Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-02-11
WEEDS SOLD FOR TEA
cheap Stuff That Bears No Relation
to the Genuine.
Many Consumers Unable 10 Detect the
Imposition While some Prefer
she Spurious Lear -
the Pure.

erYthlng about tea, or al least
enough said Thomas A. Phelan. ~but
as matter Of fact / don't believe
. there is any other single article that
appears on American tables about
which the consumers know so little"
All Of this was apropos Of the Ma
tional Tea association, lately organ
lied for the purpose of unfolding the
laws now in operation to protect this
beverage from adulteration and spu-
rious imitation, reports the New
York Tribune.
Mr. Phelan is the president of the
organization, the members aud other
officers representing nearly 200 large
firms in all parts Of the United
States. Before 1897" continued Mr..
Phelan, there was practically no
protective legislation for this import
and the United States was a sort of
dumping ground for the refuse
brands which could find sale no.
where else in the world.
Throughout the south, where the |
majority Of the buyers and handlers
were not experts. whole sections and /
states practically gave up the use of |
tea because Of its inferior quality, I
though they did not know where to +
turn for a remedy. So clever were
the limitations that only an expert
could detect them, but they were no
less spurious for that.
Many herbs, some of them harm I
less, but having no relation whatever
to the tea plant, were shipped here
by the million pounds and sold as tea.
BY some chemical process they were
coiored so that to the eve they were
identical with the genuine article.
Nhile many Of them were not iniuri-
Gus TO health, they had no more right
TO be sold as tea than would. for in
stance, a paper imitation Of beef
steak painted red.
Now the fact is that of the So
called black tea alone there are AT ]
least 500 varieties, with as MANY
fiaFors as are known TO the most lux
urious flower garden. The greens
and Japans might each be subdivided
into like number. One Of the black
teas, the so-called English breakfast.
name unknown incidentally in
either China or England, is really the
eongon, of which alone there are at e
east 200 different flavors and grades.
Other varieties of black tea are
he eolongs from Foochow and the "a
sland Of Formosa and the Ceylons
md midas. All these are sold as
black tea, but there is as much diff :
'erence in taste between an oolong
md congou as between coffee and
'hocolate or whisky and claret. The q
.ongou, Ceylon and India are fer
nented in their preparation or al
owed to stew in their own juice so
Q speak, which gives them a heavy,
lalty flavor.
The oolong is prepared like green
ca, without fermentation. and is
red almost immed ately after nick
az, giving Il bright, toasty charac- WI
er which results in a light-eolored tn,
lfuslon. They are equally good. de- LIZ
pite their differences. am
AS a rule the English. Irish and BIT
leir descendants drink the congous. hes
lille the older residents of America mes
nd especially of New York and Bos- h ae
IN, prefer the oolongs. The varia- cou
ons in soil and temperature under yoI
hich the different teas are grown t eus
'oduce the radically different flavors kn,
dear to the true tea lover and so mo
applicable to the uninitlated. 90
"The north China congous. for in ard
anee, are subdiyided into so dis =
lets, the leaves from each having IL
haVor differing as distinctly from ~
e Others as does the Bartlett pear W
ON the SeclSel, and Of each variety ID
ere are half dozen or more differ k&
I grades. The spring, early and ~
te summer and the autumn gather
gs all have different flavors. which Ste
expert can distinguish blind ma
lded. ski
Perhaps one woman in a hundred
ows how to make tea as it should -
made. Properly prepared. it can on'
chemically demonstrated that tea aiiu
S no more injurious effect upon the rug
rNes than has cocoa or even water. 0i1 ~,
% t"Nesuf unless properly pre- tags
red by the manufacturer. contain. a ave
amount of cocaine which decidedly tn
pairs digestion if taken for any
9Th of time.
Tea, to be pure tonic and wholly IL
-mless, should be made with water
ich has not only come to a boil c
has boiled hard for at least five R
lutes. The leaves should then he Il
eped Tor about five minutes BY no Clap
ans more than seven. Previous to A,
thine the tonieproperty only is de- Ora,
oped; after seven minutes the tam n
becomes operative and the de- II
ton more and more injurious with a
increase of time. You can mag G
the state of affairs in restaurants
such places. where the tea il