Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-07-30
The Judging of Tea

How many retail groeers can Judge
teas for themselves9 How many can
Judge by the dry leaf or the cup the
difference between India, China, Java
or Ceylon teal
While 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
it is a valuable addition to the infor-
nation which goes TO make up selling
ability and tends to make him a 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
uninitiated that the tea leaf is large
one and if allowed to grow to its 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 plucked
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
plucking is dealt with together.
The young shoots or tips are graded
out with all the smallest tea land 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 a sign of quality
as soft, poor tea grown in low districts
produces plenty of tippy orange Pekot
and golden orange Pekoe, which may
be absolute rubbish in the cup. Tip
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 should
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 a 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 flavor
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
Objectionable 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 Iully. 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, a never failing test of quality.
An even bright light livery color should
} be looked for, as the lighter the i'll
fused leaf, the better the quality, as
a rule. The darker it is the poorer the
quality.
Flavor, strength and pungency or
grip are the points to look for in good
tea. Strength in the cup generally
r depth of color of the liquor, but there
is also another element tn he sougbt
that is richness and roundness of
flavor which comes out well with the
addition of milk and sugar.