New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-07-14
THE TEA-TASTERS LAMENT.
BUSINESS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE.
WHY NEwENeLANDrns USE. JAPAN TEA AND

WHY NEwENGLANDERs USE JAPAN TEA AND
soUTHERNERs LITTLE OF ANY KIND.
Few people outside of the trader know what tho
interior Of tea-brokers Office Is Ike. 1t Is curious
and interesting to one who sees It for the FIRST time
Around the walls IS arranged shelves infntude
Of small tin canistes containing samples Of tca-a
cabinet of spois from the Orient. A large table,
usually round like King Arthurs, occupies the centre
Of the room. All along its edges Is set out row
Of tescups each about half full OF clear. cold water
with a spoonful two Of tea leaves at the bottom.
The cups generally OF good ware and, in some IN
stances where the broker has aesthetic turn, they
Of frail, fine china.
The water separates the leaves and expands them
II reveals what perchance hadn't ougher' be there
and in general the expert judges Of the quality OF
great quantities OF tea by tGc way IN which few
dozen little leaves disport themselves IN small TEA
cup. Sometimes the experts judgment IS at fault or
the Z" lott Of tea purchased the strength OF the
sample falls TO develop identical excellence IN
either case that teacup brews tempest, showing
that such commissions may occur in dimensions even
smaller than those OF teapot
The round table is also provided with bowl Of
sugar pitcher Of cream and plenty OF spoons. Near
by two big copper kettles placed OF gasheaers arc
vigorously spouting steam. This means, OF course,
that In tea transactions the Of sight and touch
not relied upon wholly, but purchasers often in
ADVERTISEMENT Of The tca-brokers become artists
in the brewing of TEA, and many cup of the bev-
erage fiji 10 impart the purest exhlsration even 70
Chinese mandarin is daily consumed IN these dngy-
looking Water-st. stores and Offices.
HALF A CENTURY IN THE BUSINESS.
The other day the writer took seat at the round
table beside OF the best known importers and
brokers' In the business one Of the oldest, too for
he has followed it, "man and boy for over fifty years
The old mans feet were propped up on chair before
him; customer possible customer was there 10
claim his attention so he had nothing TO do bat
rminate, and he die # audiby in this somewhat sad
fashion:
How is this mighty trade fallen, It's just bag
atelle compared with what 1t was. Yes with what
it was in wartime. Those perfect days,
don't care whether they were In June January. 1t
the tea-broker's harvest-tme. The other day
sold lot for $500 in the good old days of '6l'G3
it would have fetched $4,000. What we made 500
on then We can only make about go on now
The tremendous drop is easily accounted for. OF
the price of everything needed for food or wear
way up during the war It had TO come down
again whom the co1founded piping 1me Of peace was
restored-the price Of tea along with the prices OF
other things But, necessarily there was lot OF
noodles in the business-there always is in every
busness-who didn't foresee the inevitable
decline and kent on importing heavily as though
the war wasn't over at all. but was 70 be another
Thirty Years affair The market wss gluttni. and
from that day to this the business has been getting
more and more into a hole.
TIE AMOUNT USED NOT MUCH CHANGED.
Its decline has been greatly helped on by one
entirly Unforeseen circumstance That circumstance
Is a general decrease IN TIA consumption III this
country. don't mean that actually less quantity
Is consumed than twenty five years ago, but that
the consumption has failed TO keep pace with the
increasing population; the quantity is, in fact Just
about what It was then No. I don't think the
arrested deveopmen OF tea-tAirst is to be at ID
uted to the evei1creasing national Ondness for beer
believe It is rather due TO the yearnns preference
for coffee the importation and consumption Of which
have increased tremendously IN this country within
the last fifteen years.
Who are the chief teadrnkers in the United
States The New-Englanders and the people Of thn
Middle and Northwestern states. They take at least
fve.axhs of all the that into this country
The New England and Middle states people drink
Japan teas pr1ncipally-partcuary the Oolong va
luety, which is really the finest tea grown. The
lNorthwesnrners get most of the China teas The
South and Southwest given up to coffee and use
Comparatively little tea.
"Can account for these varying tastes in different
6 sections Of The %o c2gHy think can ,c The
accustomed fn eas S, the pgrsst and best best
!
body who handled the before they arrived here
oonccvsd the brilliant plan OF adulterating them.
The arbitration became so general and outrageous
that the Yankees found II out and f0r several
years Now England almost entirely abstatned from
INDUCING In the beverage that eXhiIaTateS but dor
not intoXcate. Then tie fine Japan teas began 10
be offered in the New England market and were &C
ceped with avidty the New En- glanders came u pre-
fer them to The Chlnese leaves, and have kept on
doing 50 down TO the present time The Middle
States shared IN the revolution of the NewEng gland
taste and for the same reason.
RETURN TO THE PATHS OF VIRTUE.
When the people who had BEEN guilty Of adulter-
a1ng the China teas realized that they
had cut their own throats, they naturally
got good again and let ip their doctorng. But they
had lost the New En- gland market: 50 they made
special efforts establish themselves in the North
western market where the adulteraton had not been
50 readily detected and where consequently. rhe
Japan teas had not secured much OF foothold.
Having restored the purity Of their wares. they
ceeded in their object. and North taste re
mains. In the main. fixed China teas.
The Southern people never became tea drinkers.
for the reason that all the trash in the market was
shipped 10 them. Why n shipped 10 themf Be
cause they would buy It and nobody else would They
acquired of contempt for tea ar beverage,
though and H. only when some wealthy planter
came North Saratoga H. the summer and tas he'd
cup OF good there that any Southcrners ever re
allied the possibilities OF liquid delight resident In the
Celestial shrub. Tho people IN general down there
haven't realized them yet