Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1910-07-29
The Judging of Tea.

How many retail grocers can Judge
teas for themselves How MANY can
Judge by the dry leaf or the cup the
difference between India, China, Java
or Ceylon teaG
Whlle the good reputation of count
less tea houses and wholesale grocers
from whom the retailer buys his tea
STOCKS does not make this knowledge
absolutely necessary either for his own
protection or that of his customers still
1t is valuable addition to the infor-
nation which goes to make up selling
ability and tends to make him more
successful retail merchant, says Chicago
Retailers Journal.
Tea, usually is judged first by the
eye, next by the feel, then by the smell
and finally by the taste, the final and
critical test being by the palate.
1t is not generally realized by the
unlnltlated that the tea leaf is LARGE
one and if allowed to grow to it's full
size will often be six, eight or even
nine inches long. In India and Ceylon
gardens, where there are frequent pluck
ings, the young leaves only are piucked
and the large, coarse ones left to nour
ish the shrub. Even under fairly close
plucking, however, leaves of three or
-FOUR inches long are frequently brought
into the factory and the whole of the
piucking is dealt with together.
The young shoots or tips are graded
out with all the smallest tea and with
the most even Pekoes and broken Pc
koes. When samples are lightened up
by little bright golden tips this is an
evidence that the tea is young. Tip,
however, is not always sign of quality
as soft, poor tea grown in low districts
produces plenty of tippy orange Pekoe
and golden orange Pekoe, which may
be absolute rubbish in the cup. Tin
is to be found in orange Pekoe, broken
orange Pekoe, Pekoe fannings and Pc.
koe dust.
In judging tea by the eye one should
appreciate and value tips and sbould
look for a closely twisted, even we'll
made leaf and avoid stalks, sticks and
open brown leaf. Color should be well
looked after and soft gray or black
leaf and tips of golden color chosen.
Autumn Favored teas, as Indians are
called which arrive from the end of
December to March, usually have the
young leaves of red or brown color.
A light, open, spongy leaf should be
avoided. A well-twisted, evenly made,
heavy leaf is always an advantage as
teas should be spooned into the pot and
the greater the weight that goes in
with each spoon the better the brew.
In testing tea by the sense of smell |
one should not either from the nose
or mouth, breathe into a sample, but
should rather inhale gently and try to
detect the flavor, richness and fresh |
ness. Over-fred and highly burnt teas |
suit very few districts and are usually |
Objectionable. Every foreign favor |
should be avoided. The habit of smell. |
ing samples of the kind intended to be |
bought should be cultivated as the sense
Of smell is keen and will often detect
features where other tests
will not.
In testing tea by the taste it is i'm
portant that an equal amount of large
and small leaf be used and that this
should catch the water as it gets to
boiling 1ully. The brew should be al
lowed to stand for five or six minutes
and while the liquor is cooling the smell |
Of the infused leaves carefully noted
The color of the infused leaf is, as a
rule, never failing test of quality.
An even bright light livery color should
be looked for, as the lighter the in
fused leaf, the better the quality, as
rule. The darker it is the poorer the
quality.
Flavor, strength and pungency or
grip are the points to look for in good
.ea. Strength in the cup generally
iepth of color Of the liquor, but there
s also another element to be sought
hat is richness and roundness of +
iavor which comes out well with the /
addition of milk and sugar.