Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-15
THE DRINKING OF TEA.
Charge That Europeans Do Not Know
How to Use the Herb.

From the Springfield Republican
A writer in the London Times recently con-
sidered the subject of tea drinking in Eng
land and noted, to begin with, that coiiee
was brought to western Europe oy TURKS
who established coffee rooms and roasted
and ground the berries, serving the peVer-
age as 1t is served today In the east grlts
and all. Thence 1t came about that cof1ee
was from the first drank as in its original
country. and is so drank now, only that the
grounds, or grits, as the English call them,
are not allowed with the liquor and. In
noint of fact, 1t is essential that the coffee
he settled" IL not strained. and the latter
way is universal in England. 1t is not
so in France, however, where the col
fee bean is ground TO a powder, ana
makes a muddy decoction eastern fashlon)
instead of a clear brown infusion. This also
is a mede in America, as we all KNOW ana
although there are regions where c0o1iSIl
skin or egg shells are used TO settle the COZ
fee more an tiquo," for the most part the
strafner or the thin cloth bag is in use TO
keep out the grounds. AT first we got our COT
fee from the east, home OF the coUee beln
we actually once had Java-eyen .hne ola
government Java; We also had Sumatra
and Alden coffee and Mocha, most delicious
of ALL Still these names are attached TO the
morning beverage, and yet 1t Is many
long year since the American has known
nav to import It, even if that could be done
and it cannot be done, for scarcely
pound Of ii ever gets beyond Europe. Even
Europe has to drink African coffee, While
in America the southern half OF our Eeml-
sphere furnishes our supply.
But all this is leading astray from the Lon
don Times article, which simply starts with
the introduction of coffee by Turks, for the
purpose of contrasting the Introduction OF
tea which, was not done by the Chinese. Nj
Chfnaman was imported to tell Engilsh
people how it should be used. Consequently
saws the writer I'VE have never drunk tee
In the Chinese way-that is, as d simple in
fusion" But was not that the way in
which Or. Johnson drank his seventeen cups
at a sitting, IN Mrs Thraie's coy tea
room? Did not Pope's lady, who parted her
time "'twixt reading and Bohea, drink
from such dainty little cups? and surely
only an infusion. But it is true that many
curious experiments were made in England
with the new herb. some of which are men
toned by the Times writer; odd as 1t seems,
the leaves were sometimes boiled with but
ter seasoned with salt and served like
spinach Finally the common fashion was
to make "a kind of sweet soup, with sugar
and milk or cream" says our British friend
and this is the way it's done today. The
Chinese and Japanese, the Hindu and the
Sinhalese, are all amazed at this malappre-
citation of the delicious herb. A satirist of
English inSular customs fifty years ago,
writing in the character of a foreign trav-
eler in England-like Goldsmith's Citizen
of the World NOTED among the foll!e5 of
the people of Niatirb Tread 1t backward)
that they bring over from Anihc Tread 1t
backwarD a herb of pleasing bitterness,
sugar and rob of favor by the mother-milk
of a cow. The people of Niatirb were plain
ly devoid OF intelligence, for this among
multitude of other reasons.