Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-06-30
EXAMINING TEA.
WHAT A CUSTOM HOUSE OFFICIAL
SAYS ABOUT ThE WORK.


the ..comnsreial Observation-Disclosures
Of Tee In the Producing Countries.
Tea Testine Not Injurioas.
I'm examining tea said Mr. A. Judson
Ne" York, 1--WE seldom resort to the cheini-
cal analysis The usual msthod b what u
known a. the commercial test,' which con-
sists OF pouring given quantity Of boiling
water upon given quantity OF the leaves 0f
tho tea: the character and quality Of the tea
is then determined by the odor and flavor OF
the infusion, appearance OF the leaves, etc
Questions Of the presence Of spurious sub
stance. exhausted leaves, etc., are determined
by chemical analysis. valuable aid to the
examiner"
''ls tea tasting or testing injuriousr
'Not necessarily 80. The expert, Il pos
sessed of Il critical taste and healthy olfac
tories, will determine qualities without pro
io.,geti tasting Or smelling; all excessive In
iulgence in this respect doubtless would and
sometimes does affect the nervous system, It
may he seriously"
Does not constant tasting of tea cause
general dislike for the beverager
'.lt naturally creates disgust for poor
stuff called tea but not entitled to the name,
CT which we get, under the present tea law,
entirely too much; and ut the same time Il
cultivatcs taste for the better qualities, Of
which the average tea consumer knows too
little"
..Does it not result in fondness for strong
leaf
VERY likely, "a both quality and strength
ire essential elements composing good cup
! Of tea Many good housewife fails in se
| curing good cup Of tea by not putting
enough in the pot"
! ADULTRRATIoN o. TEA.
| "How do they adulterate tea In the pro
,lucing countriesf
/ "We have no accurate knowledge upon
which to base an intelligent reply. The al
| legged methods are various, but sufficiently
veil authenticated to repeat"
'.Do they not pack q mixture u good and
.ad teas in the same chcstf'
/ .sWide variations in the quality Of leave.
'ound in the same chest or chop are ofte,
,t,served This may be the result either ol
ccident or design. It may and doubtles'
.oes occur by plucking the earlier leave'
nth those that are matured, neglectinX t
sort properly the different qualities-per
APPS intending to increase the bulk at tn
spcnse Of the quality"
"How much tea is confiscatedF
During my service only one instance o
,ouiiscation has occurred, which consisted O
few packages damaged by salt water all
lift for use."
why do you not draw samples yourselfi
''ln exceptional cases l do This duty
owever, is assigned to the sampler specit
ally selected for the purpose"
"How much tea il rejected each ycarT
A,pp, r,f
years-the total reflections are about q, ,OO
packages, or say about l,250.OOO pounds
About half of these were subsequently, AZ
united upon re-examination by arbitratio
committees, as provided by the act.
'.Do you swallow the tea in the pr.,cess {
: eyaminationf'
Every rarely, and then in very small qua
+ titles"
"How do you know that importers do NJ
adulterate after their consignment has bet
! released by you or the customs ofiicialsr
9 '.Ofi. .:ially we have no knowledge. Pr
. sumably, however, the importer sells his II
r,ortations in the original packages; al
authorizations or admixtures which do or m,
occur would be traceable, II at all, to tho !
taller, or one who breaks up the origin
n package"
70 "What do you do with the samplesf
le AFTER the examination Of the samples
ID completed they are held subject to the ord
" Of the importers, and II not called for with
{, a reasonable period are turned over to I
q custody of the collector, and are sold at pu
b, lie auction for the benefit of the governmel
" The average weight Of each sample does n
exceed three ounces, a portion Of which
consumed In the examinatiom"-New Yo
Mail and Express