The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-10-06
1IAKING ACUP OF TEA
THE WAY 10 GET TIE THEME AND
AVOID THE TANNlN.

1enee, and the Darker the LIQUID
II the More EVIL Are It's Effects.
Chinese Tea Il said TO Be the Best.
Perhaps / may be allowed to make
some comments on a subject that is Of
interest to all homes-nameIy, cup
of tea and the making OF 1t. The first
proposition is that the dark color Of
ten does not mean excellence, the sec
ond that the darker the liquid Is the
more evu are its effects and the third
that the best tea IS Chinese These
are the opinions OF an importer. 1t Is
worth noting, think, that they are
also the scientific opinions and, FUR
ther, that-this is case where doctors
agree. What must properly be de
scribed as the pharmacoIoGy of tea is
simple and well understood, and as it
concerns every one 1t may be briefly
discussed here.
For practical purposes tea consists
of two things, the first being tannic
acid, also known as tannin, and the
second being theme, also known as
caReineZ Let US consider each OF
these. The tannin, or fannie acid, oc-
ours in the tea leaf, as in so many
other plantS. It is less readily sol
uble than the theIne and is much
less readily Obtained from the Chinese
leaf than from the Indian, the latter,
together with the Cingalese, contain
ing much more of this substance.
Tannic acid has no attractions for
the palate except in the case OF people
who ike a little bitterness, and 1t has
no action on the nervous system, none
of It, indeed, being absorbed by the
body. Its action upon the tissues with
which it comes into Immediate contact
Is wholly deleterlous. do not say that
it is necessarily serious, but what ac-
tion there is is wholly bad. Notably
does 1t interfere with the digestibility
Of foodstuffs. Plainly, therefore, chief
concern in the production Of the best
beverage from tea should be reduction
of the fannie acid to a minimum. This
is to be accomplished, first, by using
the leaf which contains least of it. and,
secondly, by sharply limiting the length
of the infusion. 1t has been clearly
proved that practically all the theme
that Gun be obtained from the leaf is
obtained in the first three minutes,
whereas the amount of tannin in
creases markedly even between the
twentieth and fortieth minutes.
In the opinion of not a few, the said
tanuin is largely responsible for the del
eterfous effects frequently attributed
to the theme This last is an invalu-
able ingredient of tea; it is the samo
substance rs that which gives its value
to coffee, but is present IN less album
dance in the tea leaf than in the coffee
bean; 1t Is Il nervous stimulant of the
purest kind and belongs to an entire
Iy different class from the pseudo
al In
ways this is one of the most re-
markable of all known drugs. It
appears to be unique in that
It stimulates the functions of the
cerebrum, the highest portion of the
brain, without inducing any subse-
ouent reaction that can be detected.
1t has no second stage of action COM
parable to that Of alcohol and opium,
and In cases of emergency 1t Is capable
of postponing sleep for hours, and,
more than that, Of maintaining the
mental activity as in the daytime.
may confess that in past years have
systematically used caffeine for weeks
on end for this purpose without any
deleterious results; but this is quoted
for illustration. not Imitation.
Now, it is plain that, SO far as the
remote consequences of a cup OF ten
feline that we desire, and the tannin
that we do not desire. The relntive
solubility of the two substances eN-
actly suits our convenience. If it were
necessary to extract NIL the tannin IN
order to get any theme there might be
some excuse for the lady who likes her
tea to have Il little body to 1t, or for
the servant girl who keeps her teapot
on the hob all day. But the fact is
that it Is possible, to obtain all the
theme desired, while reducing the
amount of tannin to Il minimum. At
present the public taste is thoroughly
ritiated. No one who has given the
matter n fair consideration, or who
cares to permit any palatnl delicacy Mt
all, will question that the fine aroma
Of cup of properly made Chinese tee
is in Il different category altogether
from the sensations aroused by the
concentrated solution of tannin. which
Is usually offered under the pseudonym
"a cup of tea" which things are writ
ten without prejudice.
In order to make reasonably COM
olete this brief account of the cup that
cheers, / must add that It contains a
small proportion OF volatile oil, which
q of small physiological importance,
but which contributes largely to the
gustatory character OF tea. The chief
public delusIon In this connection Is
that the sense of taste may be i'm
olicitly trusted You think you are not
getting your moneys worth unless your
senses are violently assailed. 1t is as
II you judged the power of music In
terms of the amplitude of the sound
waves. The masters pinnissimo chord
has more potency than the sforzando Of