The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-06-23
WHAT'S IN A CUP OF TEA?
Tannin and Theine, and What Their
 Effects Are.

Tannin and Theine, and What Their
 Effects Are.
 Perhaps I may be allowed to make some comments on a subject discussed in the columns of this paper the other day. The first proposition is that the dark color of tea does not mean excel lence, the second that the darker the liquid is the more evil are its effects, and the third that the best tea is Chinese. These are the opinions of an importer It is worth noting, l think, that they are also the scientific opin- ions, and, further, that this is case where doctors agree. What must properly be described as the pharma- cology of tea is simple and well under stood, and, as it concerns every one, it may be~briely discussed here.
 For practical purposes, tea consists of two things-the first being tannic acid also known as tannin, and the second being theine, also known as caffeine. Let us consider each of these, The tannin, or tannic acid, occurs in the tea leaf, as in so many plants; 1t is less readily soluble than the theine, and is much less readily from the Chinese leaf than from the Indian, the latter, together with the Singalese, containing much of this substance. Fannie acid has no attractions for the palate except in the case of people who 1 like a little bitterness, and it 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 deleterious. do not say that 1t is necessarily serious, but what action there is wholly bad, Notably does it interfere with the digestibility of food stuffs Plainly, the best bever- | age from tea should be reduction of 1 the tannic acid to a minimum. This 1 is to be accomplished, first by using the leaf which contains least of it, and secondly by sharply limiting the length of the infusion. It has heen clearly proved that practically flll the theine that can be obtained from the leaf is contained in the first three minutes whereas the amount of lannin increases
 
 tieth and fortieth minutes ..,
 | In the opinion of not few, the said tannin is largely responsible for the deleterious effects frequently attributed to the theins, This last is an invalu, abel ingredient of tea; it is the same substance as that which gives its value to coffee but is present in less abund' ance in the tea leaf than in less abund- bean; it is a nervou S stimulant of the lpurest kind, and belongs to an entirely different class from the pseudo-stimu- lants, such as alcohol. In some ways 1 this is one of the most remarkable oi all known drugs; it appears to bt unique in that it stimulates the func' | tions of the cerebrum, the highest nor ton of the brain. without inducing any subsequent reaction that can be detect | ed. It has no second stage of actior comparable to that of alcohol ant opium, and in cases of emergency 1t Il capable of postponing sleep for hour' and, more than of maintaining tn mental activity as in the daytime.
 may confess that in past years l hay systematically used caffeine for week on one end for this purpose withou any deletrious results; but this i lquoted for illustration, not imitation. Now, it is plain that, so far as the re mote consequences of a cup of tea ar considered, it is the thene or caffein that we desire, and the tannin that w do not desire. The relative solubillt, of the two substances exactly suits ou convenience. If it were necessary L
 extract all the tannin in order to ge any theine there might some excus for the lady who likes her tea to hay little body to it, or the servant gir who keeps her teaport on the hob al day But the fact is that 1t Is pos Isible to obtain all the theine desired while reducing the amount of tannln L a minimum. At present the publl taste is thoroughly vitiated no on who has given the matter fair con sideration, or who cares to admit an palatal delicacy at all, will questio
 that the fine aroma or cup of proper ly made Chinese tea is in differen category altogether from the sensation aroused by the concentrated solution 0 tannin, which is usually offered unde Ithe pseudonym, Ia cup of tea" Whicl things are written without prejudice
 In order to make reasonably complet this brief account of the cup tha cheers, I must add that it contains small proportion of volatile oll whic
 is of small physiological importance but which contributes largely to tn
 gustatory character of tea, The chic public delusion in this connection that the sense of taste may be implicit ly trusted. You think you are not get
 ting your moneys worth unless you
 senses are violently assailed. It is as
 you judged the power of music i
 terms of the amplitude of the soun
 waves. The masters pianiscimo chor
 has more potency than the sforzando c
 mediocrity.-Fall Mail Gazette.
 CArAnEc nE TrIIl nnuA Tyt7A A eJr,