Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-03-21
Adulterated Tea.

full il there are many readers of the
Herald who are not indebted to the
fragrant tea for benefits almost in
Vulnerable. Tea" wrote an ancient
Chinaman, "tempers the spirit and
harmonizes the mind; dispels lassitude
and relieves fatigue; awakens thought
and prevents drowsiness; lightens and
refreshes the body and clears the per-
ceptive faculties" Possibly the ancient
Chinaman was preiudiced in favor of
his native growth, but if so there are
hundreds of thousands in every civil
lied land who will cheerfully bear wit
ness to the refreshing influences, the
calming and soothing potencies of this
Oriental beverage. There is, however,
general feeling, not to say decided
conviction, that the delight and bene-
fits derived from tea might be vastly
greater if the leaf from which the tea
is made could be had in its virgin puri-
ty, undisguised, uncolored, unadulter-
ated
In spite of the cheapness of labor and
the facility with which good tea is
raised in the Flowery Kingdom adul-
terations have been made for ages, are
now and probably always will be. The
adulteration abroad grows out of the
fact that fancy brands and peculiar
colors of teas command high prices,
while the heavy duty imposed here on
the import is an inducement that very
few dealers can resist. 1t is not neces-
saiily shown that these adulterations
are injurious to the consumer. Some of
them are, beyond doubt, but others are
harmless. Investigation shows that mill
ions of pounds of leaves of plants, of ash
and of plum, are dried annually by
the Chinese mlddlemen for adul-
terating purposes; while in Great Brit
ain and Protestant America leaves of
beech, elm, horse chestnut, plane, fancy
oak, willow, poplar, hawthorn and sloe
are extensively used These leaves
being ground are mixed with gum paste
and this in turn with leaves of genuine
tea. These mixtures may not do harm
to the body polite, but they certainly
do not contain the happy ingredients
| from which desirable and restful re-
freshment for mind and body come
| The sale of exhausted tea leaves was
long ago brought to the notice of Brit
ish officials. Here hotels, hospitals and
restaurants furnish immense quantities
of partially exhausted tea leaves, which
are carefully gathered, preserved, sold
and used again by families who pay
good prices for high-toned teas. The
average tea drinker knows nothing
about his tea beyond the fact of taste.
| He orders pot of tea, it is brought to
him, he pours and drinks. II it suits
his taste he is content. But there are
/ so1l
| ally examine their teas, and for such it
! is necessary to prepare the exhausted
leaves so that they will resemble, in
form and color, the original. Sulphate
of iron, rose pink, logwood and plum
bagO are found serviceable in these re-
spects. Logwood stimulates strength
in black tea and rose pink gives color
and bloom to its surface.
The London Times mentions the case
of parties who were arrested for manu-
| featuring spurious tea. 1t was found
that they had an extensive furnace, be-
fore which was suspended an iron pan,
containing sloe leaves and tea leaves
purchased from restaurant keepers.
The officers discovered large quantities
of exhausted tea leaves and bay leaves,
mixed with solution of gum and cop
peras. One of the parties was caught
stirring the leaves and gum in pan,
and over one hundred pounds of the
stuff, exactly initiating genuine tea,
were discovered in an adjoining apart
ment. These people sold largely to
country grocers. Other Investigations
detected varying proportions of starch,
gum, catechu, sulphate Of iron, black
lead, tale, China clay, soapstene and
turmeric.
There is so great demand for green
teas that the genuine article cannot be
supplied, but with characteristic inge.
nuity John Chinaman, aided and abet-
ted by Brother Jonathan, finds spurious
articles quite as good for ordinary buy.
ers. Black leaves are colored to re.
semble green leaves, and damaged
black leaves furnish the basis for the
choicest green. All that is needed to
turn damaged blacks into first class
greens is cast-iron pan, fire and the
chemicals. Turmeric, Prussian blue
and gypsum do the business to per.
feet satisfaction The coloring matter
so DISCUSSES the character of the leaves
that the fraud is not easily detected.
can be and is made from parent com.
mon tea is of itself suggestion o.
fraud, which when followed shows very
clearly that the fraud is also fact
For the sake of color and possible
bouquet the consumers of tea' make
away with thousands of pounds O.
Prussian blue every year. This color
ing is largely done in China during thu
curling process, and adds nothing
whatever, save weight and poison, tC
the leaf.
When teas were higher than at pres
ent very important importation wa!
known as lie-tea, composition mad,
of tea dust, foreign leaves, quartz anC
oxide of iron and starch. This lie-tei
(and whether there is a poorly con
cealed satire in the name or not, is /;
question: was used largely for adulter
ating purposes, but it is not used her,
at present. OF late a very noticeable
traffic has been done in recolored teas
which is reheated and then sprinkleC
with a powdered mixture of terra alba
Dutch pink and Prussian blue. Th,
leaves when covered with this impal
pable powder look quite as good as new
anu uHu Ieduy Sdl6' CJIduS6 as
may appear it is fact that the intel
ligent public resolutely decline to toucl
or be inveigled into purchasing tn
genuine article. They clamOr for tn
"nice green color" while the natural
uncolored leaf has a bilious, yellow
color, which no one cares to see.
Recently several samples of tea wer
analyzed and carefully examined unde
the microscope, especially for foreigl
or spent tea leaves. With the excep
ton of tea dust and coloring matter tn
microscope revealed no foreign sub
! stance. The coloring matter looked
under a microscope, as if it had bee
plasteTed on the surface of the te
without any regard to quantity.
The mixture was composed of chin
clay and tale for the white color
= 4 II :