The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-14


still is needed in the service of tea testing.
There are infinitely nice gradations of color
to be noted among the numerous cups of
hot tea, each made with special quantity
of leaves-enough to balance silver half
dime-when they have stood prescribed
time, and those tints indicate strength.
Then it must be discerned whether there is
any excess of colOring matter or facing on
the dry leaves-plumbago on the Japanese
and indigo or 'Prussian blue" on the Chin
csc. But, after all, the nose is the organ
chiefly relied upon to determine the quality
and detect the worth, from 20 cents up to
81 so per pound of the almost illimitable
varieties of ''gun powders" young hysons,
hysons, imperials, Oolongs-Formosa, Foo
Chow, CongOn and Amoy-from China, and
the various "basket-fired," "pan-fred" and
''sun dried" teas from Japan, The black
teas are all made black by fermenting be-
fore drying. That changes not only
their color, but their flavor, and it
may be suspected both that the
process is a rather delicate one and that
the tea curers have by no means got it
down to a fine point, long as they have been
at it. Ifthey could attain definite results,
with certainty, the supposition is not a vio-
lent one that they would refrain from turn
ing out the sour-smelling and musty, straw
favored teas that offend the testers sensi-
tive nose, and are by him marked down
among the very cneapeSU RrdQeS.
Every firm of tea importers, tea brokers
and large wholesale grocery dealers, has its
own tea tester, SO that there are very many
who profess to be experts and really have
considerable ability, but in this, as in all
other professions, there are only few lat
the top of the ladder" Probably there are
not more than twenty OF thirty in New
York who may be said to "know it all. p"
The tea-tester, like the poet, is born, not
made" From among 100 lads and young
men, all ambitious to earn distinction and
pef in this way it is not likely that more
than one will develop the exceptional olfac
tories demanded by the business. And
even when one has been at it a score of
years he is still liable to be put to doubt
when some new tea comes on the market,
as for instance, when the India teas first
came here. In the words of an old expert,
consulted for the purposes of this article,
ut is not an exact science, by any means,
and those who pursue it are always learn
ing"
1t is by no means an uncommon thing for
the big importers to pay as much as 300 to
ahigh-class expert for grading the qualities
of cargo of new crop teas, work that
Will be performed in two or three hours.
Few, if any, of these exceptional experts
are salaried men. When their talents are
recognized they are given partnerships
sometimes sent out to China as resident,
buyers, and wealth is practically assured
them In London, it is said, there are none
OF them on salary, but there they COM
mand as high as $1,000 year.
Pretty much everybody who INDUCES at
all in wines and liquors makes more or less
pretense Of being Judge of them, but, in
point Of fact, those who are truly experts,
even In all this big city of New York, are
only few No man can honestly profess
TO be judge of both wines and liquors,
One might as well pretend to be at once
skilled stone mason and fine matchmaker.
Yet, expert judgment on both vinous and
alcoholic fluids depends mainly upon the
same organ-the nose. Especially does it
DO so in regard to liquors. The man who
would habitually drink them TO find out
thelr value-to the extent that a'liquor tes-
Yer must examine samples-would probably
nave but short career and be mainly re-
membered by the horrifying spectacle of
the coats Of his stomach that some ''prohi-
oltlon" society would get out.
vast majority of those whose opinion
upon qualities and values OF liquors are re-
spected as almost infalible, test them by
touring few drops in the hollow of the
Hahd, rubbing the palms to gether briskly
Ior few moments and then smiling the re-
sultant aroma. Possibly sip may be held
"a Ine mouth for a moment and then ejec-
JJl' put the best expert on liquors never
vrlhK them. To do SO would soon vitlate
Tue delicate sense that they are required to
conserve. Liquor drinking is to even
sui greater extent taboo" for the test of
wines. If he knows what is good for him
soleiy with reference to preservation of his
npse and palate, be 1t understood-he will
IIohor liquors, shun stronge spices and
tEIlghly seasoned food, avoid onions, flee
rom even the presence of garlic and eschew
alIogether strong tea and coffee. Then, If
nature has endowed him with the rare
alent OF born wine tester and he has
properly developed and applied that talent
~ education, he ought to be able to detect
o ose vintage and the year of its production
% % every wine produced in any country or
~ any particular class of wines Of which he
Ia, las made study. TO expect more of him
elun that is too much. No man can be an
e,Iuaily competent judge of the still thin
ines OF Germany, the heavy bodied, ruby
o uu.el joys of Burgundy, the sprite-iDpris-
iEulnE bubbles of champagne and the glow
p1s, sweet heady vintages Of Spain and
But it is not too much of a task for an
expert, who has made study of Rhine