Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-18
Tea Must Pass Muster in Exhilaration
In Order to Be Admitted by Government

z = & 80 Z
TS EA, like liquor. In this country
has q law unto itself, but for
precisely the opposite reason.
The Government employs
George r. Mitchell, superyis-
ing tea examiner, and his corps Of
assistants, to see that all the tea en-.
tering this country contains sufficient
stimulant to warrant its being called
tea. The tea prohibition agent ex-
ciudes, not what Is too exhilarating
but what is not celebrating enough.
Until the tea merchants petitiOned
Congress for q regulatory act foreign
tea growers unloaded on the United
States, leaves the other countries,
with more epicurean tea tastes, would
not have. Now no tea comes into
up to the standards set by a board
Of experts drawn from the tea mer-
chants and administered by the Gov
eminent tea examining force.
Tea made from the tea plant may
be pure and yet not be commercial
tea" declared Mr.. Mitchell, settling
down to explain the law In all its
ramifcations and purposes. Tea In
order to be commercial tea, fit for
drinking, must be stimulating. II
must be made from the young leaves
Of the plant. The old leaves have
little or no stimulant and no flavor.
Thay NAV be pure, but they have no
tea quality. That IL why there IL q
specific law regulating quality as well
az purity OF teas.
The tea law administrator presides
over q sunny little ONCE In the Blu
reau or Chemistry. Judging by MT.
Mitcheli,s twinISling blue eyes. his
general aIertness and the fact that
he says he Is older than he looks.
which ri about 80. he seems to have
found q life devoted, 10 tasting and
testing tea distinctly worth living.
1t has taken him from q tea farm
In his native State Of South Carolina
to washington. It has sent him to
all the tea growing countries In the
its native heaths. Once a year Mr..
Mitchell goes into private conference
with some Of the representative Amer
lean tea merchants, who are members
with him on the United States Board
Of Tea Experts.
In his Office, Mr.. Mitchell, not too
| tall, slender and light haired. immacu-
lately dressed, looks as II he were
ready for perpetual tea party. He
talks lightly, though informatively.
about his tea. quite in the tea-time
vein.
shelves piled high with tea samples.
the cabinets bulging with tea htera-
ture, which overfiows untidily onto
Mr.. Mitchell's desk and covers 1t COM
nletely. IN the bay window stands q
| revolving table, on the edge OF which
| the tea faster can line up the samples
to be tested in little white handieless
cups such as you find In q Chinese
restaurant.
Besides the table stands q shining
brass tea set, consisting Of two huge
| brass kettles, set upon gas burners
| concealed by a frame of the glimmer-
| ing metal. On q small table nearby
| is growing q genuine tea plant, q tail.
thin shrub, with small, very green
| leaves.
From this ONCE Mr.. Mitchell ad.
ministers the tea law Of the land.
Here he does his own tea tasting, ana
considers how to perfect the YEA
| tasting technique Of his assistants Ct
even difSerent ports. Here he studies
the culture Of the tea plant and the
best processes OF curing it. Here ne
| has conducted painstaking experi.
ments to determine the best type Of
| tea, container. And here he makes
out the annual reports on the cOndi-
ton Of the, tea trade.
Tea gets lot Of attention from the
| United States Government. 80 quietly
given that they who have been driven
by prohibition to drink It weak with
| lemon or strong with cream are gen
orally unaware that they owe tnelr
good tea to an act OF Congress.
His brass kettle boiling away, ME.
Mitchell left his swivel chair behind
| his desk for the trick table with the
revolving top, where he could demon
gtrafe the technique OF tea tasting. lie
made ctips Of green tea ana OF black
| tea. OF Government standard and com
mercial teas. Green teas, incidently,
are green when brewed. But black
teas are not black; they are varying
shades OF red, depending on the Tea
ana ita strength.
Here's how we do It, said MT:
Mitchell rolling the table edge aIounu
until the rich red, amber specimen
was before him. It III d highly i'm
polite process. ofilcial tea tasting, not
! the least fitted FOR testing the TEA
your hostess serves you IN her draw,
sFirst We snnell tie Infused leaf Z
Inc said, bringing spoonful Of the
gkeaning leaves ID his nose. men
We taste &C. Tasting by q ten faster,
| who Ii d master at the art c0nsieIS II
ltalxinE 8 huge ana noisy fnouthfuI and
shifting ii out immediately.
| III these tests do not convince w
THAT Il Ii above Government stand.
ara. Y declared Mr.. Mitchell, I'VE ex.
anime the Infused Leaf. We pour on
1.-The liquid, and take the infused leaves
I'm our hands" He demonstrated,
holding the damp leaves TO the light.
| a.gee how much brighter this tea
looks? That Is the sign Of q better
ltea. IT'S d very simple test ana can
| Us applied anywhere. Exporters can
secure samples Of the Government
standards and test the shipments pc
| fore they send them. There a no rea-
| son Tor. teas below the Government
Ietandard being imported.
| OF the tea law which he has admin
istered since 1912. Mr.. Mitchell is ex-
lceedingyy proud It's the oldest pure.
food law with teeth. The present law
/ Ii one of the best drawn laws in the
country, being specific and maIda-
tory. Everybody must obey X. and no
one can block II. because samples Of
i every invoice are examined
The United States uHed 10 b. the
IAurnping ground for Door ~, due u