The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-05

We have always bothered Patricia
a lot by asking all manner of ques-
tions about tea. She has always said
that she knew good tea when she
found it and that she had learned by
experiment how to blend the brand
ended. We might have found out
some Of the things we asked for our
selves, I suppose, but we seem to feel
that everything pertaining to tea be-
longs peculiarly in her province, so
we have been waiting all fall for her
to redeem her promise of looking into
the subject, some time and sharing
with us what she learned.
So this week, when Helena found
a quaint-looking volume called The
Little Tea Book" boxed iii tea box
mating with q label printed on red
hrecracker paper, lying on Patricia 8
table, she guessed at once that Patricia
was primed, on tea.
Patricia warned us that hep re-
searches had not been profound, but
that they had enabled her to clear UP
several points that had bothered her
and she thought tt would be amplerto
satisfy our and other pc ople,s super
fetal and idle teatable curiosity.
You all know my tea is a special
kind, and that there are specialsand
superiorakinds, but suppose you think
| as I used to and nearly everybody
does, that the ityris.a matter
| of the locality of growing, kind OF
| plant and grading. with perhaps some
questionof the degree Of purity. Every
kind Of tea has a name; and it isssquite
natural osuppose that smeans g dis
/ tinct variety, as In fruits or potatoes
! but 1t doesn't; in the retail business
4 It simply designates a mixture, cor, al
j it is called in@the tea, business, a blend
I We are all somewhat familiar with
4 the practice in perfume making OF
mixing a variety of scents instead Of
4 using the extracts from a single flow.
/ err, and tea is handled in very much
the same way and for very much the
\ same reason. :
1.-THE only kinds of unblendedE teal
that combine the desirable and popu
I lar values are the choicest and mos
i expensive that obviously the majorit!
cannot afford, but by centuries o.
study and observation, it has beer
discovered that by combining in cor
i rect, proportions the ordinary grades
in each Of which some particular quail
tiles are conspicuous, a very choice
and satisfactory tea is secured. It
not even necessary to put in any o
the expensive varieties to accomplis1
this. result. The special variety tha
in its best quality affords the fayo
l lIldSg pCOQlS 1dAACy CIV dyS LII A1A5AAS
the basis for commercial blends, an
this teae.is known from that fact a
"oolong,' . S. 'souchong,' = Japan, - zee
, Ion,' 7, ETC., altho it may have a specia
) name also. The base furnishes tn
+ dominant qualities, but it's def1cien
j cies are supplied by judiciouss admix
). lures. In general the qualities de
: nanded are body and pungency an
t some: particular and distinct flavor.
-
1.-THE division into black and gree
r teas you are all familiar with, whethe
8 you know what it means or not. TIL
d infusions of green teas are light an
;. sparkling and pungent; the infusion
. of black tea dark colored, heavy
r bodied and rich Favored. 1t is
e popular notion that they are mad
d from different plants and therefore i
8 different tea fields. This is not tru,
d the difference is in the process, an
: black and green tea could be mad
= side by side from the same picking
: of leaves. It is usual. however, as
: matter of tradition and convenience
y for certain districts to make chief
IS one kind. The terms we commonl