Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-08
THE TEA WE DRINK.
A Good Deal of it Anything Except
Just What it Pretends to Be.
MADE OF ALL KINDS OF LEAVES.
ANY Color Desired Secured by the Use of
Poisons and Drugs.
THE PUREsT COSTS THE MOST MONEY

teenth century that Europeans got an op-
portunity of practically trying the Celestial
beverage AS at that time the small guam
titles imported were sold at $50 per pound,
necessarily, the plebeian palate got but.little
chance at it. Toward the latter part of the
seventeenth century, however, the price ap-
preached more reasonable figures. and then
the European had an opportunity to regale
himself on the luxury that for centuries had
been the exclusive privilege of the China
man. 1t was then soon discovered that the
latter's fondness for the decoction was we'll
founded. Since that time tea has found its
way into the dietary of civilized man every
where. To-day the consumption is enor-
nous, reaching nearly 100, 100000 pounds
annually.
Recent statistics show that there has been
decrease in the quantity of tea consumed
in the United States, with at the same time
corresponding increase in the consump-
tion of coffee. Statistics also show that,
while there is four times as much tea as
coffee drunk in Great Britain, in the United
States eight times more coffee than tea is
consumed.
TEA AS IT IS DRUNK.
The tea of commerce is a preparation
made from the leaves of the tea plant,
known to the botanist as thea sinensis.
From this one species of plant all the differ
ent varieties of the commercial product are
made. As cultivated, the tea plant is
very ordinary looking bush, averaging four
or five feet high, though, if not stunted by
plucking the leaves, 1t would attain the
40 feet in height. with a trunk
foot or two in diameter and leaves
five or six inches in length. The two
chief classes of tea, green and black, are
both Obtained from the same plant. The
differences in color and flavor are due alto
gether to differences in the processes of man
ufacture, the black variety owing its re-
spective qualities chiefly to its being allowed
to undergo slight fermentation. Of the two
classes, green and black tea, there are many
kinds known to commerce under variety
of names. These different varieties vary
much in quality and flavor, according to
the conditions OF soil and climate and the
individual skill of the manufacturer As
in all similar matters, high quality depends
on the careful carrying out of details, such
as the time of picking, length Of time in
the drying pan, etc. Quality and flavor de-
pend also. like tobacco, on the time OF pluck
ing, age of the plant, age of the leaf, etc"
Three crops OF leaves are usually picked
from the tea plant, and of these crops the
first is the finest, the last the poorest In
quality and flavor. The qualities that the
tea drinker wants, though often he cannot
describe them himself, are delicacy and
FULLNEss OF FLAVOR,
and what is called body. As with wines,
this body goes with the satisfying property,
and without it neither tea nor wine can be
considered good. Often you will hear a
person say they do not like this or that kind
of tea, though he cannot tell you why. The
reason generally is that in the mixing of
varieties, to which almost all commercial
teas are subjected, sufficient of the variety
strong in body has not been put in.
Tea, like coffee, is not food, though it is
most useful article of diet. 1t probably
does not directly aid digestion to any e1-
tent, but it creates feeling of well being
and partial disregard for the minor annoy
ances of life, causing the mind to rest easier,
and thus it indirectly aids digestion. For
certain it is that an easy mind is better
assistant to digestive processes than even
peptonic pills. The refreshing and stimu-
lating properties of tea are well known,
and these properties render 1T often
very valuable if not resorted to too many
times in the day. Excessive use of tea leads
inevitably to nervous prostration, when
tnere Is Venuency III tnal ulrec1ion' 1hls
anu al sne oInel pny nysiolosicai enects OF Yea
are emery que 70 tne actlVe prlHciPle eaIlea
w. 1ne ,.aI;.d dIO ~, o5din oa "uicn, Il
pared beverage before drinking, constringes
or Fuckers the mouths of the digestive
glands, partially preventing them from
pouring out their secretions, and thus inter-
fering with digestion. Therefore,
DRINK CREAM,
ba n ever en- little In vonr taa Or - VA,
nrefer II Won NAV take the cream senorota
from, the tea. thev will mir and baye tbo
same effect in the stomach ANYWAY For
this naturalization of the tannin' skim mill
will do, but cream is better. When iced
tea Is taken, IL snoulo always De followed or
Preceoeo WIN at least swallow or TWO OF
cream or miik. i
III Ia"ioh Vi 'he lact Inat IONS OF
Tea are annualiy consumed In America, and
also IN view OF tne Iact tnat the product is |
in daily use in every household, the report |
of a careful examination of 100 SAMPLES of |
tea taken from the general marLaf noor
rrore ;n+orost;no r. ~. 1A.s. D'a ~ |
P; Pto's L UniS uipose "
specimens each VI green ahc olack tea, OF |
all eraoeS, from ~ Genus TO Sl per pound, |
were analyzeo WIN tne iolloWing result. |
vi tne oo sam pies Oh green Tea, all but three |
were Iouno 70 oe artieeiaily colored. This
aiinIsS ;ee5 uGts lIinai coioration Oh Tea
eau De s11ineu Taie " anyone IA tne lolIowlng
manner lake lie" pieces OF any CONNER
cal tea ana place them IN little cold |
water, IN Onina saucer Inc green color
Ihs nat'eI wiz eoon ps seen 70 9lssolVe on
anu tlhge the "a'ef' "nlle the leaves Will
grauualIy return 70 teeir natural, unpalnted |
color. Diach yea OF the pest grades was
iouho 70 pe 9uite iree from coloring matters;