The times., 1901-03-17
THE CONSOLING CUP OF TEA
Few But CeIestials Know How to
Prepare 1t Properly.
A Better Article May He Had in
America When the Transatlantic
Railway Is Completed - Efforts
Made to Produce Fine Leaves

Railway Is Completed - Efforts
Made to Produce Fine Leaves.
One Of the results which viii follow the
completion of the Trans-Asiatic Railway,
now in course of construction, viii be
that people in Europe and possibly in this
country, VIII get better tea than they can
at present obtain. The sea air however.
is an enemy 10 all delicately fired leaves,
and tea, to be perfection, requires to be
lightly fired.
Bot comparatively few foreigners even
in China. drink anything but the exces-
sively fired teas; for having been used to
them from infancy they do not appre-
ciate the lightly fred kinds. and often
are not even aware OF their existence.
while the Chinese. believing foreigners
like the exported varieties, supply them
with II. Good tea should he Of q light
brown; the water, to pour on the lea YES.
should be boiling, bat only just boiling:
and the tea should not be allowed TO draw
for half an hour or more. rs the tauuin
is thus drawn ont of the leaves fresh
infusion, some time after the first draw
ing is better, the Chinese making a fresh
brew for each visitor that calls
An excellent plan Of the Chinese with
regard To tea, Is that of sometimes using
large cups containing almost as much as
d large breakfast coffee cup. Leaves suffj-
cient for a cup of tea, are thrown into the
bottom of this and the boiling water pour
ed on. The cup is provided with a lid
which covers 1t up for the first few min
utes that 1t is drawing, and the tea is
handed hot and freshly made 10 each one;
the lid also serves to saucer a few sips
of il at a time and cool it when drink
ing. while at the bottom of the cup. coy
cred by the delicate. almost ambcr-coI-
orcd fluid, lie the leaves, uncurled by the
heat OF the water.
Though The Chimes drink green tea. they
object to the mixture Of Prussian blue
and gypsum. which is CheerfulIy sNal-
lowed by other folks, as Il necessary in
Ercdient of that article. We. in America.
DO not receive the natural green tea for
the reason that, ii properly fred. 1t would
ferment on the ocean voyage and if fired
sufficiently to resist this it would be
wholly unfit to drink.
Different kinds Of flowers are used to
scent tea, such AS roses, tuberoses or
ange blossoms, Jasmine, gardcniaS aZa-
leas, as well as the olca fragrans only
the petals being used for the purpose
Some choice brands Of tea are grown ON
small plots Of grounds and command al
most a fabulous price. Some of the most
famous of these are situated near mon
asteries, owned by the priests and attend
ed To by their inferior followers.
Many attempts have been made in diff
fereut parts OF the world TO grow the tea
plant, as il iiourishes in the East but
with Indifferent success. The Spanish
authorities tried to raise il in the Philin-
i3ornto, the English In the Straits Set
ticment and the French in Cochin chi
M. 1t has been found from these expe-
riulCnt& that the only favorable l0cIIi-
ties arc mountainous regions, whore there
is moisture. good soil, ana not an excess
ct warmth. The Dutch have turned this
discovery to account, and now confine
their efforts to the high mountainous dis
tricts with which their colonial possess
ions abound. Fairly good tea has been
produced under these conditions but the
quality has been very inferior to the fine
growths of Formosa and FoochoW.