Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1890-12-13
TEA TESTING.
FIXING THE VALUES OF VARI.
OCS KINDS OF TEA
Marvellous Fc2ts of the Senses-Feat
ures OF Vocation That Enjoins
AbStemiousness While il
Skaters the Nerves

huAihS LIZ Scd! j1Iet lbd>l tncfe was
imported into this city So 00O.00o
pounds Of tea These teas come from
many sections Of China and Japan. One
half Of the annual impnrtatious is Japan
tea; the remaining moiety is distributed
among the green teas, Formosas. Amoys
Foo Chows and Congous; ii 900 900
pounds is green teas, 1000, 900 For
mosa, 1000, 600 Annoy, ). 600. 600 Fo,
Chow and the remaining 5000 600
Congou.
Each invoice of these teas contains a
large number OF different lines or grades
For instance, there arc nine districts from
which green teas arc imported. Each
invoice Of green tea contains from ten ia
sixteen lines or grades, and each invoice
of Japan, Foo Chow OF Formosa from,
eight-to ten grades.
Each one of these grades Of tea when
imported into the city Of New York, and
before being offered for sale hy the
wholesale merchant to the retailer. has
to be tested and price fixed upon il bv
An expert tea tester.
The tea tester tests this tea and FIXES
the price upon it through his finely
cultivated sense OF taste or smell
The largest importing houses Of tic
city employ tea testers Of their own. The
other houses have their tea tested bv
tea broker, whose sole business is in
testing and fixing a price upon the deli
cate and finely favored beverage of
China and Japan.
The tea testers themselves, in the ma
lority Of instances, arc very peculiar
class of citizens. It has been said by a
person familiar with the requirements
and habits of tea tester that he is max
ing his living by committing slow SUI
eide. It is a we'll recognized fact that
the excessive and constant drinking Of
tea is as dangerous to the physical sys-
tenn as the excessive use Of alcohol, and
those who ought to know assert that the
majority of the men engaged in this
method of earning livelihood become
so addicted to the stimulation produced
by the drinking Of tea that they are 50
much slaves to the habit as is the French
man to his absinthe or the Chinese to his
opium.
The Office Of a tea broker or tea
tester IS a very curious looking placc
If one should be mistaken, not knowing
anything about the manner in which
teas arc tested, drift into one OF these
places, he would hardly know what Il
think of the scene that presented itself
TO his eyes.
To 60 into one Of the large building,
in the lower part Of Wall street and
there to find the men sitting half dream
lily, at revolving table, slipping alter
nately from forty Of fifty different cups.
as with monotonous and regular move
ment Of the hand be rcvolves the table
would indeed be a surprise 10 an aver
! age and unsuspecting citizen The Of
| fees of these tea testers are in the mair
| located on the second or third stories 81
the buildings il the locality mentioned
A characteristic specimen is located ii
mo. 142 Pearl street. This one, how
ever, happens to be in the basement .
the building. Descending a fight .
four steps you open a glass door leadinc
into the front or testing OFF," The Of
fee consists Of suite i, rooms
One is the testing room, other III
storage room.
stalboatd beam 20. hroadside. sinul
saneously another appeared OF tic pr
hand, and the order, Man both sides
every other gun with crew" was heard
Across the deca TWO gun divisions went
tumhhng oyeT ramIods, spongss, a.
each other, only = find TIC elusive ~
| deaf ahead Prepare for raking FIR
from forward" w@, the mex. order, and
in obedience 70 il, the mon crouched be
bind gun carriages. matches, anythin
'Lat offered protection from the dead
end On fire. Presently the enemy game
the toEecas.le, evidently with blood in hi
eyc. and tie order, Rallv on TIE qua
ter deck" was given, supplemented ,
the command 'Rc:Eea, fring,' Tn
crew streau.ed eff. firing as they went
a howitzeI loaded with canis.es blocke
one side Of the deck - Gatlng e.
} grinacd ,hreateningl5 down the oshel
| Thu r71-3erx xt.h be~. futiazs in -,