The record-union., 1891-01-12

Business.
Do the finest brands of tea come to
| Boston?
Far from it.
| While Boston has always been looked
upon as more particularly exhibiting
these traits which have been associated
with the aromatic infusion Of the tea
plant, yet. so FIR rs the quality Of the
| beverage is concerned, she is no better Off
than other American cities.
1t is an undisputed fact that what is
known as the first picking of the tea
plant never goes beyond the domain of
his celestial highness to any very great
extent, and it is very seldom that even a
portion of the second crop is sent to the
| United States, a market being found for
it among the royal families of Europe
and those who look upon the price
as a subsidiary factor in their domestic
! economy.
! Then what do we get?
| Why, tho third crop, which is nearly
! devoid OF the delicate favor SO highly
| priced by Acknowledged royalty. Then
i again, it is said that Il long voyage by sea
tends to deprive the leaves which are sent
to America Of Il portion OF what little
strength they may have had when
! shipped. 1t is partially for this reason
that what are known as Russian caravan
teas hold SO high place in the estimation
OF connoisseurs; bat, owing to the added
cost Of transportation, they are deiicacy
which none but the wealthy can in
dulge in..
Tie extent to which tea drinking is
carried on in the United States may be
inferred from the fact that last year there
We're brought into this country from
China and Japan no less THAN Is, 900, coo
pounds of the leaves, having q value of
Sll 100000. The former country sent rs
Il, 200, 600 and the latter $4,000. 600 pounds
a portion OF this vast quantity was re-
exported to the British provinces and the
| countries TO the south.
Since the opening up of the tranScon-
| tinental railways San Francisco has be-
| come an Important port OF entry for the
products of the antipodal countries; but
| New oris stll maintains her prestige in
this direction, receiving 10 less than
| s., ,oGo, 600 pounds of the entire importa-
ton OF tea for the period mentioned.
BosToN's DIRECT TRADE
With China and Japan is somewhat insig-
! niticant when compared with these fig
ures, as her entries amounted to only
26S, GOO pounds in round numbers.
As many f.l.acious ideas are prevalent
plant, and the different brands which
are TO be seen in the local market, more
especially as to the green and black teas,
| the following extracts, from a recent re-
port sent to the State Department by the
| United States Consul AT Pellin, will prove
| of absorbing interest TO ali:
Tea is an object of European commerce
of the first order. 1t IS a beverage apprc-
ciated by everybody, and an agent of
| progress and civilization. In France they
say all business is treated between the
pear and the cheese; in China all business
is discussed and concluded between two
cups of tea.
In speaking of the raising OF the plants.
the Consul says when the plants appear a
delay of three months occurs. They are
then taken up and replanted in groups of
three or four, on the disks OF hills and
mountains, which are covered with a red
earth containing q quantity Of gravel.
The view Of these shIubbaries is very
picturesque. The plantations represent
terraces. which descend to the plain. The
young plants dread the sun. They are
50 delicate that straw hats are placed
upon them, which are removed at the
setting OF the sun. This continues three
months, after which the plants require no
protection.
On the great plantations they wait two
or even three years before proceeding to
the gathering Of the leaves. The first
gathering takes place at the beginning OF
| May. The new leaves are removed with
the new stalks. Thus is obtained a
superior tea. The second gathering takes
place in June, and produces the filial tea.
The last gathering is III July, and pro-
duces a tea without aroma. We have
thus teas OF the first, second and third
qualities. A pinch OF tea OF the first
quality at the bottom of a cup win sup
port five successive immersions, and will
furnish five cups of tea; the second sup
ports only two, and the third only one.
The Chinese think that the infusion
should be made with rain or spring
water, which is heated to a slight degree.
and the ebuliition should last only a few
minutes. as soon asthe bubbles appear
the water has boiled long enough.
1T Is A COMMON ERROR
To imagine that Chinese soil produces
two kinds of tea-blacil and green. This
is not true. The only difference between
these teas Is caused by the different man
ner in which the tess are prepared. A
description OF the manipulation to which
the tea is subjected VIII show that green
tea is only distinguished from black tea
by the fact that the green has not been
torretied or dried by heat in the same
manner as the black, The leaves once
gathered are spread in light layers on
straw mats. They are exposed To the Sun
until they are withered. They are then
E iBtiL III pdlilDOO trays ana are ITitufILe0
by the feet. A part OF the Juice of the
leaf escapes. and after this operation the
leaves arc exposed again, ard again t,-i-
turatad and continually agitated. But
the drying is not still complete, The
drying is still continued IN rattan cylin-
ders, which are separated into two parts
by bamboo partition Underneath the
cylinder is chafing disk OF ignited char
coal. The leaves are thrown on the con-
teavity OF the separation, which is fur
nished with cover, From time to time
the cover is raised, and the agitation is
continued. When the leaves are COM
pleteiy dried the crltiyator has finished
| his work.
The tea merchant then takes possession
of the ten. He delivers the tea TO women
and children, who remove the stems OF
the leaves and the little wooden twigs,
which often remain attached to the young
sprouts.
For black teas the leaves thus cleaned
are put again in the cylinders above de-
! scribcd. They are again dried. They are
! then gently crushed by the hand, ana
the operation of heating, or torrefsction.
IS repeated until all the leaves can pass
through & series of holes of different ii-
mensions. The tea is then thrown into n
! wlnnoEing machine, which separates the
] heavy from the light leaves and removes
the dust. The light leaves aud the dust
go to make brick tea''
The green teas are first dried in the
shade and alterward dried in the same
eylindersebut OF which the concaye sepa-
| ration is made by a plate of metal Their
color is preserved by means OF indigo
| 1t remains, then, only to make the
| mixture of teas of different localities. The
teas are boxed and shipped all over the
world. Teas of first quality are nearly
always the product OF the first gathering.
Sometimes. however, the second is good.
THE SUPERIOR TEAS