The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1880-04-03
Tea-Tasters in New York.
TRrouu tho Ma1ical Ra~nr1


There are, says DR.. Dana, probably more
than hundred firms engaged in tea-tasting
in this city. In all of their Offices there are
large tables with round revolving tops. A
circle of teacups is placed along the edge of
these. The tea-taster sits down before the
display of crockery and tastes one cup after
another, moving the table top around. In
the center of the table Is pair of scales
with silver half-dime in one of the bal
ances. One or two large kettles are kept
constantly with boiling water in them.
When sample of tea is to be tasted, as
much is weighed out as will balancethe half
dime. This is put in teacup and the boil
ing water poured on the leaves. The tea
faster then stirs up the leaves, lifts them on
his spoon, and inhales the aroma. A. the
same time he generally takes sip of the in
fusion, holds it in his mouth for short time,
and then spits it out. Enormous brass cuspa-
dores, holding two or three gallons, receive
the tea thus tasted and the contents of the
cups that have been examined. On some
occasions, when large amount OF tea of a
certain kind is to be bought, many samples
ofthis are brought in from different houses.
The buyers and sellers sit around the re.
volving table with the samples made into
infusions in the cups before them. These
are tasted all around, the "body," ''fne.
ness" "toastiness," ETC., are learnedly dis
cussed, and the poorer specimens discarded.
Then those that are left are tasted again and
the number further reduced. So it goes on
until the article which unites the desired
quality and price is obtained.
The skill displayed at these drawings" is
quite remarkable. A tea-taster will detect
not only the quality of tea as regards age,
strength, flavor, fineness, etc., but he Can tell
in which of the numerous districts in China
the tea was grown. The facts regarding ii:
different samples are sometimes put on the
bottom Of the cups, where they can not be
seen. The cups are then mixed up, and the
infusiOns tasted again and sorted out simply
by their favors.
A great deal of tea may be tasted before
these tea-drawings are finished. 1t is hard
to tell the amount that q tea-taster takes dur
ing the day, for it varies great deal with
the activity of business. Few Of the gentle
men whom / asked could give any idea.
Sometimes, however, as many as four or FIVE
hundred cups are tasted in q day. 1t is
quite the custom to have to be tasting tea
steadily for the most of the day, or for hours
at time. Probably an average of 200 cups
a day throughout the year is low estimate.
The poorer kinds of tea are often not slipped
at all, but the sense of smell depended oD.
Of the better qualities of tea, some is swal-
lowed, and some spit out. Indeed, when
ever the tea is taken in the mouth little of
it is swallowed. The tea gets into the sys-
tenn, therefore, in three ways: by inhalation,
by absorption through the oral mucous
membrane, and by the stomach. More tea
is simply taken into the mouth without
swallowing than is inhaled alone; but all
the tea is inhaled, even if it is tasted also. 1t
is only small proportion, amounting to not
more than two or three cups day, that is
swallowed. A silver fve-cent piece weighs
LIS grms. (gr. xviii.) Estimating that an
average of 200 cups of tea are tasted in a
day, about one half of a pound would repre-
sent the whole amount used.
japan tea has of late years become by far
the most popular variety, and more of it is
imported than all other kinds together.
Green tea, on the other hand, is much less
extensively used that formerly.