New-York tribune., 1903-03-28
FACTS ABOUT TEA.
FezD Women Make 1t PROPERLY
OnIu One Wdg to Do 1t.

Most women think they know everything about
tee or at least enough" said Thomas A Phelan
but. q matter Of fact I don't believe there Is
any other single article that appears on American
tables about which the consumers know 50 little
Al of this was spropos Of the National Tea AS
sociatjou lately organized Tor the purpose OF up
holding the laws in operation to protect this
beverage from edulteration and spurious imitation
Mr.. Phean Is the president of the organization
the members and other officers representing nearly
two hundred large firms IN all parts Of the United
States Before 1857 continued NJ. Phelan, there
was practically no protective legislation for this
import and the United States was a sort OF dump
ing ground for the refuse brands which could ind
a sale nowhere else in the world Throughout the
South, where the majority Of the buyers ana
handlers were not experts, whole sections ana
States practically gave up the use Of tea because
,f fits inferior quality, though they did not know
where to turn for remedy. So clever were inc
limitations that only an expert could detect tnem-
but they were no less spurious for that Many
herbs some Of them harmless. but having no re4a-
don whatever to the tea plant were shipped here
BY the million pounds and solo as tea By some
chemical process they were colored so that 10 the
eve they were Identical with the genuine article
While many Of them were not injurious to health
they had no more right TO be sold as tea than
would for instance a paper imitation OF a beef
steak painted red. They were green painted weeds
and the country flooded with them Tor so long
that even now American consumption OF tea Is stih
as low as g pound per capita per annumr WhAe
fr Canada II is four pounds in England six and in
AustrsIia seven There, you see. they try TO OUT
English the English So far as the average house
wife Is concerned she simply knows that she likes
this brand or that black tea or green and In tne
matter OF making she Is doubtless as ignorant
Now the fact is that Of the so-caled black tea
alone there At least I'VE hundred varieties WIN
ss many navors are known to the most luxurious
flower garden. The greens and Japans might each
- ..,h6v1ded into q like number. One OF the black
%e,s +hA so-caIled English breakfast, a name un-
known incidentally in either China or England Is
really the Congou, Of which alone there are al
Yesst two hundred different havors and graoes.
Other varieties Of black tea are the Oolongs from
roochov and tie island OF Formosa and the Cey-
Ions and Indias. All these are sold as olack
tea but there is as much olHerence III
taste between Oolong and Congoo as
between coffee and chocolate or "nisAey
and claret The Congou, Ceylon and India are
ferroeoted In their preparation or allowed to stew
in their own Juice TO speak. wnich gives lneI
g heavy, ualty flavor The Oolong Is prepared AiAe
green tea without fermentation, ano is nreo d.
most immediately after picking, giving 1t bright
tosstv character which results in a light colored
Infusion They are equally good. despite their dit-
ferences.
AS q rule the English Irish and their descend
ants drink the Congous while the older residents
~ America and especially Of New-York and Bos-
ton prefer the Oolongs The variations IN SOIL
ard temperature under which the oinereht teas
grown produce the radically deFenI
70 the ,,nipttisted The North China Congous Tor
isss0s o ere eac6 Ra1ne avor deng as
tncuy from the others as does the Ear bareeI eI
frO3 The ssks more enc defe6 n gade The spring
srIy and late summer and the autumn gatherings
einguisS Embodied ,,,. 80.
thai Is tea has been admitted into the gnited te1
states Al cent sF as weli as that which costs
sS yard. but though poor IT is all @ genuiHe M tea tea
nS 6sck FfIf n tSs Ssos Us i0 and SOS Ehen
sumner pays the same money, only now ne gets his
@I standard of merit in tea is under present leg
isIstson set by board Of experts appointed ny me
to OF fSs ou.e Of NY6rk San
Chicago, etc. samples conforTnnE 70 tnSF me-
sqp1ied a to ali importers and dealers and they
required to submit samples Of all 19eT The soGIa tTs
quality Of each and every part OF their inXolce. ,
Hesitation was not IN tne 1rc
of NeE-York. But for the last half century there
:es trade directly traceable to the widespread de-
terf0ration Of the commercial artcle Oud OF
ave old houses in New-York In 1865 only five or six
SPerhsps one woman in G hundred knows how
pared. II can be chemically demonstrated that tea
has more injurious effect upon the nerves thaa
properly prepared by The manufacturer. contains
en snount of COCAINE witch deGi4H1 es 3s TeP to
Be 3 pure tonic and wholly harmless should be
boil but has boiled hard for at least five minutes
The leaves then should be STEPPED for a1out nne
% thst tine n the tonic property only is developed
after seven minutes the tannin becomes operaIEs aye
the i5cTesse Of tine You can imagine the state
Of AFFAIRS in restaurants anG such places where the
aoG SeT hu H he Sf Feeh 10 lave hit upon the
ideal time for drinking tea, At breakfast and be
best sort of . tonic"
DEPARFsHNT or FINANCE AND COMMERCE,
Aid Nd Of