Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1870-01-27
The Tea District of China.

! Charles G. Coffin who recently
made a journey round the world, and
has since published a book upon what
he saw, thus refers to the tea district
of China: Tea drinking issO general
among Americans, that brief des-
criptiOn of the plant, its cultivation,
and the preparation of the leaves for
market, will be of interest. That can
not be accounted a small matter which
affects, in any measure, the happiness
OF thirty millions of people, three
! hundred and siXty-five times a year.
The consumption of tea in the United
! States amounts to more than sc, ,000, 600
pounds per annum, or nearly one
pound for each inhabitant. Americans
use an uDduly large portion of green
tea, but no Chinaman would think of
drinking this variety which we so
highly prize, for they know that the
| greenness which gives it such value
in our estimation, is not q natural con-
| ditiOn of the leaf in its dried state. It
is obtained by the admixture of for
eign substances, and poison at that
| Prussian blue, and other injurious
substances, are used in the preparation
of green tea. The tea shrub is an ev-
ergreen and may be propagat6d either
| by suds or Slops. When the plant has
attained height of foot or more, it
| is transplanted into we'll cultivated
| fields. 1t sometimes attains a growth
that would seem to give it a right to
be ranked among trees, yet, as culti-
waited by the Chinese, it is not often
more than seven feet in height. The
| root is not unlike that of the peach,
and the plant is very tenacious of life.
1t blossoms in the winter, the flower
| resembling the wild rose. The seeds
contain considerable oleaginOus mat
ter, and commodity called tea oil is
extracted from them. The shrub is
hardy and thrives we'll on poor, grav-
ely soil. 1t is very desirable to have
a southern aspect, since sunshine pros
notes the thrift of the plant, and
greatly improves the quality of the
tea. The leaves are gathered three
times year. The first picking occurs
early in the spring, while the leaves
are young and tender. This crop is
mostly bought up by the Mandarins
and wealthy people. Very little, if
any, of this harvest reaches America.
The second plucking comes several
weeks later, and the quality inferior.
The third is in midsummer; quality,
poorer still, and it is gathered with
less care. The tea is prepared for mar
ket roasting or firing, as the process is
called. Iron pans are brought to diff
ferent degrees of heat over charcoal
fires. The tea is first subjected to
low degree of heat; when sufficiently
! heated it is thrown upon a mat, and
the leaves are rolled; then pass into
the pan, which has higher tempera-
ture; then rolled again. Each pro-
cess is called "a firing" When a Chi
naman desires to make a superb drink,
| he elects the tender leaves of a young
plant. He does not boil them, keep
ing in The aroma by having a close
fitting cover to the pot or cup in which
| the tea is made In the tea saloons, we
notice, that all the grounds are care
| fully saved. Those in our cups, as
well as those in the cups of the ma
| tives, who drink at q neighhOring
table, are tossed into a basket, which,
when full, is emptied upon a serene
and placed in the sun. After drying
while they are "fredn again, color
ing water added, the leaves rc-rOlled,
re-packed and sold as good as new, to
uO SeINICG OiICG tIOAGg HHlNC AihCIJ III
the United States. The average cost
of tea in China is from fifteent to twen-
ty cents per pound, but dut es,
freights, insurance, interest on capi-
tai profits to importers and middle
men swell it to the prices we have to
pay them. More poor tea is drank in
the United States than any other land.
Russia imports the best, England
stands next, and consumes an enor-
nous quantity. France uses but little,
cheap wine and beer takes its place.
The value of the export Of tea from
China to Great Britt8in and the Uni
ted States is as follows: