The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-09-06

nowadays the consumer calls for Or ange Pekoe with the idea of getting CeyIon or India black tea. Both hHases are meaningless
 Orange Pekoe is simply the name of leaf. but is not necessarily the best tea by any means, for the coarsest leaf picked in a garden at a high eleva- tion is sure to be much finer than the Orange Pekoe picked at a lower elevation. Indeed no judgment of the flavor can be founded on the size, appearance or make of the leaf.
 As an illustration, Souchong which is the coarsest leaf, grown at an the Change Pekoe, or smallest leaf grown at sea level. It cannot be too highly emphasized that the higher the altitude of the garden, the better the quality of the tea
 This brings up the question of just what are the different terms to de- scribe the different sizes of tea leaves. The answer is the tiny stem and bud cia1ly known as Flowery Orange Pe- koe. The next leaf at the right of the stem is Orange Pekoe; then the next on the left is the Pekoe leaf and to the right again is Souchong. Generally speaking. the smaller the leaf, the better the quality, but this by no means always follows, as all depends upon the elevation at which the leaf is grown.
 Black and Green Tea. Do you know that black and green tea grow on the same bush?
 The difference between black and manufacture. In the case of black tea after the tea is picked it is put 1 on trays to wither; it is then rolled and allowed to oxidize, when it is | fired and sorted. Green tea, on the other hand, as soon as it is pick ed, | instead of oxidizing, is steamed, then rolled and fired.
 | One thing you should know is whether tea deteriorizes. It certainly does, for tea is never as good as it l is Just after being fired. Of course ] packing in metal packets keeps it bet | ter than in any other way, and hence i Salada tea is always packed imme- 1 diate.y after it is fired, in metal lined i chests and shipped direct to the cen tral ware rooms for the United States | in Boston. where it is opened, blended and sifted and resealed in Salada packets for the consumer.
 Bulk tea is invariably an inferior | tea, for the reason that even if it was good to begin with it would deterdor-
 ate veuy rapidly on account of its be l ing exp osed to the air. Tea. is in ex. actly the same relative position as
 crackers If they are 1reath allowed w t,rte te
 they are aoggy; they have lost theil
 crispness and the flavor is gone. The
 same thing happens precisely Watr
 tea. It is as dry as fire fill make It | and the minute it is exp osed to the ail | it deteriorates.
 Tea Not Injurious.
 The silly propaganda which tne | opponents of teia are now insld1ouslA
 sprea ding, that because it contains tan | nin which is generally spoken or aS
 injurious, the effect is always bad-is readily exposed when the various con
 stituents of the tea plant are analyz
 ed. If the tea. is made properly the
 tannin is not exuded from the lea,
 and it only appears after tea Is boiled
 or left sleeping for a long time. The | only effect on the system of drinkins
 tea when the tannin exudes is that I
 might have a tendency to delay al gestion, particularly if taken while eating meat.
 Why is it necessary that the water for making tea should be freshly boiled? Because if it has been boil ing for great length of time it has
 lost it's aeration and becomes flat l Why is it necessary that the water for making tea must be bubbllng? Because when water is boiling 1t II
 bubbling Steam coming from tht
 kettle does not prove that the water that is not boiling is not properly
 made. The reason for this is that 1 tea is made with water that has no
 reached the boiling point, the leave'
 will come to the top of the water. ane the essential oil or flavor of the tes is not properly extracted. II tn water is boiling the leaves will go al rectly to the bottom of the water ant remain there. and the water become permeated with the flavor of. the tea If you ever have a pot of tea served to you that seems weak, lift tn cover off the pot, and if lot o leaves are on top of the water. vol can rest assured that the water wa not boiling, and you cannot eNpec to have even a passable cup of tea. Is tea really healthfu1?
 Yes Some years ago the NeV York Herald undertook to prove tha tea was not healthfu1. They secur ed interviews with we'll known spec ialists in every part of the world, an' in the end they admitted that tn concensus of opinion was that it was wholesome. exhilerating and refresh ing drink.