Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1912-11-15
The Story Of Tea.

become republic and is friendly TO
America and Europe, that our persever-
ing historians will be able to pick up the
lost thread in ancient Chinese library
records and tell us when the first tea
leaves were picked and brewed into the
worlds most famous beverage.
According to Celestial legends tea was
discovered by the great emperor
Chinnung, 2737 B. c., who stands
sponsor for everything new in the vege-
table line. This may or may not be true,
but certain it is that in the sixth century
tea was already well known beverage
in the land of the poppy and the peacock.
By the eighth century tea was common
enough in every part of China and there
is a tax record dated in the year 1893
showing that emperor Tih Tsung was
determined to exact revenue from tea.
Since that date tea has been regularly
taxed as a luxury in every country
where it is extensively used.
Tea was carried to Japan and cult
walton established early in the ninth
century. 1t is quite difficult to estab-
Iish the exact date when tea drinking
was introduced in Europe. There is no
trace of it prior to the year 1888 al
though other Chinese customs had been
imported before then. Tea was brought
to Europe by the Portuguese who were
the most daring in the worlds explorers
and discoveries in that distant day.
But tea drinking did not become habit
until the enterprising Dutch traders in
troduced the custom a few years later.
The earliest mention of tea drinking
in England occurs in letter from Mr..
Wickham from japan dated June q,
1915. In 1856 the English began to
drink tea in society circles, the supply
being imported from Java at the cost of
$50 to $50 pound, 1t is quite needless
to say that the common people did not
drink much tea during those days. About
that time the following advertisement
was printed in an English paper:
"That excellent and by all Physicians
approved China drink called by the
Chineans Tcha, by other nations
Tay, alias Tee, is sold at the
Sultaness Head a cophee-house in
Sweetings Rents, by the Royal Ex-
change, London.
By the year 1877 tea was being ex-
tensively impoted and from that day
the price gradually became lower and,
consequently, more people began to
drink it, until early in the eighteenth
century the annual consumption was
two pounds per person in England.
Today tea is used the world around.
1t is the natural drink of Russia, eX-
tending all over the Russian empire and
into Siberia. 1t is the favorite beverage
of all Asia, including Tibet, India,
China and Japan. In England, Canada
and the United States tea drinking is
practiced by practically every house
hold. Millions and millions of pounds
of tea leaves are consumed every year.
Old fashioned methods of growing and
preparing tea were too slow and costly
to supply the world. Agricultural ex-
perts have improved upon the tea
bush, improving the quality, and they
have discovered many countries where
tea can be successfully grown. In place
of the old charcoal fires for curing tea
modern electric dryers are now used ir
many places in India and modern
machinery is used in packing it for the
market.
In preparing tea for drinking pur-
poses the Russian way is best. The
Russians make tea in a somovar, which
is a copper urn, heated by charcoal
designed purposely for tea making. The
word is taken from the Tartar sanabar
meaning tea-urn. The common methoc
of making tea in a pot by throwing in &
small handful of tea leaves and boiling
them on the stove is all wrong, yet this
is the way most people prepare tea
Tea should never be boiled and the tes
leaves should never be allowed to stanC
in the beverage because, if al
lowed to stand, poisonous oils and tannir
soak out and into the drink.
American adaptation of the Russian
samovars are always best for tel
making. In these the tea leaves ar,
placed in ''tea-ball' and suspended il
the pot. The water is brought to a boi
by electric heat and when the beverage
is just right consistency the tea-bal il
raised to the top of the pot where it re
mains. imprisoning all the detrimental
qualities of the tea leaves which nigh
get in the beverage if allowed to remain
in the pot.