The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-12-09

WI Ting Fang, the Chinese minister,
once remarked at a public dinner that
Americans did not know good tea when
they tasted it. and, IN his deft, Oriental
way, iussuuated that American ten e1-
perts bore titles walch were misHoneIs.
The dealers Of this country have made
a study Of the tea. industry, and there
are few facts about the grades OF the
herb which they do not know. In this
way there have been some disputes be-
tween the Chinese brokers and the Amer
lean importers. The Chinese are exceed
ingly honest in the main, but occasional
~ there are questions as TO the value
Of tea which call for the making Of fine
distinctions.
American judges Of tea grow up in the
| business They begin at about the ago
Of eighteen years, and work for at least
| five years before their judgments are ac-
! cepted as final There are so many
( kinds Of tea, separated by slight differ
| ences, that the expert must feel the deli
/ cate graduations as though by instinct
4 The tea faster IS gradually evolved from
/ the apprentice. The master has no time
/ to calmly and deliberately give instrue-
/ tons, 50 the student sits at the tea cups
/ Of Gamaliel and learns little day BY
/ day. He first serves as the attendant.
! In the large importing houses the most
| conspicuous feature IS the table where
+ the teas are tested. 1t is about four feet
/ in diameter. The top is poised on q pivot
( so that It can be easily turned about a
! the touch. On it Is paced a second slab
Of wood about three feet n diameter,
which is raised an inch from the first
/ layer. On the higher portion are placei
! the scales. the cans Of tea and the
/ spoons On the lower layer are ranged
/ the cups from which the subtle brew Is
/ to be tested. The liquid made from a
sample is always placed exactly oppo-
/ site the can from which the tea to be
/ tasted is taken. The judge. sitting IN his
/ chair, by turning the table top, may
/ bring any sample which he wishes TO ex-
anime within his reach.
! Before the actual tasting CT the tea the
/ appraiser makes an examination Of he
! dry leaf EIe is somewhat Ike drama
/ tic critic who only goes to a new play
! to confirm his suspicious. Before the
/ actual testing of the sample he has al
ready formed an opinion of its quality.
/ He takes a handful Of the tea and sits
/ It from one palm to another carefully
! looking at it. He feels its weight. He
/ looks at it keenly to detect the presence
Of adulteratiou or of deleterious coloring
matter. He smells it to get an idea Of
its aroma. He studies the shifting leaves
/ in his hands in order that he may see
I if the tea has been properly cured.
/ The appearance of the dry leaf is de-
: Ind h.
+ first rough classification. The Japan
teas are all Of one flavor and the gradu-
/ atoms are prsctioaly made Upoa thew
/ color Pan fired japanese teas should
vary from olive t. gray in O. CO OF It
may be Of grayish blue. Sun dried zap
I anese tea is brown in coor. AMI the
/ leaves, lich are fred in baske.s. ere
/ black.
/ The expert takes an amount Of tea
! equivalent to the weight Of 4 FIVE cent
piece. He cri2ira ally used the coin but
/ owing to tie fact that the nickel DIX
was continually stolen from the scsIes
( by pecs ~ VII. aeet ed car face. he fnfs
/ that a bit Of lead Of the same weight
viii do just as well.
/ The herb is then placed in a cup Of the
( finest Limoges ware The vesel is devc.d
! of decoration, and has no handle. The
/ cups are the only articles N tho dinsy
/ storeroons which 81 ggest luxury. Upon
/ the herb are rsurei boiling water ~ m
! a brass or copper tea kat-le, when IS al
ways standing on the gas stovs The tea
faster permits the leaves to steep until
the are opened out by the action Of the
hot water The size. form and color Of
the leaves play an important part in
the forming Of an opinion as to the value
of the commodity,
The leaf at the top Of the plant IS
the tenderest and has the best flavor
The small leaf Is, therefore, a sign Of
quality. The willy Celestial knows this,
and ne therefore chops ID the leaves
before they are cured The leaves are
taken from the hot water and carefully
opened out II they are small and per-
feet they are Of extra quality They are
graded down the stalk as hrsts. seconds
thirds and fourths The expert can
readily determine by looking at
chopped leaf how large the original leaf
was. The sight Of a small and perfect
] leaf is hailed by the appraiser with the
enthusiasm which the connoisseur dis
plays at the sight Of a wine OF Cd vim
tsge or that which the patron Of the
turf manifests when he sees a thorough
bred.
The tea faster carefully inspects the
liquid which results from the sleeping
OF the leaves The color and the con-
sitency Of the steaning nuid tell him OF
all manner Of things which the layman
would not know. The aroma as 1t as
cends from the cup reveals a story 70
the examiner as to where and when the
tea was prepared.
Sight and small have done their part
and It is now for the sense Of taste to
confirm the Judgment The expert takes
the cup IN his right hand. dips a spoon
IN it and conveys the liquid to his mouth
The favor Of Chinese teas varies with
the provinces in which they have been
raised. The constituents OF the soil
change the taste /of the tea The chi
nese teas are graded in favor as follows:
4f0yune. Tenkai. Fychow, Hoochow and
Ping Suey Then there are blends or
compounds which are called Sarroun and
Shanghai packed. The name gunpowIar
applied 20 tea simply means that The
leaves are rolled ~ in iittle round balls.
81 that the prepared tea has the appear
ance Of black granular gunpovder II
the Young hyson teas the leaves are
rolled the long way.
The so-csiled English breakfast tea
bears a name q New York origin. It
CHANGED that az one time a quantity -
tea fe-mented before If was cured The
grower was about 20 throw II away when
q thrifty associate suggested to aim that
ne mieht ss wei dry t. The re-mentsd
caves were dried and SHIPPED 10 Eng
land. where the new tea made an lrnmed-