacturing districts, Japans in the Pacific and Northwestern, India,
Ceylons and teas of the Congou order, in Irish, English and other
foreign settlements.
All teas after ripening have a tendency to decay, some teas not keeping
as well as others, there being a great difference in the time that some
will keep before the deterioration becomes pronounced in comparison with
that of others. And tea also possessing an natural aptitude to become
impregnated with the odor of any high or foul-smelling article near
which it may be placed, care should be taken to keep it away from such
commodities as fish, soap, coal-oil, molasses and spices, as it quickly
absorbs all pungent odors. Yet I have known of teas that were imported
with or stored in close proximity to wine, oranges, lemons and even
camphor to be improved in flavor, more particularly when very lightly
tainted by such odors. Still teas should be kept as much as possible
from the light and air, particularly in damp or humid weather, as the
oxydizing influences of the atmosphere has a more or less deleterious
effect upon them. They should never be sold out of freshly-painted bins
or newly-japanned tea-caddies, being much better, at all times, to deal
them out of the original packages, replacing the lead and lid when
through. The most successful tea-dealers I have met invariably sell them
in this manner. Do not keep your teas too close to a fire or stove, a
dry, cool atmosphere of moderate temperature is always best.
The tea-market fluctuating considerably in the course of the year, it
will be necessary for the dealer to understand something of the law of
supply and demand, which affects the fluctuation to a considerable
extent, before he can make profitable purchases. The dealer who is best
“posted” in his business makes the best business man, so that the
tea-dealer who not only understands the article he is dealing in, but
whose knowledge and discrimination enable him “to buy the right tea at
the right time” possesses advantages over his competitors, the value of
which can hardly be overestimated. Each season, on the “first arrivals,”
high prices are paid, and if there be a brisk demand those full prices
are continued for some time, after which follows a dull, drooping or
listless market, from which but little satisfaction can be obtained; but
should the demand on arrival be light, through dealers holding off for
better terms, the prices rapidly decline to a more reasonable level, it
then becomes comparatively steady. When this is the case the decline
occurs about the middle of September, and dealers will do well to take
advantage of the choice selections of teas that arrive during the months
of October and November. For the better buying of teas at this time it
will also be found necessary to note the supply very closely, as during
heavy shipments the market is nearly always easier, while, when the
arrivals are light, the tea-market is higher. These points are deserving
the special attention of the successful tea-dealer.
For some years past a new development of the tea trade has, to the
surprise of the older wholesale and retail dealers, assumed a good deal
of prominence, for if the advertisement columns of newspapers, startling
placards at railroad stations and on fences form any criterion, the
public are taking a liking to teas put up in pound and half-pound
packages under fancy names—the latter having no relation whatever to any
country, district or locality where the teas are grown. That the public
should, to a certain extent, buy anything persistently forced upon its
attention is perhaps possible, but tea put up in tin, lead or paper
packets would seem a somewhat hopeless direction in which to attempt to
draw the public taste. Tea in bulk, in the original lead-lined chests,
undoubtedly keeps better, as it preserves the strength, flavor and aroma
of the tea longer than when exposed to the oxydizing influence of the
atmosphere, particularly in this climate, so that during transference
into the tin, paper or unseasoned lead packet, ornamented with a “showy”
label which the more gorgeous the more apt it is to communicate a taste
of the ink, paint, glue or material in which it is packed to the tea
they are intended to adorn. Again, these packets, labels and labor add
as much as five to eight cents to the cost of the tea, together with the
expense of flaunting them before the eyes of the public, which must be
simply enormous. The public generally are ignorant in such matters, and
the legitimate dealer might look with amused surprise on the apparent
demand for packet teas if it were not that an increasing number of
dealers are adopting the new system. Engaged as most of the grocers are
in trying to stop the plague of all sorts of proprietary goods which
yield them so little profit and make them the servants only of the
manufacturers and proprietors, it is astonishing, to say the least, that
other dealers should be found who are adopting the same system with tea.
A grocer cannot manufacture spices or sugar, grow wine, distil whisky or
brew beer, but _he can, as generations of grocers have done before him,
sell good tea out of an honest tea-chest,—or caddy—and make a
respectable living, if not money, out of it for himself and not for
others, while serving the public well at the same time_. Surely, the
attitude of the grocers on this question should not be one of doubt, as
they have it in their power to make it clear to the public that _they
can sell cheaper, better and fresher teas of their own, and with a far
better guarantee of the source of supply named or adhered to than if a
paper or metallic packet with a fancy label, however attractive, is
trusted to_. Again, there can be no valid reason why every grocer, if he
sees fit, should not put his own teas up and offer them under his own
name and brand upon it, if his patrons should desire, a fancy and costly
packet with no other advantages attaching to it.
TEA-BLENDING AS A FINE ART.
Comparatively little is known of the art or principle of mixing or
blending of teas in this country, American dealers and consumers alike
being averse to the practice, regarding it as about on a parity with
other methods of sophistication. Such objections are entirely erroneous,
as it is an acknowledged principle that a combination of different
varieties of wheat make better flour, the same being true of coffees and
other articles of diet. So that the practice of blending teas, if
properly understood and skillfully performed, would prove a more
satisfactory and profitable one to both consumer and dealer. The object
is not, as the public may imagine, to lower the quality or reduce the
cost to the dealer, but simply to produce better tea and obtain a finer
and more desirable flavor than that yielded by any single variety, one
giving better satisfaction to the consumer at a more moderate price and
at the same time allowing a larger margin of profit to the dealer. As an
illustration, a dealer may be selling a tea possessing a suitable
flavor, but be lacking in body or light in liquor, whereas, by adding to
it one or two other teas possessing these qualities the defect is
rectified and a full-flavored heavy-bodied tea is produced and the two
latter also improved. It follows then that by the judicious blending or
mixing of three to five teas, differing in variety and grade, a more
uniform and pleasing tea, heavier in body, richer in liquor and flavor
can be obtained by this principle at a more moderate cost.
The idea of blending teas originally arose from the experience
incidentally gained that a beverage more pleasing, satisfactory and less
costly, could be produced from a number of different varieties and
grades judiciously and scientifically combined, than could otherwise be
obtained from any single sort when used alone. No sooner was this
experience confirmed than “mixing” or blending of teas was generally
resorted to by many of those who had the dispensing of the article to
the public. Some dealers had marked success in this branch of the
business, while others again who attempted it failed completely in their
efforts to produce any satisfactory results, the end accomplished being,
instead of an improvement, an injury to the quality and value of the tea
combined, often to such an extent that ordinary plain teas would have
pleased better at less labor and cost. The cause of this failure was due
alone to the want of that necessary training and experience which would
enable the dealer to understand the characteristics and affinities of
both the teas which are improved and those which are deteriorated by
blending together. The knowledge and skill required for this particular
branch of the tea business is only attained in perfection by numerous
tests and constant experiments which are performed by mixing from two to
five or more samples of tea, differing in variety, character and
quality, alternately changing, altering and substituting them until the
dealer has succeeded in producing a tea unique in character, the body,
flavor and aroma of which will prove more pleasing and satisfactory to a
majority of his patrons, at a more moderate cost, identified with
himself and differing in every respect from that of any tea offered by
his competitors. And after he has succeeded in his efforts he must be
careful to keep it as uniform as possible, never allowing even his
employees to know of what teas his combination is formed. By following
these precautions he becomes noted for keeping a tea that cannot be
secured elsewhere and one which, after his customers become once
educated to that especial flavor, will not be satisfied with any other.
“The world moves” and the American tea dealer should move with it, as
time and experience has proved beyond dispute that skilful and judicious
Tea-blending will be found to amply repay the study and labor bestowed
on it. The chief and only difficulty existing in the art lays in first
finding a combination that will please a majority of your customers. The
primary object and fundamental principle should be to obtain in a
consolidated form, harmony, strength, pungency, flavor and piquancy and
at the same time to effect these results with the smallest possible
outlay. To accomplish these results three important points must be
carefully studied: First, to learn the taste of your customers; second,
to ascertain what teas combine best to suit this taste; third, to find
out to what extent the component parts of a once adopted and
satisfactory blend may be varied in case of difficulty to secure the
same kind of teas for future use. These results can be best secured only
by proper selecting, weighing, regulating and arranging the
proportionate quantities and different qualities in such a manner as to
obtain the best results at the smallest possible outlay. So that before
proceeding to produce a specific blend or mixture the dealer must
consider well the descriptions which will combine satisfactorily and
these that will not unite harmoniously, as teas that are not improved
are certain to be deteriorated by blending.
The chief art in successful tea-blending is to combine body, strength
and some particular and distinct flavor in one, so as to please the
majority of that portion of the public for whom the tea is prepared, and
at the same time so arrange its constituent parts in such a manner that
this desirable result may be obtained at the smallest possible outlay.
To satisfactorily accomplish this object the dealer must first learn to
understand thoroughly the taste of those for whom the tea is intended,
and secondly, to study what teas will combine best to please their
taste, as well as to know how far the component parts of the blend can
be varied without seriously affecting its regularity so that advantage
may be taken of the cheapness of any special variety or grade of tea.
The importance of retaining the uniformity of a blend, when once a
satisfactory combination has been discovered, must also not be
overlooked. Other combinations may be as good, or better, their
component parts skilfully arranged and properly mixed, but unless one
standard blend is decided on, and then sedulously maintained, fault will
be found and customers go elsewhere. This difficulty is best avoided by
paying proper attention to the selection of the teas constituting the
blend, having each sample matched as close as possible before
purchasing, as well as by not changing more than one of the teas
composing the blend at a time when it is the intention to alter the
character of the tea. When a large number of teas are used in the
formation of a blend, the alteration of any—provided that a particular
one is fairly matched—will effect but a comparatively slight variation
in its general character. But, if more than one change is to be made let
it be done by degrees, for, if the changes in the various teas forming
the blend are made gradually, few, if any, will detect the alteration.
The proper Blending of tea is an art that cannot be correctly taught in
books or easily learned, it must be acquired by study, experiment and
experience alone. Like all other knowledge there is “no royal road to
it” the dealer must endeavor to learn himself, to understand the
flavors, characters and affinities of the teas that will be either
improved or deteriorated by combination, as no absolute rule can be
substituted for the practical knowledge so acquired. In the proper
blending of teas it is essential also that all combinations should be
judiciously and thoroughly mixed together, the leaves of the component
parts being selected with due regard to size, color and uniformity and
broken as little as possible so that all may harmonize well together. It
is a serious mistake to imagine that the successful or profitable
blending of tea consists solely of an indiscriminate or injudicious
heaping together carelessly and indifferently of two or more varieties
of tea in one homogeneous mass without the least regard to quantities,
qualities, affinities, affiliations or assimilations of leaf, liquor,
character or flavor of the component parts. On the contrary, the art
consists in combining the two or more different varieties or grades of
tea forming the combination in an intelligent, judicious and scientific
manner so as to yield an unique and particular tea of uniform quality,
strength, flavor and pungency at a given price, pleasing and
satisfactory to the greatest number and maintaining its standard at all
times and under all circumstances.
But while it is admitted that it is next to impossible to understand
tea-blending thoroughly without an apprenticeship to the business and
that the combinations that may be formed from it are almost
kaleidoscopic in their range, requiring a separate work. Still, even a
novice need not spoil good tea by injudicious mixing, as a little study
and a few simple rules carefully followed, although they cannot be
substituted for years of experience in such a difficult branch, will
prevent any serious error and ensure a fair measure of success. It must
be understood at the outset that all combinations of tea, as a rule,
must depend upon the character, flavor and grade of the tea most in
demand in the section or neighborhood of the dealer, that particular
variety forming the base or foundation of the blends prepared, that is,
it must dominate the combination. To illustrate, if Oolongs be most in
demand, the blend must be composed of from one-half to two-thirds
Oolong, and so on with Congous, Greens, Japans or India sorts, as the
case may be. Before proceeding to describe any particular blends it will
be necessary to name the descriptions of tea that will not combine
satisfactorily, as well as those which will amalgamate most harmoniously
with each other. The former are described first, because _teas not
improved are certain to be deteriorated by blending_. One of the first
and fundamental rules in tea-blending is not to allow unclean or tainted
tea, even in small quantities, to be introduced into any combination,
which rule should be as rigidly adhered to in the low-priced blends as
well in the higher grades, so that all “weedy,” “herby” and “wild”
flavored Oolongs should be eschewed in blending.
In this country, where the taste for Oolong and Japan teas appear to be
an inherited one, and where there is every prospect of their continuing
to be the favorite teas with American consumers for all time to come,
the best results are to be obtained from combinations formed of these
varieties. Ripe, juicy and succulent “first crop” Foochows make the best
foundation for all blends in this country. First-crop Formosas losing
their fragrance almost as rapidly as Japans. Third-crop, or
“Autumn-leaf” Formosas that have been well-fired, and which, unlike most
other varieties, improve rather than deteriorate with time, becoming
more “mellow” for at least the first year after arrival, rank next for
this purpose, the action of the atmosphere in exposure bringing out
their fragrance more fully, and at the same time causing their
high-toast or burnt flavor to disappear. Bold-leaf, sweet-drawing Amoys;
dark-leaved, full-liquoring Foochows, and large-leaf “nosey” Formosas
and thick, sweet, “fruity” Congous make the best foundation for all tea
blends, and for the purpose of imparting a rich fragrance to any
combination a choice or “pekoed” Formosa will be found the most
desirable and valuable, its high character and great piquancy being
possessed by no other variety grown. A small quantity of a really choice
or even tolerably good Formosa tea will penetrate and dominate a blend,
making itself felt and tasting through it. Its value consisting in its
delicate “cow-slip” aroma and great piquancy, mellowing the liquor and
giving a rich “bouquet” to the infusion. It is also a tea that when once
tea-drinkers become educated or attached to its matchless qualities are
ever after hard to please with any other.
Low-grade and artificially-colored Pan-fired Japans, owing to their
usually “brassy” or “fishy” flavor, and well-known tendency to early
decay, which has a highly detrimental effect on the other teas should be
avoided, while new, “mealy,” Basket-fired Japans are especially adapted
for all Black tea blends, as they impart a peculiarly rich color and
tone to the liquor and a very pleasing mellowness to the flavor of the
combination, but should never form the base of the blend. “Old,”
“musty,” “mousey,” or “smoky” Congous, too “high-fired” and excessively
“tarry” Souchongs should also be avoided altogether, as they invariably
detract from or destroy the flavor and aroma of the finer kinds used in
the blend, their deleterious effects being felt through the entire
combination, and all “dusty” and “stemmy” teas in particular, for while
some tea-drinkers will bear with a small quantity of these most
objectionable features in tea, the vast majority will protest, as it is
next to impossible to prevent dust and stems from finding their way into
the tea-cup.
The appended formulas are not given with the intention of laying down
any fixed or positive rules, but simply as suggesting a code that may be
useful to those who are compelled to blend tea without ever having an
opportunity of thoroughly mastering the art. Only two to five varieties,
at current prices, are used, in order to illustrate the principle more
simply, as more complex combinations should not be attempted until the
dealer has acquired that practical knowledge attained only by experiment
and experience.
SPECIMEN BLACK TEA BLENDS.
=1. (Low-priced)=—Suitable for restaurant and general trade where a
cheap, heavy-bodied and strong-flavored tea is the main consideration.
Base 10 pounds Amoy Oolong at 20 cents, 2 pounds Oonfa or other
dark-leaved Congou at 20 cents. Average cost 20 cents. In the Oolong
forming this blend a little coarseness may be tolerated, but “herby” and
“weedy” teas must be avoided, as what strength is needed is supplied by
the Congou, which must be free from any suspicion of oldness. The color
of the leaf, however, must be black, so as to harmonize with that of the
Oolong. If not sufficiently pungent, the addition of 1 pound low-priced
Assam will supply that defect.
=2. (Medium)=—Base 10 pound Foochow Oolong at 25 cents, 2 pounds
basket-fired Japan at 25 cents and 1 pound Ning-chow Congou. Average
cost 25 cents. This will be found a popular tea in a mining or
manufacturing district where a smooth-flavored substantial tea is
required, or 10 pounds Ningyong Oolong at about 20 cents, 2 pounds
Congou at 24 cents and 1 pound Assam at 24 cents may be tried if the
former should not prove entirely satisfactory. This combination makes a
heavy-bodied, dark-colored “grippy” tea; one that will stand a second
drawing and still be strong and flavory. The Ningyong used in this
combination should be light, clean and as sweet-drawing as can be had at
the price and the Congou as “high-toasted” as possible, and if the Assam
be “pekoed” so much the better.
=3. (Medium to Fine)=—Is a tea that has been found to give almost
universal satisfaction in a district composed of a working class who
appreciate smoothness and richness to weight or strength, and is formed
as follows: 10 pounds fine dark-leaved Foochow Oolong at 30, 2 pounds
Basket-fired Japan at 25 and 1 pound Moning Congou at 25 cents. Average
cost 29 cents. Or where Oolongs are most in demand 10 pounds Foochow, 10
pounds Formosa and 5 pounds Basket-fired to mellow or tone the
combination may be substituted, 5 pounds of a true Moyune Young Hyson to
replace the Japan when a Green tea is preferred in the blend, or, better
still, added to it. The Foochow in this combination while possessing a
full body is yet lacking in aroma which is imparted by the Formosa, the
Japan supplying the mellowness and Young Hyson the requisite pungency.
=4. (Fine to Choice)=—A Blend like the following will be found to give
universal satisfaction in any locality, being full, strong, round,
smooth and fragrant, one entirely foreign in flavor and aroma to that of
any single tea in common use: Base 10 pounds choice “third crop” Formosa
at 35 cents, 1 pound fine Ning-chow Congou at 30 cents and 1 pound
Yamashiro Basket-fired Japan at 30 cents, for which an equal quantity of
Nankin Imperial may be substituted when it becomes necessary to vary the
combination, or, better still, added to it if a Green tea is desired in
it by the customer.
=5. (Choice)=—Is a combination that will yield a most pleasing tea to
suit a mercantile or professional trade having been fully tested and
proved popular among these classes in Philadelphia and vicinity.
Foundation: 10 pounds “first chop” high-district Foochow Oolong at 40
cents, 10 pounds choice “pekoe-tipped” Formosa at 40 cents and 5 pounds
“Spring-picked” Basket-fired about same figures. A blend composed of
these three varieties cannot be approached in drawing and drinking
qualities by that of any single tea costing 60 cents.
SPECIMEN GREEN TEA BLENDS.
The combinations to be made from Green teas are not many, being limited
in range.
=6. (Low-Priced)=—A heavy drawing, thick-liquored full-flavored tea can
be prepared from a combination of equal parts of a cheap but clean,
sweet-drawing Moyune Hyson or Twankay and Japan Nibs, when a cheap
all-Green tea is required, as both these teas drink much better in
conjunction than when either is used alone, the Japan mellowing and
otherwise enriching the China tea.
=7. (Medium)=—Base 20 pounds fair Foochow, 5 pounds Moyune Young Hyson,
and 5 pounds Sun-dried Japan, make a unique and popular blend in some
sections where the taste for Young Hysons is still extant, but where
Imperials are preferred, the best results are obtained by a mixing of ⅓
Imperial to ⅔ Foochow or other Oolong.
=8. (Choice)=—Pan and Sun-dried Japans, in equal quantities, always
combine well with Hysons and Imperials, imparting a clearness and
briskness to the liquor, but in the blending of green teas only true
Moyunes should be employed, as Cantons, Pingsueys and all
artificially-colored Green teas invariably injure and detract from the
combination in which they may be introduced, no matter how fine the base
and other constituent parts of the blend may be. Whenever low-priced
Green teas are to be used select a cheap, clean sweet-drawing Moyune
Imperial, Hyson, or even Twankay; they will give better results than the
better-made and higher-priced doubtful sorts.
SPECIMEN SCENTED TEA BLENDS.
One of the greatest delusions indulged in by the novice in blending is
that by using large and disproportionate quantities of Scented teas in
old, inferior or damaged teas, under the erroneous impression that no
matter how thin, flat, tainted or otherwise defective they may be it
will “bring it up” and improve the flavor. No greater mistake in
blending could be made, for while it is admitted that a small quantity
of either Orange or Flowery Pekoe will add to the value and flavor of a
clean, sweet Congou, but if used too freely makes it thin. Scented teas
of any kind cannot overpower, neutralize or even modify the flavor of
inferior or tainted teas, but, on the contrary, will make them more so,
particularly if Cantons or Macaos be used. In this variety the best
combinations are always to be produced from teas of the Congou and
Souchong sorts, though not infrequently they combine well with Oolongs
in very moderate quantities.
=9. (Low-Priced)=—Is a favorite blend in Scented tea localities,
particularly when the water is hard or cloudy. To 10 pounds Saryune
Congou add 1 pound Amoy Foochow and 1 pound Orange Pekoe. The fullness
and smoothness of Saryune is unequalled for blending by that of any
other low-priced Congous, but must be selected with care, as they are
sometimes sour, often rank and frequently dusty. For those preferring an
Oolong a cheap Saryune Oolong is best substituted for the Congou in
Scented blends, the affinity being stronger and more natural. Another
good blend intended for the same trade may be made from a combination of
equal proportions of a cheap but clean and free liquoring Black-leaf
Congou, Broken-leaf Assam and a Scented Caper—Foochow if the price
should permit.
=10. (Medium to Choice)=—Foundation: 10 pounds Padrae Congou or Oolong,
2 pounds thick “fruity” Kiu-kiang or delicate Kintuck and 1 pound
Foochow Orange or Flowery Pekoe make a fragrant and aromatic tea in
affiliation, the three flavors assimilating as if governed by the law of
gravitation. This will be found a tea combining strength and delicacy at
the same time and well appreciated, as the chief difficulty in tea
blending is the production of these two qualities in the same tea at the
same time.
INDO-CHINA TEA BLENDS.
The selection of India teas for blending is more difficult than that of
either China or Japan, most India teas possessing a sharp, acrid or
“baked” flavor not found in the former kinds and the natural result of
excess of tannin and artificial curing. These “peculiarities” consumers
in this country greatly dislike, and to such an extent that is only when
the finest grades are used that they can be neutralized, disguised or
well-tempered with the heavier bodied China sorts that they will use
them at all. For an “all-India blend” the best plan is to mix three or
four different district kinds together in equal quantities—a strong,
heavy Assam, a brisk and pungent Cachar, a soft and juicy Deradoon and
high-flavored Kangra or Darjeeling; the latter will impart a distinctive
tone to the entire combination. But fairly excellent results may also be
obtained from a blend composed of equal parts of Cachar and Darjeeling
alone.
=11. (Low-Priced)=—Is produced from proportionate quantities of a
heavy-drawing Broken-leaf Assam or Darjeeling Oonfa Congou and Cachar
Souchong, the whole making a rough-looking but full-bodied, strong and
“grippy” tea.
=12. (Medium)=—Prepared from ½ Darjeeling Souchong, ½ Kee-mun or
Ningchow Congou and ¼ Paklin. Its predominant feature will be delicacy,
though not sufficiently so to please a general trade, the Paklin
detracting from the body, but imparting a rich, deep color to the whole.
=13. (Choice)=—Is a good combination certain to be appreciated by lovers
of the India and Scented varieties, is made from ½ of a brisk, pungent
Assam Souchong, ¼ Ningchow or fruity Kintuck and ⅛ Foochow Caper. The
Ningchow should be grey-leaf and as heavy as can be procured, but
without being coarse or “tarry,” and the Assam as pungent as can be
obtained at the time.
SOME ENGLISH BLENDS.
Blended teas are the rule in England, where the skillful mixing of tea
has become an art, very little, if any tea being sold to consumers that
is not mixed or blended in some manner, every dealer, both wholesale and
retail being identified with or noted for some particular flavored tea.
Many of the blends sold in London, although differing widely in
character, are most skilfully and scientifically combined, the greatest
care being taken that no tea is introduced which might act detrimentally
upon any other tea in the blend. The majority of these blends are
markedly distinct, almost opposite, the chief features of one being a
rough, strong, but ripe Saryune Congou, that of another being an
even-leafed, delicate-flavored Chingwo, the base of a third being a
plain Ningchow or fruity Oonfa, to which is added an Assam Pekoe or
Souchong to increase its thickness and pungency as well as give tone to
the mixture, together with a small quantity of low-priced Kaisow to
reduce its cost. But however great the divergence in the blends,
whenever knowledge and judgment have been brought to bear on the subject
success has followed in its wake, and although the most of the
combinations are exceedingly popular there is still ample room for the
introduction of others as well as for improvements upon those that are
at present in use.
=14.= The following is a very popular London blend, and will be duly
appreciated among English residents generally: 3 pounds Kaisow Congou, 2
pounds Souchong, 2 pounds Assam, 1 pound Pekoe and 1 pound Foochow
Oolong. The foundation of this combination as will be observed, is
composed of China Congous, the Souchong enriching, the Assam giving
sharpness and pungency, the Oolong softening and mellowing and the Pekoe
imparting aroma and piquancy to the entire.
=15.= Another English blend, cheaper, and consequently not as
satisfactory, is composed as follows: 6 pounds Ningchow, 6 pounds Oonfa
and 5 pounds Cachar or Darjeeling Congous, 5 pounds Oolong, 1 pound
Caper and 1 pound Pekoe. The Congous forming the base of this blend
being lacking in strength, an extra quantity of Cachar is required to
“bring them up,” while the equal quantity of Oolong softens and the
Scented teas give a tone to the high-toasty flavor of the India.
In Blending teas scoops or guessing should not be relied on, but scales
and weights always used in measuring. If it is worth the time and
trouble to test a number of teas so that the most suitable may be
selected, it certainly must be worth a little more of each to weigh and
arrange the proportions in the best and most advantageous manner, and
not risk the success of the combination by a rough conjecture at the
various quantities composing it. The advantage of correctly weighing tea
for blending is not surpassed by that of selecting it in the first
place, and a blend should never, under any circumstances, have its cost
reduced by the introduction of a tea coarser or rougher in leaf than
that of the majority of the kinds composing the mixture. Low-priced teas
when used for this purpose should be clean, plain and sweet, as a tea of
more pronounced character will stamp its own impression on the other
teas instead of its being lost among them, its coarse features standing
out prominently, while the superior qualities of the finer grades will
be, if not entirely obliterated, so marred as to be unrecognizable.
Whereas, if the blend is so arranged that the most powerful tea is also
the highest grade in it, the effect is that all the other teas are
elevated to its level. Teas should on no account be ever blended in wet
or damp weather, as they have a natural susceptibility for absorbing
moisture and all surrounding odors. After blending, they should be
immediately replaced in the original lead-lined package and covered, or
in tightly-covered cans, to exclude the air and protect them from the
weather, and then allowed to stand from a week to ten days in order to
let them assimilate and unite their opposite qualities.
VARIOUS METHODS OF PREPARING FOR USE.
In China, where tea has been in use from time immemorial, and where it
not only forms the regular beverage of the people but also administers
to the luxury of the epicure, it is generally prepared in the cup. The
tea service consists of large porcelain cups which fit into a silver
base, a smaller cup and cover, the leaves being placed in the large cup
which is filled with boiling water and also covered. In about two
minutes when the tea is drawn it is decanted from the large to the
smaller cups, the cover being used to strain off the tea, after which it
is drank without the addition of either sugar or milk. Another shorter
method is to first put a small quantity of leaves in a cup and place a
perforated silver-lid on top to keep them down, _briskly_ boiling water
is then poured on and the cups covered with a saucer to prevent the
aroma from escaping. The tea is then allowed to brew or “draw” in this
manner from eight to ten minutes, after which the infusion is drank from
the original cup. By these simple processes only the more volatile and
stimulating properties of the leaves are extracted the tannin or
astringent principle being retained in the leaves and an immeasurably
much finer beverage produced than by any other known method.
The Mandarins and wealthier Chinese prepare it in a small hollow ball
made of either gold or silver, about the size of a walnut, suspended
from a finger-ring by a slender chain of the same material four to five
inches long. This “tea-ball” is divided in the middle, the halves being
hinged and perforated with innumerable holes, but is often made like a
globular sieve of gold or silver wire connected in the same manner. The
halves are filled with tea-leaves and then clasped tight and suspended
by the ring and chain from one of the fingers of the right hand into a
porcelain cup of freshly boiling water and gently moved to and fro or up
and down until the water is colored to the desired height, the strength
of the infusion thus prepared depending much on the length of time the
tea-ball is agitated in the cup, making it strong or weak as may be
required. The Chinese invariably make the infusion with rain or spring
water heated to a high degree, the ebullition lasting only a few minutes
and poured on the leaves just as soon as the bubbles appear on top of
the water.
* * * * *
The Japanese, to whom tea is as valuable as it is to the Chinese, first
reduce the leaves to a fine powder by grinding them in a small hand-mill
made for the purpose, and then mix it with hot water to the consistency
of a thin pulp, in which form it is sipped, not drank, particularly by
the aristocracy and richer people, being made and served to visitors in
the following manner: The tea-table, with the powdered tea enclosed in a
box, is set before the company and the cups filled with boiling water as
much of the powder as would cover the point of a knife put into each
cup, which is then stirred and mixed with a curious denticulated
instrument until the liquor foams, in which state it is served to the
company, and sipped while warm. Customarily they strain the liquid
before drinking, but frequently the tea and pulverized leaves are drank
together in the same manner that the Turks and other Orientals use
coffee.
* * * * *
In Cashmere a beverage called “Cha Tulch” is prepared from tea by
boiling the leaves in a tin-lined copper pot to a strong, dark
decoction, and while boiling briskly _phule_ (red potash), anise-seed
and a little salt is added, after which it is poured into a kettle and
finally served in porcelain tea-cups. It is also prepared there in a
vessel termed a _Chajos_—kettle and tea-pot combined—and poured direct
into the cups, but is used only after meals, more particularly after the
morning repast. The morning meal, consisting of this decoction and some
plain biscuit served hot. Another preparation, known as “churned tea,”
made in a similar manner, but afterwards regularly churned like milk, is
highly prized among them, being used exclusively for entertaining
visitors. And there is no doubt that the Cashmere ladies talk scandal,
vent their grievances and discuss their bonnets and their babies over
this peculiar beverage in the same manner as do their more civilized
sisters in America at their “five o’clock teas.”
* * * * *
Vumah cha or “Cream tea” is the favorite form in Turkestan in the
preparation of which only Black tea is used, but is a much stronger
decoction than that ordinarily made. The leaves are boiled in a copper
pot and the color heightened by lifting spoonfuls up and letting them
fall back again into the vessel while boiling, cream being added to it
meantime and bread soaked in it, after which it is eaten. Another
preparation termed Seen cha or “bitter tea” is made from Green tea
infused in the regular way, but drawn for a shorter time, as the lighter
the color the higher it is valued.
* * * * *
The Persians boil the leaves in a pot or kettle until the water assumes
a blackish color and bitter taste, after which they add fennel,
anise-seed, cloves and sugar to it, while the Hindoos and Cingalese
simply put the leaves in seething water and use the liquor only without
the addition of any other ingredient. In Chinese-Tartary tea is prepared
in the customary manner as with us, but the liquor and leaves are
swallowed together. The Mongols generally add milk, but make a much
stronger decoction and use only the infusion, while the Bokharis use
only Black tea mixed with camel’s milk or suet, breaking up their bread
in it, always carrying a bag of it with them when traveling, giving it
to their innkeepers to brew as they need it.
* * * * *
In Siam when the water is well boiled they pour it on the leaves which
have been put in an earthen pot proportional to the quantity they intend
to make, the ordinary amount being as much as they can take up with the
finger and thumb to a pint of water. They cover the pot until the leaves
have sunk to the bottom and then serve it up in china dishes to be drank
as hot as can be endured without sugar or milk.
* * * * *
A preparation called _Shamma_ or “residue” is made from the spent or
exhausted leaves—that is, leaves once used—in Beloochistan, and chewed
like the pan or betel-leaf is in India and the coca in South America,
and is claimed to have the same exhilarating effect in enabling them to
stand fatigue and long journeys.
* * * * *
Tea is prepared for use in Thibet by first grinding the leaves and
mixing them with bullock’s blood. This compound is then pressed into the
form of bricks, dried by a fire-heat and wrapped in sheepskin until
required for use, in which form it also serves as a currency throughout
Central Asia. A kind of “bouillon” or soup is made from them by boiling
in water and adding salt flour, oil, tallow or camel’s milk.
* * * * *
Among the Arabs tea is prepared by first placing a large kettle over a
wood fire to heat and then filling it with water, the leaves being
meantime mixed with salt and thrown into the water as it heats. When it
approaches the boiling point they are rapidly stewed and lifted with a
large ladle until the liquid becomes dark brown, when it is poured into
another vessel, the kettle being cleaned meanwhile and a paste composed
of meal and butter put in to fry in it. The tea infusion with cream
added is then poured on the whole, ladled as before, after which the
mass is removed and set aside to cool. In this condition it is ladled
into wooden mugs and served up, the decoction thus prepared forming both
meat and drink, satisfying hunger and thirst at the same time.
* * * * *
Tea in Morocco is regarded as a “course meal” the tea-pot or kettle is
first filled with Green tea, sugar and water in such proportion as to
make a thick syrup, which is used without the addition of milk or cream,
but frequently add spearmint, wormwood, verbena, citron, and on great
occasions ambergris. It is usually drank while seated cross-legged on
soft carpets, spread on the floor around a costly tray with small feet
raising it a few inches from the floor, furnished with glasses in place
of cups, nothing else being taken at the meal. An infusion made of tea
and tansy is also a favorite beverage with the people of Morocco which
is highly aromatic and tonic in its effect, and claimed by them to be a
remedy for debility.
* * * * *
In Switzerland it is customary to mix cinnamon with the leaves before
making the infusion, and brew both together at the same time in the
usual manner. While in France and other continental countries brandy,
wine, or other liquor is generally added to the beverage before
drinking.
* * * * *
The Russians, who are a nation of tea-drinkers, and who are close enough
to the Chinese to have received some knowledge of their methods of
preparing tea for use, are very particular in using fresh-boiled water.
They prepare it in the same manner as with us, sliced lemon being
invariably added to the infusion before using, which wonderfully
improves the flavor, making a delicious beverage. Sugar or milk are
seldom added, but in cold weather a kind of liquor called “Vodki” is
substituted for the lemon, the latter making it a potent drink, sending
a glow all over the body. The vessels used by Russians in making tea
consists of a small china tea-pot and a “Samovar” invariably, but the
tea is not brewed or “drawn” in this vessel as is generally supposed, it
being simply the utensil in which the water is boiled, taking the place
and serving the same purpose as our tea-kettle. It is usually of brass,
though often of other metal, urn-like in shape, but, unlike an ordinary
urn, having an inner compartment or cylinder running through the middle,
in which is placed burning charcoal for heating the water to an extreme
temperature on the principle of a tubular boiler. The charcoal is not
lighted until the Samovar is placed on the table, the water being drawn
on to the tea as required, the tea being first put in a porcelain or
earthenware tea-pot and filled from the Samovar; the first water is
poured off the tea as soon as it is put on, being used merely to carry
off the dust. A second water is then used for drawing the tea,
sufficient to make a strong infusion, being poured on at once, after
which the tea-pot is covered, an ample “cosy” being fitted over it to
keep the tea warm and prevent the aroma from escaping, and is then
allowed to draw from four to five minutes. Sufficient of this beverage
is poured into each cup or _glass_ and a slice of lemon added, as tea is
drank chiefly from glasses set in metal frames in Russia, and the glass
refilled with boiling water from the Samovar.
* * * * *
It is strange that nothing is ever done in this country by dealers to
attempt to educate or enlighten their customers how to properly prepare
their tea, study the water or preserve its aromatic properties after
purchasing, seeing, as they must, how little the art is understood in
this country particularly. Good tea can be kept intact, like good wine,
for years with considerable advantage to both dealer and consumer alike,
and there is no valid reason why consumers of tea should not be as
particular and fastidious as buyers of wine. But to obtain good tea in
the first place the consumer should purchase only the best, it requiring
much less of the finer grades to make a good infusion—purchasing only
from the most reputable dealers, those who know or study to understand
their business. As a nation, the American people want the best of
everything, or, as they characteristically express it, “the best is good
enough for them,” and they intend to have it if money can purchase it.
But of what avail is the best—tea for instance—if it be not prepared
properly or in such a manner as to develop and secure its more delicate,
subtle, volatile, refreshing and exhilarating properties. A country that
expends annually upwards of sixteen millions of dollars on this
commodity alone ought to devote a little more time and trouble in
studying the best methods of preparing it and in extracting its most
desirable and fragrant qualities.
Tea may be made depressing and injurious, or exhilarating and wholesome,
according to the manner in which it is treated and prepared for use.
Many who imagine that a high, dark-colored liquor indicates strength,
boil the leaves, while others, again, spoil the tea by putting the
leaves into the boiling water, some people putting the leaves in cold
water and then placing the vessel over the fire to boil, prolonged
infusion being still another serious mistake. All of these methods
produce the same evil results—that of extracting an increased amount of
the tannic acid—thereby destroying the flavor of the tea by giving it a
bitter and astringent taste as well as imparting an almost ink-black
color to the infusion.
The falsely economical custom of filling the tea-pot a second time
without removing the exhausted leaves is another error in the making of
tea, as the theine which is only soluble in fresh-boiled water, is
wholly extracted in the first drawing and cannot for this reason be
present in the second, the latter being merely a decoction composed
chiefly of tannin. To avoid this error a sufficient quantity of tea
should be made in the first drawing or fresh leaves supplied as needed.
And still another reprehensible practice is that of adding fresh leaves
to those that have already been used once, it being utterly impossible
to add either to the strength or flavor of tea by putting more leaves in
the tea-pot after the first drawing, for the reason that _tea-water_
will not extract the active principle—theine—from the dry leaves of
fresh tea; _only fresh boiling water will do this_. The use of tea-water
simply increases the amount of tannin, darkens the color, destroys the
flavor and only adds to the quantity of leaves already in the pot
without in the least affecting the active principle, so that if it be
necessary to increase the strength of the tea prepared, draw some fresh
leaves in a separate vessel and add the liquor to that already made.
Tea being an _infusion_, not a _decoction_, it should be _brewed_, not
_stewed_, the object being to extract as much of the _theine_ or
refreshing principle and as little of the _tannin_ or astringent
property as possible, without, at the same time, either boiling or
overdrawing. So that in the proper preparation of tea for use, the aim
and object should be to extract as little of the _tannin_ as possible
and as much of the _theine_ and _volatile_ oil as can be conveniently
extracted without permitting the infusion to boil, to obtain which most
desirable result the following general rules are recommended: Put the
requisite quantity of leaves in a covered china or earthenware
vessel—avoid tin or metal of any kind, even silver—then pour on fresh,
_briskly_-boiling water and let stand where it will keep _hot_ without
boiling from seven to ten minutes according to the variety of tea used.
In this time, while the tea is _drawing_, only the refreshing and
stimulating principles (theine and volatile) are extracted from the
leaves. Boiling or prolonged infusion dissolves and brings out the
astringent principle (tannin) which injures the nerves and impairs
digestion, for which reason no tea that has been either boiled or
overdrawn is fit to drink. When tea has been boiled or overdrawn it can
be readily detected by the exceedingly dark color of the liquor, as well
as by its bitter and astringent flavor.
To insure a really good “cup of tea” the kettle must be filled with
_fresh_ water—if distilled the better—and boiled for about three
minutes; there will be a sparkle about tea made with fresh-boiled water
that it cannot receive from flat, hot water, which has been boiled long
or repeatedly. For moderate strength it requires one heaping teaspoonful
of good tea to each half-pint of boiling water or an ordinary tea-cup
half-full to a quart of water will make a sufficiently strong infusion
for five persons. No metal vessel, not even one of silver, is fit to
make tea in, nothing being better adapted for the purpose than the
old-fashioned tea-pot of heavy, glazed, brown earthenware, covered with
a tea-cosy—a tufted cushion, cap-shaped, which envelopes the tea-pot,
keeping the tea warm and the aroma from escaping. This vessel must be
first “scalded” and set on the range to dry and keep hot, after which
the tea is put in and allowed to heat for a few minutes before the
boiling water is poured on the leaves, and the infusion allowed to draw
or “brew” from five to ten minutes according to the variety of tea under
treatment.
India and Ceylon teas are usually “drawn” in five minutes, longer
infusion, owing to their great excess of tannin, making them still more
bitter and astringent than they naturally are under ordinary conditions.
The addition of extra quantities of milk and sugar, however, greatly
modifies their great strength, sharp pungency and pronounced flavor.
China Green and Japan teas require from six to eight minutes to “draw”
thoroughly, while China Oolongs are best at from eight to ten. China
Congous yielding lower percentages of tannin than most other varieties,
the time allowed should be longer than ten minutes if a full yield of
their best properties should be desired. They will also be found more
suitable to temperaments to which teas containing larger quantities of
tannin are found injurious or objectionable. China teas in general do
not require much milk or sugar, while Japans are more pleasing and
palatable without the addition of either.
Everything should be clean, the water fresh and the tea drawn at a
specific heat, to insure which requires a brisk fire or gas heat, and
different treatment according to the season of the year. Care should be
taken that the water boils, it being much better to let it boil for a
few minutes than use it under the boiling point. In winter the vessel
should be made hot and the leaves heated in it before the water is
poured on, for about a minute, while in summer the tea-pot need not be
heated or the water poured on while boiling, but should be allowed to
cease for a few seconds, more or less, according to the heat of the day.
It is also a needless operation to pour a small quantity of water on the
tea for a preliminary drawing, as is frequently done. Always fill the
tea-pot, or pour in at once the quantity required, but for the more
temperate seasons a modification of these methods may be adopted. The
longest time that any tea should be allowed to steep is from five to ten
minutes. As soon as it has been steeped this length of time, at the
outside, it should be served. Even if it is allowed to remain on the
stove a few minutes after this time it will be ruined.
The character of the water used greatly influences the liquor and flavor
of the tea. Soft water should always be used when available, it being
next to impossible to make good tea with hard water. Excess of lime in
the water also deteriorates the infusion, the last difficulty may,
however, be remedied by the judicious use of carbonate of soda, as much
as would cover the face of a dime being sufficient for an ordinary
drawing of tea.
Tea being an extremely delicate and sensitive article, it should be
protected from all foul and foreign flavors, its susceptibility to the
odors of other articles being a source of danger and deterioration, as
it readily absorbs the smell of coffee, cocoa, spices, meats, fish and
other commodities of pronounced flavor. Even when securely packed in the
lead-lined chests in which it is received from the producing countries,
the change from the glowing heat of Eastern skies to our atmosphere
deprives it of much of its pleasing fragrance. For this reason the
complaints so frequently made would not arise if always kept in places
free from contagion or stored in a dry, warm temperature and not exposed
to atmospheric influences.
BEVERAGES PREPARED FROM TEA.
=Iced Tea=—Put the requisite quantity of leaves in an earthen vessel and
pour on briskly boiling water until the vessel is nearly full, and let
it infuse or draw from two to three minutes; in no case permit it to
boil, as boiling or long infusion extracts the tannin and imparts to it,
even the best tea, a disagreeable, herby or astringent taste. When
infusion is complete, strain the liquor out of the tea-pot into a jar,
demijohn or other covered receptacle, and place it in a cool place for a
few hours, or until wanted, then serve in a cup or goblet, adding some
cracked ice and a slice or two of lemon. A fine grade of Chinese Congou
or Souchong is best adapted for this purpose. Choice Oolong is also
good, but Japan tea should never be used, as it is not pleasing when
iced to a well-regulated palate. Fine Imperials and Young Hysons are
also excellent for those whose nerves can stand Green tea, the first
two, however, are best of all, having an especially agreeable flavor
when iced. Plenty of ice is needed, which should be _cracked_, not
_crushed_, and the lemon cut in quarters, the juice being squeezed out
and the pulp scraped into the tea. The rind should never be used, as the
oil contained in it imparts to the beverage a bitterish taste; use
neither milk or sugar unless you are compelled to from habit. It is the
bitter flavors of the tea and lemon together that is required to allay
the parched feeling of the palate and throat.
=Extract of Tea=—In hot weather an infusion of tea-leaves made in cold
water is much superior to that made in hot or boiling, for the reason
that the aroma will not be dissipated. An extract made in this manner
may be bottled, and if placed in a moderate temperature will keep for
any reasonable time until required for use. When serving, fill the glass
with cracked ice, put some sugar on top of it, add a slice or two of
lemon and then pour on the extract thus made; the result will be a
nectar fit for the gods.
=Essence of Tea=—Is produced from the leaves by distillation in the form
of a dark-colored fluid, of which one or two spoonfuls added to boiling
water will make an excellent cup of tea in a very short time. When
prepared in a tea-pot, the water should be put in first and the
requisite quantity of essence added afterwards; the flavor will be
pronounced, coming out remarkably well in the liquor. This essence, when
pure and properly made, will keep for any length of time in any climate
on land or sea.
=New Beverages=—An effervescent wine may be produced from tea by forcing
carbonic acid gas into the plain liquor as ordinarily prepared, and
another beverage is produced by the introduction of an effervescing wine
to the liquor only. While a pleasing drink is also prepared by treating
the ordinary infusion with a little yeast and sugar, a tea-wine being
produced from it differing in color and flavor according to the
proportions in which the constituents are combined. Still another being
evolved from this by the addition of a little alcohol to the compound. A
drink called Rohrer or “tea spirit” is again produced by adding either
whisky or brandy to the plain infusion when fresh made.
=Paraguayan Tea=—Is prepared in a filter or perforated bowl, known as a
Maté, heated with warm water. A thin layer of sugar is first put in and
a layer of leaves laid on top, another layer of sugar being added, the
leaves being sandwiched between. The vessel is next filled with boiling
water, which is allowed to percolate through the leaves and sugar.
Before serving it is again sweetened with sugar until it becomes almost
syrupy in substance, and frequently flavored with cinnamon, orange or
lemon juice. Goat’s milk is often used instead of water, when thus
prepared the infusion becomes ambrosial, approaching to that of
“Chocolate Italienne” or nectar in flavor, becoming still more palatable
when cold, but if allowed to stand too long exposed to the influence of
the atmosphere it gets muddy and sours quickly.
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