<JOffM ff, BJUUC& 
 
University of California Berkeley 
 
 JOSEPH M. BRANSTEN 
 COFFEE & TEA COLLECTION 
 
 Acquired in memory of 
 JOSEPH M. BRANSTEN 
 

SUPPLEMENTING BLAKtS 
 INTS FM PUAILtPS 
 
 1903 
 
 MAP SHOWING THE TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 
 
TEA HINTS 
 
 FOR 
 
 RETAILERS 
 
 IN TWO PARTS 
 
 By JOHN H. BLAKE 
 
 DENVER: 
 
 THE WILLIAMSON-HAFFNER ENGRAVING COMPANY 
 1903 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1903 
 BY JOHN H. BLAKE 
 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 CHAPTER I. The Tea Gardens of the World, - - 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. Tea From Seed To Leaf, 68 
 
 CHAPTER III. Tea From Leaf To Cup, 92 
 
 CHAPTER IV. The Tea Marts of the Orient, - - - - 155 
 
 PART II. 
 
 CHAPTER V. How To Test Teas, 1 74 
 
 CHAPTER VI. Where To Buy Teas, 193 
 
 CHAPTER VII. Is It Wise To Place An Importation Order ? - 225 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. Bulk versus Package Teas, - - - - 238 
 
 CHAPTER IX. How To Establish a Tea Trade, ... 243 
 
 CHAPTER X. Tea Blending, 267 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Map Showing the Tea Districts of China, - Frontispiece 
 
 A Tea Plantation in China, - 20 
 
 A Tea Plantation in Japan, 30 
 
 Map Showing the Tea Districts of India, - 36 
 
 Map Showing the Tea Districts of Ceylon, ... - 44 
 
 Picking Tea Leaves at Pinehurst, South Carolina, 62 
 
 Thea Chinensis, Branch of Japan Tea Plant, 76 
 
 An Indian " Flush," Showing Method of Plucking, 88 
 
 Native Tea Firing in China, 98 
 
 Original Ping-suey Tea Packages, 108 
 
 Map Showing the Tea Districts of Japan, I 20 
 
 A Basket-Firing " Go-down " in Japan, 128 
 
 A Pan-Firing Go-down " in Japan, ... - 138 
 
 Picking Tea Leaves in Ceylon, 148 
 
 Bringing Native Leaf to Market in Japan, 154 
 
 A Tea Testing Room in a Yokohama "Go-down," 164 
 
 Loading Tea at Colombo, Ceylon, 172 
 
 A Tea Estate and Factory in Ceylon, - - 192 
 Natives Steaming Tea Leaves in Japan, ..... 224 
 
 Expressing the Sap in Japan, 238 
 
 Native Tea Rolling in Japan, - - 2 44 
 
 Natives Sorting Tea in Japan, - 254 
 
 A Tea Canister that IS a Tea Canister, 264 
 
 Sifting Tea in Japan, 272 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 In the regular routine of his ordinary daily business the 
 retail merchant is frequently called upon to face trade-prob- 
 lems that are difficult to solve satisfactorily; problems upon 
 the enigmatical nature of which no light from the outside 
 may be shed ; problems that, in their outcome, may affect the 
 money making capacity of a business for better or for worse, 
 and of which a hap-hazard or hasty solution may be dangerous. 
 
 It is not every retail dealer who is sufficiently well versed 
 in the finer details of his particular trade as to be able to 
 direct every business procedure into the correct channel, and 
 so it oftentimes happens that words of advice, from those who 
 have had the opportunity to become experienced in certain 
 directions, are well received. 
 
 Although tea is one of the most important items in the 
 retail grocer's stock, and one of the few articles remaining to 
 him upon which a really good profit may be made, it is, never- 
 theless, unfortunately true that few grocers can claim to have 
 a comprehensive knowledge of the flavory leaf; a knowledge 
 such as the importance of the commodity as a trade-winner 
 and as a profit-maker would warrant. There are, undoubt- 
 edly, many reasons for this almost general inconversance with 
 the subject, but it would appear that a lack of means whereby 
 a greater knowledge might be gained is responsible beyond 
 other reasons. 
 
 It is very possible, therefore, that there are many who 
 desire to become more familiar with teas, and with the va- 
 rious tea-problems that confront the average dealer in his 
 
VI INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 capacity of buyer and seller, and it is to these, and to these 
 only, that this book has been respectfully addressed. 
 
 In preparing and publishing the following pages the 
 writer has made no attempt to qualify as an authority or as 
 an author. His chief end and aim has been to give to the in- 
 experienced retail dealer in teas ideas and information that 
 will prove to be of value and of benefit in a business way. 
 These ideas have been gathered during an experience of more 
 than twenty years of active service in exclusively wholesale 
 tea-circles, and, such as they are, it is sincerely hoped that 
 they will be of as much worth as it is intended that they 
 shall be. 
 
 It is possible that exceptions may be taken, by those op- 
 posedly interested, to many statements and suggestions con- 
 tained within the covers of this book, but, inasmuch as all 
 has been written in a spirit of fairness; of absolute truthful- 
 ness, without fear or favor, and for the retailer's especial bene- 
 fit, the writer is content to allow those for whom it has been 
 written to be his judges. 
 
 It is believed, however, that the many hundreds of retail 
 grocers who know the writer personally, or have known him 
 by reputation during his career on the road, as manager and 
 as tea-man, will appreciate this effort to benefit them, how- 
 ever faulty it may be, and it is sincerely hoped that those who 
 do not know him will find as much pleasure and profit in the 
 perusal of these pages as will be derived, it is confidently ex- 
 pected, by those who do know him. 
 
 Denver, August 10th, 1902. 
 
PART I. 
 
 HISTORY, CULTIVATION, 
 MANUFACTURE. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 
 
 Prior to the sixth decade of the late nineteenth century 
 the world's production of tea, with a few altogether unimpor- 
 tant exceptions, was confined to that yielded by the ancient 
 gardens of China and Japan. 
 
 Since the year 1864, however, several British possessions; 
 viz : India, Ceylon, The Straits Settlements, Natal, and the 
 Fiji Islands have been added to the list of tea-producing coun- 
 tries, and these, with Java, Formosa, Brazil, The United 
 States of America, and a few other countries of minor note, 
 as yet, as tea-producers, constitute the present tea-gardens of 
 the world. 
 
 CHINA. 
 
 Notwithstanding the fact that China, the long-lived Em- 
 pire, has ever been recognized as the ancient home of tea-cul- 
 tivation, and that her peoples have always been looked upon 
 as the originators of the leaf -preservative methods which, in 
 principle, are followed by all of the tea-producing countries 
 of the world today, there are authorities who offer excellent 
 and healthy reasons for the advancement of the theory that 
 India, and not China, is the original home of the tea-plant 
 itself. 
 
 On the other hand there are authorities who are unwill- 
 ing to admit the claim of any country other than China for 
 the honor of being the original home of the plant, and these 
 authorities base their opinion upon the fact that the several 
 varieties or species of the Chinese tea-plant are distinctive, 
 
10 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 and unlike the plant found growing elsewhere, although it is 
 admitted that the claim of others for India, as the original 
 home, has some foundation in fact. 
 
 In the year 1826 a tree, which was subsequently proved 
 to be the tea-tree, or, at least, a species of the general order 
 to which the tea-tree belongs, was discovered growing wild, 
 apparently, in the jungle-forests of Upper Assam, and along 
 the valley of the Brahmaputra River in the north-eastern cor- 
 ner af British India; a country which was overrun and con- 
 quered, in the eighteenth century, by the warlike people of the 
 adjoining country, Burmah. According to an authoritative 
 statement this country was thickly populated in the eighteenth 
 century; was civilized in a measure; and the lands were in 
 a state of excellent cultivation. The incursions of the victo- 
 rious Burmese, however, completely devastated the thriv- 
 ing communities and drove the peoples out, and, at the present 
 day, these lands, which were once the seats of civilization and 
 of agricultural activity, are covered with impenetrable jungle- 
 forests. In these forests the tea-tree was discovered, and the 
 theory is that it was once cultivated on the lands upon which 
 it was discovered, but has degenerated and become wild as 
 the result of a subsequent lack of cultivation. It is further 
 stated, in support of the theory, that the tea-plant, in a real 
 state of nature, is, more than likely, to be found in the pri- 
 meval forests, as yet unexplored, of the Indo-Chinese border- 
 land, and that seeds were originally conveyed from these In- 
 dian border-lands to China, and there subjected to a careful 
 husbandry ; a husbandry of centuries which would account for 
 the difference in the appearance and size of the leaves of the 
 plants of India and China. 
 
 Be this as it may, however for it still remains an open 
 question it is undoubtedly true that a knowledge of the vir- 
 tues of the tea-leaf, as well as a method of preserving it from 
 one season to the other, was given to the outside world by the 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 11 
 
 people of China, so that, if the plant itself cannot be traced 
 to an origin on Chinese soil, the discovery of the usefulness 
 of its leaves, by the Chinese, can. 
 
 For four thousand years the people of China are said to 
 have known of the tea-plant ; to have cultivated it, and to have 
 infused its leaves in like manner as is done by them today. 
 
 However this may be for the discovery and early his- 
 story of the shrub and its uses are enshrouded in the dark- 
 ness of Chinese tradition, legend, and folk-lore sufficient 
 truth has been culled from more recent Chinese writings to 
 prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the cultivation of the 
 tea-plant for its leaves has been systematically carried on as 
 a national industry in China for a period of, at least, one 
 thousand years. 
 
 In the Flowery Kingdom tea-drinking has been a national 
 custom for many centuries. The tea-cup is in evidence at all 
 times, and is available at every social function throughout the 
 Empire, whether in the home of the prince, the mandarin, 
 or the peasant. A Chinese author tells us that "the chief rul- 
 ers, dukes, and nobility esteem it; the lower people, the poor 
 and beggarly, will not be destitute of it; all use it daily and 
 like it." 
 
 It is, therefore, not at all surprising that a custom so pop- 
 ular in its original home ; that a beverage so beneficial to the 
 human race should, eventually, find its way to other countries, 
 and that the cultivation of the plant should be undertaken in 
 other parts of the globe where soil and climatic conditions 
 would permit. 
 
 China being the home of tea-leaf cultivation and prepa- 
 ration, it naturally follows that all subsequent tea-growing 
 countries received their seeds and their knowledge from the 
 Chinese. Not only did they receive these, but with them came 
 to the civilized and semi-civilized worlds the names by which 
 the plant and the infusion of its leaves are known. 
 
12 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 Cha pronounced tscha is the spoken name for both tea 
 and its infusion in the greater part of the Chinese Empire. 
 The Japanese and Portuguese also speak it cha, and the Rus- 
 sians use the word tschai. The Anglo-Saxon word tea, the 
 French the, the German and Dutch thee, the Danish the, the 
 Spanish te, and the Italian te are all derived from the dialect 
 of the Chinese Province of Fu-Kien, where it is called tai and 
 ta. The first shipments of tea to European countries, except 
 to Russia and Portugal, it is said, were made from the Chinese 
 sea-ports of Amoy and Foo-chow, and, as these cities an- in 
 the above named province, it is more than likely that the Fu- 
 Kienese pronunciation of the word found its way with the tea- 
 chests to Europe, and so created a name for the product akin 
 to the Chinese name of that province. Japan and Russia evi- 
 dently obtained their spoken words for the product from Chi- 
 nese dialects of other provinces; while Portugal undoubtedly 
 absorbed the term in use by the Japanese during the early 
 commercial relations which existed between the two countries. 
 
 The seventeenth century A. D. 1664 saw the introduc- 
 tion of China tea to the western civilization of Europe, where, 
 although introduced by Westerners themselves, the beverage 
 was received with prejudice and some hostility. For many 
 years after its introduction this prejudice and ignorance, or 
 both, stayed the destined onward march of the generous bev- 
 erage, for it was not until the beginning of the eighteenth 
 century that the nations of Europe and America began to ap- 
 preciate the Chinese drink and to fall into line as habitual 
 consumers of the infusion. The Anglo-Saxon race, wherever 
 located, has been since its introduction, is today, and, it is 
 more than likely, always will be the greatest Western con- 
 sumer of tea as a beverage. This race was educated in its use 
 during the early years of the eighteenth century by the trade- 
 seeking merchants of the parent country, whose ships searched 
 the far corners of the earth for outlets for her manufactures, 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 13 
 
 and brought the products of the nations to the home-country 
 in exchange. 
 
 In spite of a heavy import duty, which was levied at that 
 time by the British Government, the tea-importations of Great 
 Britain and her Colonies increased quite rapidly, fostered by 
 the commercial instincts of the then powerful English East 
 India Company, and by the increasing desire of the British 
 public for the Chinese beverage. British emigrants to the 
 American Colonies brought with them their fondness for the 
 infusion, and today the descendants of these emigrants, not- 
 withstanding the fact that an iniquitous tea-tax hastened a 
 separation of the two countries, are as fond of "the cup that 
 cheers but not inebriates" as were their forefathers. 
 
 "The waters in the rebel bay 
 
 Have kept the tea-leaf savor, 
 Our old North-Enders in their spray 
 
 Still taste a Hyson flavor ; 
 And Freedom's tea-cup still o'erflows 
 
 With ever fresh libations, 
 To cheat of slumber all her foes 
 And cheer the awakening nations." 
 
 Holmes. 
 
 For over one hundred and fifty years China supplied the 
 outside world with tea, and, during this period, enjoyed an 
 undisturbed monopoly of the world's markets, for it was not 
 until the middle of the nineteenth century, when the sea-ports 
 of Japan were unlocked to foreign commerce, and, a little 
 later, when the tea-gardens of India and Ceylon commenced 
 to thrive, that her enormous trade with the Angla-Saxon peo- 
 ples began to decline. Since the date of the awakening of 
 Japan in 1853-54 to the present time, China has been com- 
 pelled to share the trade of the United States with that wide- 
 
14 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 awake Empire, while British-Indian enterprise has been the 
 means of reducing her trade with Great Britain to less than 
 ten per cent, of that country's annual consumption; and it 
 appears to be quite likely that these progressive tea-producing 
 nations will continue to make inroads into her foreign trade 
 unless she awakens and undertakes to teach the world that 
 there is, in reality, no tea equal to that of her old-time make. 
 
 For many years past, and in spite of a very heavy in- 
 crease in the world's consumption of tea, China's export trade 
 has suffered exceedingly. In British markets, where the con- 
 sumption is now said to be in the neighborhood of 300 million 
 Ibs. annually, the imports of China teas in 1901 amounted, 
 in round numbers, to 15 million Ibs., whereas, in 1886, China 
 supplied these same markets with about 150 million Ibs., and 
 in 1882 with about 211 million Ibs. In 1901, according to 
 statistics, the United States imported about 30 million Ibs. of 
 China teas; against about 54 million Ibs. in 1900, and, ac- 
 cording to other statistics, the monetary value of the exports 
 of teas to the United States from the Chinese port of Shang- 
 hai, from whence the greater portion of China teas is shipped, 
 decreased in 1901 to about one and a half million dollars from 
 about three and a half million dollars in 1900. Concerning 
 this enormous decrease the American Consul at Shanghai 
 writes as follows: 
 
 "The decrease in the exports from China is undoubtedly 
 accounted for by the disturbed political conditions in the 
 north of China, especially Manchuria, and by the floods in 
 the Yangtze Valley. The decrease in tea-exports, however, can 
 only be accounted for by the increasing carelessness of prep- 
 aration;" and, in this last sentence, the Consul undoubtedly 
 strikes the key-note of the present Chinese tea-situation in so 
 far, at least, as the United States is concerned. 
 
 Time was when the teas of China were in general use 
 the world over, and they were, for the most part, of good value 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 15 
 
 and pure. Of late years the deterioration of many of her 
 best known district teas, and the adulteration of some, as well 
 as the artificial coloring or "facing" of others, has been pain- 
 fully apparent; so much so, indeed, that it has been the 
 means of causing much speculation in tea-circles as to the fu- 
 ture of China's export trade. 
 
 That the Chinese tea-farmer is a past master in the 
 science of leaf-production, and that he, and his co-worker, the 
 manufacturer, are more than capable of producing, between 
 them, a tea that is, beyond question, the world's very finest, 
 no one that is at all familiar with the subject will care to 
 deny, but, unfortunately, the Chinaman is nothing if not the 
 pink of stubborn conservativeness, the very essence of super- 
 cilious egotism, and to this national characteristic the con- 
 tinued lack of quality is attributable, although it is extremely 
 doubtful if the Chinaman can be blamed as the originator of 
 the policy which was instrumental in lowering his tea-qual- 
 ities. The causes which led up to, and are still the means of 
 maintaining this unfortunate state of affairs are to be looked 
 for, and found, outside of China. 
 
 In the first place the introduction, and extensive adver- 
 tising, of British machine-made teas had the effect of reduc- 
 ing prices to such an extent that American and particularly 
 British consumers were unwilling, and, consequently, the re- 
 tailers and importers were unable, to pay the prices which the 
 Chinaman reasonably demanded for his superior product, and 
 he, accommodating man that he is, undertook to lower his 
 qualities so that he could give to the white man an even value 
 for the prices he wished to pay. In the second place the 
 steady decline in prices has forced the producers to accept a 
 corresponding decrease in their percentage of profits, while, 
 at the same time, there has been no reduction in the specific 
 export duties and "likin" exacted by the Chinese local and 
 general Governments. As a result the producer finds that, in 
 
16 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 proportion to the decrease in profits, the taxation has increased 
 until it has become a grievous burden. 
 
 In order to meet the requirements of his white clients and 
 to withstand the ever increasing burden of tribute to his Gov- 
 ernment, the Chinaman has been forced to reduce the cost of 
 production in some way, and he has done it by a reduction 
 in his cost of labor; hence a lesser care in picking, a greater 
 haste in manufacture, and a faultier preparation of the leaf 
 for ocean transportation. And the obliging Oriental was even 
 willing to go further than this for the especial benefit of the 
 white man. Some of the lowered qualities did not come up to 
 the standard of excellence in point erf style; did not look so 
 well to the eye as before ; so a little Prussian blue and some 
 native clay worked through the leaf during the process of 
 manufacture gave a brighter and better appearance to the 
 product, and the white man was satisfied. 
 
 In accommodating the exacting foreigner, however, John 
 Chinaman has been guilty of a grave self-injury, for the effect 
 has been very serious in so far as his reputation and export 
 trade are concerned ; whereas had he resolved to stand manfully 
 by his guns and allow the great superiority of his product to 
 fight his battle, consumers all the world over, after having 
 satisfied themselves that the teas of other countries were un- 
 equal, would have forced the retailers, and they the importers, 
 to come to his terms and purchase his teas. Unfortunately 
 vast numbers of tea-consumers know nothing of China's old 
 time reliable teas, and the few that do remember them are, 
 most likely, of the belief that China can no longer produce 
 them, so that the demand for, and the supply of, inferior qual- 
 ities continues to decrease, and it would appear to be only a 
 question of time before China teas will disappear entirely be- 
 fore the increased consumption of the better advertised 
 product of newer countries. 
 
 The danger which confronts China's export tea-trade 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 17 
 
 as a result of the present policy has beon presented to 
 the grower-manufacturers in all its seriousness, and strong 
 efforts have been made to induce them to produce only the 
 better class teas and so force their foreign customers to take 
 what they have to sell or none at all, but, for reasons of their 
 own, they refuse. The European and American exporters of 
 Foo-chow, Shanghai, Hankow and other treaty ports of China, 
 whose export tea-trade has suffered exceedingly as a result, 
 are entirely without recourse and at the mercy of the native 
 producers. For years they have been forced to witness a 
 steady decrease in trade and have striven to rectify the mat- 
 ter in every conceivable manner both at home and abroad. 
 They have argued the case with the producers, have protested 
 and even threatened, but all to no purpose. The assistance 
 of enlightened Chinese merchants, who are equally well aware 
 of the ultimate result of such a suicidal policy, has been en- 
 listed and gladly given, but the growers and manufacturers of 
 the interior, notwithstanding the fact that they can see an 
 annual diminution in the volume of their foreign trade, re- 
 main doggedly impassive to the gravity of the situation and 
 absolutely refuse to change their present methods. But they 
 are reasoning human beings, these tea-manufacturing China- 
 men, and have, without doubt, considered the problem from 
 the standpoint of their own immediate interests. In doing 
 so it is easily conceivable that they realize the danger to the 
 future of their foreign trade which their present policy in- 
 volves, and it is more than possible that they realize also that 
 they, as producers, stand, so to speak, between two fires. 
 
 On the one hand they have the demands of the foreign 
 importer to consider, who, in order to satisfy, in turn, the 
 insatiable demand of the retailer for a colossal profit, and that 
 of the consumer for a cheap article, insists upon having a 
 quality and a price that will satisfy both ; while, on the other 
 hand, should they, the Chinese producers, yield to the impor- 
 
18 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 tunities of exporters and others, who desire to see China teas 
 brought up again to the old-time standard of quality irre- 
 spective of cost, and make teas as they used to make them, is 
 it not very possible that an immediate market of consequence 
 would be hard to find at the higher costs ? "We are perfectly 
 willing to make teas of our old-time superior quality for the 
 Russians," one can readily imagine them protesting, "for they 
 are always willing to pay our reasonable prices ; but the barba- 
 rous foreign devil who insists upon having the very cheapest 
 he can get, and knows no better than to like bluestone and 
 gypsum on his tea, well anything is good enough for such 
 as he" and, under the circumstances, the Chinese producer 
 would be more than justified were he to reason in just such 
 a way as this. 
 
 The remedy for the present evils, in so far as Chi- 
 nese qualities in America are concerned, is entirely in 
 the hands of the American retailer, who, should he insist 
 upon purchasing and selling to consumers high-grade China 
 teas in place of the low-grade, trashy, and ofttimes injurious 
 leaf he is now handling, can aid the cause of healthful teas ; 
 and the Chinese producer, were he sure of his market, would 
 be more than willing to supply, upon demand, teas from 
 which the most healthful, invigorating, and pleasing drink can 
 be made ; a drink from leaf that no country, other than China, 
 has, so far, been able to equal. 
 
 In British markets the cause of China teas appears to 
 be doomed. To the average Briton strength, thickness, and 
 blackness of liquor appeal more urgently than fineness, 
 aroma, and flavor; and this, added to the fact that he raises 
 his own tea and John Bull is nothing if not patriotic will, 
 unless a general revulsion in popular taste takes place, cause 
 an ever decreasing demand for the light-bodied, flavory 
 product of China. 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 1 
 
 In this connection, and from a British standpoint, it may 
 be interesting to quote Mr. Henry Norman's remarks upon 
 China's loss of British trade. He says in his "The Far East," 
 1895, "Improvement- in quality is an absolute necessity, but, 
 as the Commissioner of Customs says, 'China can never hope 
 to produce a tea which will compare with Indian according to 
 the only standard which now seems to be applicable in Eng- 
 land; the standard of strength; the capacity to color to a cer- 
 tain point of darkness so many gallons of water to each pound 
 of tea. 3 It seems unlikely that the Chinese will learn to im- 
 prove their qualities as that we shall learn how to know good 
 tea from bad, and how to make it when we have secured it." 
 "To every Eastern tea-drinker," Mr. Norman continues, "the 
 tea served at the best houses in England would be a horror. 
 Nobody who has not traveled in the East and arrived, after 
 a day's tramp through a malarious and steaming jungle, at 
 some poor Chinaman's shanty, and thankfully drunk a dozen 
 cups of the beverage, freely offered, can know how delicious 
 and invigorating even the most modest tea can be." 
 
 With the beginning of the decline of China's trade with 
 -the peoples of the Anglo-Saxon race, there came a demand 
 for her teas from the Eussian Empire which was, in a great 
 measure, destined to offset the loss. 
 
 The tea-trade of China with Eussia has existed for over 
 two hundred years, but, within the last two or three decades, 
 this trade has increased enormously, reaching latterly, accord- 
 ing to a recent statement of the Dutch Consul at Warsaw, the 
 huge total of fifty-three million kilogs. a year. A kilog. 
 equals 2.21 Ibs., avoirdupois, so that China's present tea- 
 trade with the White Czar's Empire is, in round figures, equal 
 to 117 million Ibs. annually. This includes the very finest 
 leaf produced, as well as the coarser varieties made into bricks 
 which are intended for the consumption of Siberians, the 
 poorer classes of Eussians, and Eussian Asiatics. 
 
20 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 The best teas required for consumption in Russia for 
 the Russian is very particular about the quality of his tea 
 are manufactured and packed with exceeding care, and are 
 now sent by steamer to the Black Sea port of Odessa, while 
 the coarser varieties, after having been powdered and com- 
 pressed into tablet and brick form known commercially as 
 "Tablet-" and "Brick-Tea" are despatched overland by 
 means of camel caravans. Brick-tea, although sent by cara- 
 van, is not what is known as "Russian Caravan Tea," for the 
 latter is an extremely high-grade, specially prepared black tea, 
 which the Russians carry overland by camel caravan in order 
 to prevent the deterioration consequent upon a long ocean 
 voyage. 
 
 In spite of the gigantic inroads which India, Ceylon, 
 and Japan have made in her export trade, China continues to 
 be, by far, the world's largest producer of the tea-leaf, and she 
 is likely to occupy that position for all time, so long, at least, 
 as her enormous native population continues to confine itself 
 to tea as a national beverage. The competition of other tea- 
 producing countries may cause her to still further hurt her 
 export trade by inducing the production of an inferior, or of 
 an adulterated leaf in order to meet the lowering prices which 
 extreme competition is likely to bring about, but even the loss 
 of all her foreign trade would be little felt by her farmer- 
 growers with such a home market as is hers ; a market which 
 supplies a tea-consuming population estimated to be in the 
 neighborhood of four hundred million souls. 
 
 The year 1902 has witnessed a large increase in the im- 
 portations of China teas by the United States. It is quite 
 liki i h r , however, that the unnatural conditions which existed 
 during the latter part of the year, and caused by the expec- 
 tations of an increased business after the abolition of the war 
 tax on teas on December 31st, 1902, have had much to do 
 
A TEA PLANTATION IN CHINA. 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 21 
 
 with this increase, for it cannot be said that any part of it is 
 due to an improvement in quality. 
 
 According to the Bureau of Statistics of the United 
 States Treasury Department the importations of China teas 
 for the last three years were as follows : 
 
 In 1900 54,111,195 Ibs. 
 
 In 1901 ' 30,352,239 Ibs. 
 
 In 1902 60,837,270 Ibs. 
 
 Tea-plantations in China are, in most part, unworthy of 
 the name, for they are rarely more than little patches of the 
 shrub, cared for by small farmers, who raise and cultivate 
 the plants, pick and partially cure the leaves, and, in this con- 
 dition, sell them to the traveling factors or "tea-men" who 
 are sent out, for the purpose of purchasing the leaf, by the 
 "hong," or tea-factory owners of the local interior cities. 
 Upon arrival at the hong the collective product of the dis- 
 trict, thus gathered together, is fully prepared for market 
 and is stored to await the orders of the brokers who represent 
 the hongs in the great sales-mart to which the district is 
 tributary. This system is quite similar to the one in vogue 
 in our own wheat-producing states. The wheat-broker or 
 buyer visits the farms of a district ; bargains with the farmers ; 
 sends the collective purchase to the elevator company, from 
 whose bins it is, in due season, shipped to the flouring mills. 
 
 The Chinese tiller of the soil occupies an unique position 
 among his fellow men. However small his farm may be, he 
 is still a farmer, and, as such, he is highly esteemed and his 
 occupation honored throughout the land. He is looked upon 
 as being the real producer and, in consequence, his work is 
 considered to be much more meritorious than that of the me- 
 chanic and more honorable than that of the merchant who 
 merely handles the product for profit and distributes it to 
 consumers. From time immemorial emperors and nobles have 
 
22 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 paid homage to the husbandry of the land and, at a certain 
 season each year, it is customary for the reigning monarch, 
 aided by his nobles, to pay tribute to the husbandman's craft 
 by taking plow in hand, running a few furrows and sowing 
 some seed. 
 
 Tea-farms in China, although mostly very small, vary 
 in size as well as in ownership. The owner of from three to 
 five acres of land is looked upon as being beyond the fear 
 of ordinary need, while the owner of ten acres or more is 
 considered to be in extremely comfortable circumstances. The 
 entire farm of many Chinese tea-growers is quite frequently 
 of such small extent that it would hardly suffice to make an 
 ordinary house-orchard for a prosperous American farmer. 
 Upon this little patch, however, John Chinaman grows his 
 crop of tea -leaves and, in addition, manages to raise a suf- 
 ficiency of garden-truck upon which to support his family. 
 In many cases the land is rented from the district mandarin, 
 or other owner, whose rent must be paid out of the proceeds 
 of the product, but so very closely is every foot of soil worked, 
 so carefully are individual plants tended, and so economical is 
 the farmer and his family in every way that he manages to 
 eke out a fair living withal, and his Icrt is not, altogether, an 
 unhappy one. 
 
 Each tea-farm is cultivated by the farmer, assisted by 
 his family, and extreme care is usually exercised in all that 
 pertains to the production of a good, cleanly leaf. In cases 
 where the farmer has no family and is too poor, as frequently 
 happens, to employ labor to harvest his crop, he sells it, as it 
 stands upon the bushes, to the factor, who undertakes the 
 task of picking, semi-preparing, and shipping. 
 
 The small tea-garden patches are usually situated upon 
 sloping ground at the foot of hills where a natural drainage is 
 obtainable, such drainage being essential in a climate which 
 is subject to an exceedingly heavy rainfall. 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 23 
 
 "A plantation of tea," says Mr. Fortune, "when seen 
 at a distance, looks like a little shrubbery of evergreens. As 
 the traveler threads his way amongst the rocky scenery, he is 
 continually coming upon these plantations which are dotted 
 upon the sides of all the hills. The leaves are of a rich dark- 
 green and afford a pleasing contrast to the strange and often 
 barren scenery which is everywhere around." In the Bohea 
 mountains, a great and wonderfully beautiful range which 
 partially separates two of the greatest tea-producing provinces 
 of China, Kiang-see and Fu-Kien; a high grade black tea 
 is raised and made by Buddhist monks and Taouist priests 
 "whose numerous monasteries and temples," says Miss Gor- 
 don-Gumming, "nestle in the most picturesque fashion among 
 the huge rocks of the famous Woo-e-shan. Many of these tem- 
 ples are perched on summits of perpendicular precipices which, 
 seen from the river below, appear to be wholly inaccessible. 
 The tea-gardens where these agricultural brethren toil so dili- 
 gently are most irregular patches of ground of every size and 
 shape, scattered here, there and everywhere among these 
 rocky mountains, but, like all Chinese gardening, tea-cultiva- 
 tion is exquisitely neat and the multitude of curiously clipped 
 little bushes have a curiously formal appearance in contrast 
 with the reckless manner in which nature has tossed about the 
 fragments of her shattered mountains." Large quantities of 
 tea are annually raised by the thousands of agricultural 
 monks and priests of this far-famed district (Woo-e-shan), 
 but, of the hundreds of millions of pounds of tea produced 
 each year in China, the greater portion is the work of her hun- 
 dreds of thousands of small farmer-growers, to whose remark- 
 able care in the cultivation of their small gardens can be 
 attributed the superiority of Chinese teas. 
 
 The principal tea-growing lands of the country are situ- 
 ated in the great Yang-tze basin of central China, one of the 
 largest and most fertile valleys of the world. It embraces some 
 
24 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 of the east-central, central, and west-central provinces of the 
 Empire and is drained by the great Yang-tze-Kiang Eiver 
 and its numerous tributaries. 
 
 In spots throughout this enormous stretch of country are 
 to be found innumerable tea-districts more or less notorious 
 as producers of high, medium, or poor grade leaf, and these 
 districts produce either green or black teas exclusively accord- 
 ing to the species of plant raised and to the custom of the 
 growers and manufacturers. The black teas of China are 
 mainly produced in the tea-districts of the province of 
 Fu-Kien on the south-east sea-board and in those of the cen- 
 tral provinces of Kiang-see, Hupeh and Hunan; while the 
 districts of the province Che-Kiang on the extreme east- 
 central coast and those of the adjoining provinces oLXiranhwri 
 and part of Kiang-see are responsible for the supply of China's 
 green teas. The south-eastern province of Kwang-tung, in 
 which is situated the city of Canton, produces leaf which is 
 manufactured at Canton into either the green or black sorts, 
 scented, spurious, adulterated, or otherwise, according to 
 demand. 
 
 Part of the province Sze-chuen in the west, adjoining 
 Thibet, produces tea of both colors, but its output is mainly 
 distributed throughout central Asia and in the form of brick- 
 tea. 
 
 China Ooloong teas are produced mainly in the provinces 
 of Fu-kien and Kiang-see, in the former of which are situ- 
 ated the well known cities of Foo-chow and Amoy which 
 give their names to many kinds of China Ooloongs and Con- 
 gous owing to the fact that the teas receive final manipulation 
 there and are shipped abroad from these sea-ports. 
 
 A glance at the map of China will show that these tea- 
 producing provinces are contiguous, include quite a little 
 mountain land, and are well watered by numerous rivers and 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 25 
 
 streams which empty into the Yang-tze-Kiang and Canton 
 Rivers. 
 
 From China the cultivation of the tea-plant extended 
 to the adjacent island Empire of 
 
 JAPAN. 
 
 whose inhabitants acquired a taste for the delicious beverage, 
 and its use, eventually, became national as in China. 
 
 Japan, although the second greatest producer of the 
 tea-leaf, occupies the somewhat unique position of having, 
 practically speaking, but one foreign market for her teas. 
 China teas, India teas, Ceylon teas, and others, find mar- 
 kets, great or small, in all of the tea-drinking countries of 
 the world, but the tea of Japan finds an outside market, of 
 any consequence, in the United States and Canada only. 
 
 For many centuries this wonderful little island Empire, 
 like her immediate neighbor, China, raised and cultivated the 
 tea-plant for home consumption; her inherent dislike for 
 all peoples and things foreign debarring a search for out- 
 side markets, notwithstanding the enormous possibilities 
 which such markets could afford in trade and profit. 
 
 From the discovery of Japan by the Portuguese in 1542 
 until the year 1854, the foreign trade of the Empire, both 
 import and export, was subject to the whims and pleasure 
 of the existing rulers. Periods of intercourse and trade 
 with Christian nations were followed by periods of prohibi- 
 tion and even persecution, until in 1854 the United States 
 expedition under Commodore Perry effected an awakening; 
 and the new era thus established has improved rapidly with 
 the years, until it now appears to be, both socially and com- 
 mercially, destined to last forever. 
 
 During the intermittent periods of commercial inter- 
 course with, and exclusion of outside nations, Japan raised 
 
26 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 no tea for export, although the plant was extensively culti- 
 vated in different parts of the Empire. With the opening of 
 the treaty ports by Commodore Perry, the exportation of 
 tea to the United States began, and the trade has been so 
 fostered by the establishment oi European and American "go- 
 downs" as the tea-preparing establishments are called at 
 shipping ports, and by the ever-increasing demand by the 
 Pacific coast and Central states of this country and of 
 Canada for the teas, that a truly wonderful trade has re- 
 sulted. 
 
 Once introduced, the light body and delicate flavor of 
 Japan teas quickly captured the fancy of Western Americans, 
 and, from a small beginning a half-century ago, the trade 
 has grown apace, until today the consumption oi the green 
 teas of Japan in the United States amounts to about 35 
 million pounds annually, or about 40 per cent, of the entire 
 annual consumption of the nation. 
 
 For some years past British-Indian enterprise has 
 attempted, by means of extensive and costly advertising, to 
 displace the green teas of Japan and China in the American 
 market, and gain a favor for the black product of India 
 and Ceylon. Ten years or more of costly effort has proved 
 to them, however, that the American consumer is not to 
 be easily weaned from his love for the light and flavory Mon- 
 golian cup in favor of the heavy and pungent beverage of the 
 Englishman; and now, acting upon the principle that if the 
 mountain will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the 
 mountain, these enterprising merchants are using every effort 
 to produce a green tea from Indian and Ceylon leaf which 
 will resemble the product of Japan in style and cup; and, 
 with such teas, attempt to make the capture which their black 
 teas failed to accomplish. 
 
 In the meantime the progressive merchants and growers 
 of Japan are not asleep, and, aided by their Government, are 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 27 
 
 quite likely to prove as aggressively intelligent and active in 
 the defense of their position as the British can be in their ef- 
 forts to capture it. During the earlier years of the coming 
 trade-warfare the American importer and dealer will watch 
 the progress of events with the keenest attention, for,, although 
 uninterested, as yet, as far as production and manufacture 
 are concerned, their financial interests and trade are likely to 
 be affected, one way or the other, by the efforts of offense and 
 defense. 
 
 It is somewhat surprising that Japan has, so far, been 
 unable to establish a trade for her teas on the continent of Eu- 
 rope, for there can be no question as to the quality of her 
 product. It may be accounted for, however, by the fact that 
 the European demand, like that of Great Britain, is almost 
 entirely for the highly fermented black sorts of China, India, 
 Ceylon, and Java, which Japan does not appear to be able to 
 produce or imitate successfully, although repeated efforts have 
 been made by her manufacturers in this direction. It is not 
 easy to create a demand for an article that is altogether 
 different in appearance and flavor to the one in favored 
 use, and for this reason, notwithstanding the acknowl- 
 edged merit of their product, the Japanese merchants, 
 should they ever make the attempt, are quite likely to find it as 
 difficult to influence European tastes and opinions as the Brit- 
 ish found it in America. In the United States, however, Ja- 
 pan's foothold is exceptionally strong and, so long as her grow- 
 ers and manufacturers produce the meritorious qualities they 
 are now exporting, but little fear for the future of their Amer- 
 ican trade may be anticipated. 
 
 The year 1902 showed an increase in the exports of Japan 
 teas to the United States of nearly 5 million Ibs. over 1901, 
 although the exports of 1901 fell below those of 1900 some 
 3 million Ibs. Altogether, for the last few years, the exporta- 
 tion of Japan teas appears to remain close to the 33 million 
 
28 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 lb. mark, which is, at least, three-fourths of Japan's total ex- 
 port trade in teas. 
 
 According to the Bureau of Statistics of the United States 
 Treasury Department the importations of Japan teas for the 
 last three years were as follows : 
 
 In 1900 33,261,387 Ibs. 
 
 In 1901 30,385,675 Ibs. 
 
 In 1902 34,578,325 Ibs. 
 
 As in China, the tea-plantations of Japan are mostly lit- 
 tle spots of land cultivated by the owners. In the larger tea- 
 districts of the country many of these tea-gardens adjoin and 
 "spreading away over the gently rolling land, frequently by 
 the side of the yellow-green rice fields, present, in summer, an 
 exceedingly pleasant aspect, with their foliage of dark-green, 
 especially if the picture is still further enlivened by women and 
 children in their gay, clean clothes, busily picking the leaves." 
 
 Great care is exercised by the Japanese growers in the 
 cultivation of the plant, for, like the Chinese farmers, they 
 take a particular pride in the product of their little farm, 
 and to the finished leaf they proudly apply a fanciful or poetic 
 name such as "jewelled dew," etc. 
 
 Since the opening of Japan to the trade of the world in 
 1854, the cultivation of the tea-plant lias increased quite rap- 
 idly; and, as the exportation of the leaf to the United States 
 and Canada increased, new lands were, and are being, laid 
 out as tea-gardens, where the plant was never raised before. 
 The cultivation of the plant is carried on in Japan much as 
 it is done in China; the ground is just as carefully worked 
 and kept, and the plants are as well and as scientifically 
 tended. Many centuries of the most careful husbandry have 
 taught the Japanese farmer the art of cultivation, and in the 
 sciences of irrigation and fertilization he is an adept, and, as 
 a result, the arable land of the Empire has been brought to 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 29 
 
 a very high state of perfection. In China tea-land is rarely, 
 if ever, manured, for the Chinaman fears for the flavor of his 
 product, and justly so, for the fish-guano, oil-cake, manure 
 and other strong- smelling fertilizers, which are in use in the 
 coast districts of Japan, are responsible for the "fishy" flavor 
 in the liquor so frequently recognized by experts at the tea- 
 table when testing the lower grades of Japan teas. 
 
 Tea is grown in nearly all of the provinces of Japan south 
 of the Tsugaru Strait, which separates the main island, Nip- 
 pon or Hondo, from the northern island Yezo or Ezo, al- 
 though in widely varying quantities. The greater producing 
 districts are situated in the central part of the main island, 
 between the thirty-fourth and thirty-sixth degrees of north 
 latitude, and, in quality, as well as in the quantity produced, 
 these great central tea-districts are far in advance of the out- 
 lying districts. The old centre of tea-culture in Japan is said 
 to be situated at the southern end of Biwa Lake, and from 
 this centre the industry has extended until it embraces most 
 of the provinces situated between the 130th and 140th de- 
 grees of east longitude, having for distributing points for 
 foreign markets the twin cities Hiogo-Kobe on the west, and 
 Yokohama on the east, the enormous increase in growing terri- 
 tory being mainly due to the ever increasing American demand 
 for the product. 
 
 The tea-shrub is cultivated also in favored spots in the 
 provinces bordering the Japan sea ; and in the southern island 
 of Kiushui many acres are set apart for the cultivation of the 
 shrub, but the product of these outlying districts is raised, 
 mainly, for home consumption. 
 
 Japan leaf, irrespective of district, is made into the 
 familiar kinds as we know them, but parcels of teas made into 
 an imitation of the Chinese black and green sorts, such as 
 Congous, Ooloongs, and Gunpowders, are sometimes to be met 
 with in American markets. The Japanese Government has en- 
 
30 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 deavored to foster the production of such makes, but, so far, 
 the success erf the makers has been limited. With an energy 
 worthy of its later history the Japanese Government has done 
 much to aid the tea-industry at home, and the distribution of 
 the product abroad, and to-day, many native companies have 
 established agencies for the sale of teas, as well as for the fur- 
 therance of the cause of Japan teas generally, in many of the 
 larger markets of this country and of 
 
 INDIA. 
 
 British India, the next on the list of the great tea-gardens 
 of the world, has forged her way towards the front with tre- 
 mendous strides during the last thirty-odd years. 
 
 About seventy-six years ago in 1826 the tea-plant was 
 discovered, growing wild, apparently, in the great virgin for- 
 ests of Upper Assam; a province in the north-east corner of 
 India, but which, at that time, formed part of the Burmese 
 Empire. At the conclusion of the first Burmese war, in 1829, 
 Assam was annexed to British India, and its hill and plain 
 countries have since become famous as the greatest tea-produc- 
 ing districts of India. This discovery of the wild tea-shrub or 
 tree has given, to Anglo-Indian growers and others, grounds 
 upon which to base the claim for India as the original home of 
 the shrub, a claim which must be left, however, to future sci- 
 entists for verification or denial. The discovery is accredited 
 to a Mr. C. A. Bruce, who, in his account, mentions the location 
 of 120 tea-tracts, both in the hills and on the plains, some of 
 which were very extensive. The discovery, very naturally, cre- 
 ated considerable interest, and the attention of the Government 
 was attracted. In 1834 the Governor General of India, Lord 
 Wm. Bentinck, urged the importance of tea-culture, and a com- 
 mittee was appointed to investigate, and to form plans for in- 
 troducing the shrub into such districts of India as seemed best 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 31 
 
 suited to its cultivation. Under Government auspices nurse- 
 ries were established in Assam, and Chinese seed and growing 
 plants were imported for experimental purposes, but, for sev- 
 eral years, the progress made was slow and unsatisfactory, and 
 the reports returned from England, upon samples of manufac- 
 tured tea sent, were not of an encouraging nature. In 1837 
 the Indian Government imported skilled Chinese labor (tea- 
 makers and culturists) and, under the direction of the skilled 
 labor so imported, good progress was made, so much so, indeed, 
 that teas sent to England in 1838 were reported to be of excel- 
 lent quality and commanded high prices in the London market. 
 About this time the attention of capitalists and speculators was 
 attracted by the great possibilities of tea-culture in India, and, 
 in 1839, the Assam Tea Company was formed under the 
 patronage of the English East India Company. Believing that 
 the future of the industry was then in good hands, the Gov- 
 ernment retired, after having transferred its experimental gar- 
 dens, growing plants, and nurseries to the tea-company. In 
 1850 the East India Company sent Mr. Eobert Fortune, a sci- 
 entist of renown, to China for the purpose of collecting tea- 
 seeds, growing plants, etc., and of obtaining all the information 
 regarding Chinese methods of culture and manufacture 
 that it was possible to gather. This gentleman, familiar with 
 the Chinese language, and dressed as a Chinaman, succeeded in 
 penetrating into the most inaccessible parts of the Flowery 
 Kingdom, and brought back with him to India many thousand 
 specimens of growing plants and seeds, together with much 
 valuable information and some native tea-makers and cultur- 
 ists. So great was his success, and so valuable was the infor- 
 mation obtained, that he was again sent to other parts of 
 China, and, a year or two after his return from this second 
 successful expedition, his services, for a similar purpose, were 
 enlisted by the Government of the United States, which, at 
 
32 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 that time about 1857 was seriously considering the possi- 
 bilities of tea-culture in the Southern States. 
 
 Little progress was made, however, for several years, 
 owing to the scant favor with which the teas were received in 
 England. Further experiments were then undertaken, and 
 efforts made to overcome the cause of so much disapprobation 
 in the home country. The virgin forest-land, with its damp, 
 fertile soil, covering a sandy loam, was proved to be partic- 
 ularly favorable to the growth of the shrub, but the seeds and 
 plants imported from China, while producing a hardy plant, 
 gave a leaf of inferior quality. Crosses between the native 
 Indian plant and that of Chinese origin were then tried, and 
 the result was the production of a leaf that gave satisfaction 
 to English consumers, and overcame the home prejudice in a 
 great measure. 
 
 A season of great activity was then inaugurated in India. 
 During the years 1863 to 1865 Calcutta went wild in a mad 
 speculation over tea-lands. Large tracts of country were 
 purchased by speculators and sold to English limited liability 
 companies at colossal figures. In England the stock of the 
 numerous companies was eagerly purchased, but, eventually, 
 the bubble burst, and, as a writer of the period puts it, "for 
 a time the very name of tea-cultivation fell into immeasured 
 odium," so much so, indeed, was this the case that plantations, 
 which had cost the companies vast sums of money, were re- 
 sold for whatever price they would bring. 
 
 The end of the craze was brought about in 1866-67, and, 
 at that time, a few capitalists, realizing that the possibilities 
 for tea-culture in India were boundless, and that the future 
 of the industry could not always be influenced by the bitter 
 feeling that existed against it, quietly purchased the more con- 
 veniently located estates and proceeded to develop them upon 
 scientific principles. Overcoming the many primary diffi- 
 culties which beset their path as planters, these capitalists 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OP THE WORLD. 33 
 
 quickly proved their position, and it was not long before tea- 
 plantations were laid out in other parts of the peninsular Em- 
 pire, the acreage increasing annually, until today, gardens, in 
 a flourishing condition, are to be found in all parts of the 
 country where soil and climate have been proved suitable for 
 the propagation of the plant. 
 
 From the date of the introduction of tea into Europe until 
 the year 1869, China and, later on, Japan enjoyed a monopoly 
 of the tea-export trade. In that year India had passed the 
 experimental stage ; had overcome the innumerable difficulties 
 and serious drawbacks which had beset her path ; and had en- 
 tered the field as a competitor for the tea-trade of the nations, 
 and, with an Anglo-Saxon perseverance, vim, and energy, her 
 planters have, at this time, not only succeeded in supplanting 
 China in the British and British-Colonial markets, but have 
 also gained a foothold in other European and American mar- 
 kets which is yearly gaining in strength. 
 
 The tea-gardens of India, like those of Ceylon and other 
 British countries where the plant is cultivated, are usually 
 owned and operated by British stock companies, and, under 
 such circumstances, it is not at all surprising that the product 
 of the vast tea-estates as the plantations are called should 
 find a preference in the home countries of the British Islands 
 and the Colonies. The same determination which surmounted 
 the initial difficulties of tea-culture in India and Ceylon, and 
 which, so quickly, succeeded in destroying the British tea- 
 trade of China, is now at work in an effort to capture the 
 markets of the United States, but it is not possible to predict 
 what the success will be. The business energy and acumen 
 of the Anglo-Indian tea-grower, blender, exporter, and broker 
 we cannot but admire. We are of his race, and our business 
 methods are similar to his. His inventions of machinery for 
 the purpose of saving labor in every stage of the preparation 
 
34 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 of the tea-leaf for market; his superior manner of packing; 
 his up-to-date business methods and unlimited capital are 
 advantages which combine in his favor, and, in the race for 
 supremacy, will surely count heavily against all competition. 
 The coming contest of the tea-producing nations for the 
 future trade of the United States, however, is not at all likely 
 to end in such an easy and overwhelming victory for Anglo- 
 Indian enterprise as it did in Great Britain and in the Brit- 
 ish Colonies. China, it must be admitted, unless aroused by 
 the exigencies of the situation, can hardly be expected to pro- 
 tect herself with any great amount of opposition, but pug- 
 nacious Japan will never yield a single inch of her position 
 without offering a prolonged and bitter struggle. The fact, 
 also, that China and Japan teas are very much more popular 
 with American consumers than the heavy, pungent product 
 of Indian and Ceylon manufacture can ever hope to be will 
 prove a serious impediment in the way of the success of the 
 Anglo-Indian, so that, in spite of the numerous advantages 
 which he undoubtedly possesses, there are serious considera- 
 tions and many difficulties which he will do well to contem- 
 plate before assuring himself that the markets of the United 
 States may be easily carried by storm. 
 
 Tea-plantations or estates as they are locally called 
 are now quite numerous in India and Ceylon, and, unlike 
 those of China and Japan, are of vast extent, covering, at once, 
 from 200 to 500 acres and more. A tea-estate in these coun- 
 tries, is, from its inception, an up-to-date, business-like propo- 
 sition, and everything, from the planting of the seed to the 
 packing of the tea-chests, is done within its confines. Cheap 
 Indian and Singhalese male and female labor is employed in 
 the planting, cultivating, plucking, and packing; and ma- 
 chinery, especially designed and built for the purpose, is used 
 in all stages of the preparation of the leaf for market. 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 35 
 
 These vast estates have been, in most part, reclaimed 
 from the rich jungle-lands of India, and from ruined coffee- 
 estates, as well as from cleared jungle-lands in Ceylon, and, 
 in point of appearance, present that neatness, regularity, and 
 business-like precision which could be expected from the char- 
 acter of men that manage them. 
 
 In the earlier days of the industry in India the methods 
 in use by the Chinese, in so far as cultivation and preparation 
 are concerned, were followed, and hand-labor for all purposes 
 was employed. The enormous demand, however, which was 
 ultimately created for the product in Great Britain and else- 
 where, urged the planters to adopt more modern and speedier 
 methods of preparation, and the necessity thus arising, 
 steam-machinery was invented to take the place of hand- 
 labor in the various stages of preparation, and in packing. 
 As far as locality is concerned the tea-districts of India are 
 widely separated owing to the necessary conditions of climate, 
 soil, altitude, etc. The earlier estates, as was quite natural, 
 were laid out in a country where the wild tea-tree was dis- 
 covered, that is to say in the hill-country of Assam, a prov- 
 ince of the Himalaya regions in the north-eastern corner of 
 the Empire, adjoining Burmah on the south, the Chinese prov- 
 ince of Yunnan on the east, and Thibet on the north. 
 
 For some years this north-eastern section produced the 
 entire Indian tea-crop, but the increasing demand of subse- 
 quent years forced a search for other suitable lands, which 
 were found, as time went by, in the western and north- 
 western parts of Assam, from whence the industry gradually 
 extended along the hill and plain country to the west, and 
 into the -valley and foot-hill lands of the southern slopes of 
 the Himalaya Mountains in the provinces of Bengal and The 
 Punjab. Good tea-lands were discovered, also, in the extreme 
 south-western part of the peninsula, in the hill-country of 
 the Western Ghauts, a mountain range of the Madras Presi- 
 
36 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 dency ; which Presidency is separated from the adjacent island 
 of Ceylon by the Gulf of Manaar. 
 
 The great northern tea-producing section of India is 
 divided into tea-districts which are known to commerce as 
 the districts of Assam, Cachar, Sylhet, The Dooars, Chitta- 
 gong, Dacca, Darjeeling, Koch Bahar, The Terai, Kumaon, 
 Dehra-Doon, Kangra Valley, Hazaribagh, Chutia Xagpur, 
 Girhwal and others, while the south-western section is divided 
 into districts which produce the Neilgherry, Travancore, and 
 Wynaad teas. 
 
 These tea-districts are sub-divided into gardens of 
 greater or lesser extent, and each garden has a name by \vhirh 
 it, and its product is commercially known; the name beinir. 
 frequently, but not always, of local Indian derivation. This 
 garden name is usually adopted as a brand by wlm-h the 
 entire production of the. estate is distinguished from other 
 garden teas of the same district. 
 
 Indian district-teas are quite distinctive in charaet-r. 
 owing to distinctive climatic conditions, so much so, indeed, 
 that tea-experts, particularly those of Great Britain, have 
 little difficulty in recognizing the product of the different dis- 
 tricts ; reminding one of the ease with which the coffee-expert 
 can choose between the different growths of Brazilian coi v 
 and many individual gardens produce leaf which is sufficiently 
 characteristic to enable it to be distinguished from the prod- 
 uct of other gardens of the same district. 
 
 The elevation at which the plants are grown has a great 
 deal to do with the cup qualities of Indian teas, and it is gen- 
 erally conceded that tea grown in the hill-districts is much 
 more flavory than that grown upon the estates of the plains. 
 
 Neilgherry Hills, Travancore, and other teas oi the south- 
 western districts resemble Ceylons in a measure, owing, no 
 doubt, to a similarity of climate. They are lighter in body, 
 and not so pungent as the majority of northern grown teas, 
 
MAP SHOWING THE TEA DISTRICTS OF INDIA. 
 

THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 37 
 
 and, for this reason, are likely to meet with greater favor in 
 the markets of the United States, for in this country tea- 
 drinkers are not accustomed to such heavy-bodied, dark- 
 liquoring, pungent teas as are produced by many of the 
 northern Indian districts. 
 
 Some idea of the enormity of the Indian tea-industry 
 may be gathered from the figures as given in an esti- 
 mate of recent date. In 1901, according to the United 
 States Consul at Bombay, there were 524,767 acres 
 of land under tea-cultivation, producing over 191 million 
 Ibs. of tea. In that year the industry gave employment 
 to 660,000 persons, and represented an invested capital of 
 54 million dollars. By far the greater portion of this 
 enormous output is produced in Assam and Bengal, which 
 provinces are responsible for nine-tenths of the Indian tea- 
 crop. The increase in the output af India teas during the 
 last ten years shows an annual average of about 8% million 
 Ibs., so that when we consider that Ceylon's increase 
 has been proportionately greater, it is easy to discover 
 a reason for so much anxiety on the part of the Anglo-Indian 
 in his search for other markets. Approximately estimated 
 India's export of tea for the last thirty years has been as 
 follows : 
 
 In 1871 lSi/4 million Ibs. were exported. 
 
 In 1881 38% million Ibs. were exported. 
 
 In 1890 112 million Ibs. were exported. 
 
 In 1900 197 million Ibs. were exported. 
 
 In 1901 191 1 / 4 million Ibs. were exported. 
 An increase of about 184 million Ibs. in 1900 over 1871. 
 
 CEYLON. 
 
 The history of the capture by Ceylon of her present posi- 
 tion as one of the foremost tea-producing countries of the 
 
38 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 world is, as Clutterbuck has it, "a striking illustration of the 
 dogged determination and persevering energy of the English- 
 man," for the planting history of this far-famed island is 
 filled with deeds of commercial daring such as have rarely 
 been equalled in the history of agriculture or of trade else- 
 where. Few planters, indeed, in any country have been called 
 upon to pass through such disastrous times and long periods 
 of depression as fell to the lot of those of this semi-tropical 
 island, and, had it not been for that dogged determination 
 and perseverance spoken of by Mr. Clutterbuck, the periods 
 of great prosperity which succeeded those of equally great 
 depression would have been extremely improbable, although 
 it would have been more just, in bestowing the words of 
 praise, to have credited the British people as a whole, instead 
 of the Englishman alone, for numbers of the planters of 
 Ceylon were then, as now, of Scotch and Irish birth as well 
 as of English. 
 
 Forty years or so ago the ground now occupied by 
 a seeming endless expanse of tea-estates was completely 
 covered by a vast and solitary jungle, amid whose labyrinths 
 of moss-grown trees, straggling limbs, and entwining tropi- 
 cal creepers, no sign of a road and scarcely a trail could be 
 found ; a fitting habitation, indeed, for the beasts of prey that 
 found a roaming place within its shades. Later, and within 
 the memory of young men of today, the mountain sides and 
 valleys of this same land were overspread, with an exuberant 
 growth of coffee-bushes, for the propagation of which plant 
 thousands of acres of jungle-land had been cleared, involving 
 the investment of many millions of British and Colonial capi- 
 tal. For years the cultivation of the plant which produces 
 the fragrant berry had occupied the full attention of many of 
 the planters and had created an industry which had become 
 the main-stay of the island; and these were not only years 
 of great prosperity but were filled with the promise of greater 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 39 
 
 riches to come. Suddenly, and at the height of this pros- 
 perity, the abundant hopes of the planters were changed to 
 feelings of the deepest gloom, for an insidious coffee-leaf dis- 
 ease of a fungus nature, scientifically known as Hemileia 
 Vastatrix, made its appearance and obtained such a hold upon 
 the bushes that the most strenuous and untiring efforts of the 
 planters failed to eradicate it, and then it was realized that 
 the future of the coffee industry was doomed. Euined inves- 
 tors at home cried out to the ruined planters of the island; 
 ruined planters turned in their need to the ruined capitalists 
 of the cities, and they to the banks, but all to no purpose, for 
 the main-stay of the island itself was ruined, and financial 
 disaster stared the entire community in the face. 
 
 Those of the planters who were able to do so sought other 
 crops to take the place of the coffee-bush on their devastated 
 lands, and for several years experiments, that, in the main, 
 terminated disastrously, were tried. 
 
 The most notable of these was the attempt to create a 
 profitable industry by the cultivation of the Peruvian Cin- 
 chona-tree, from the bark of which the drug quinine is made, 
 but, although successful in the propagation of the tree, the 
 planters were unable to re-establish themselves, for the result- 
 ing over-production of the drug glutted the markets of the 
 world, and the lowered prices that were obtainable when sales 
 could be made, were anything but remunerative. 
 
 Stern necessity, after years spent in fruitless effort, 
 therefore, compelled the planters to seek relief in some direc- 
 tion as yet untried, and, fortunately for Ceylon, the cultiva- 
 tion of the tea-plant was suggested. Grasping at the idea, the 
 courageous planters undertook the trial, and during the 
 period of experiment that followed, results were obtained that 
 proved the entire suitability of both soil and climate to the 
 propagation of the plant. Financially embarrassed, and, 
 in many cases, overwhelmed with debt, the planters began 
 
40 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 the work of transforming the ruined coffee-plantations into 
 tea-estates, and, although such an enterprise involved the 
 expenditure of vast sums of money, the profits upon which, 
 if any, were not likely to become manifest until the tea-shrubs 
 had had time to reach the age of maximum productiveness, 
 the planters persisted; raised funds sufficient for the purpose 
 in some way; laid out their tea-gardens and awaited develop- 
 ments. 
 
 And so it happened that ground which, thirty years be- 
 fore, was one impenetrable forest ; that later became a colossal 
 coffee-plantation; was now destined to become covered with 
 the waving green of tea-shrubs. 
 
 Tea-cultivation may be said to have begun in Ceylon in 
 the year 1867; for about that time some ten experimental 
 acres were planted. For several years thereafter the progress 
 made was slow, owing to the financial condition of the .coun- 
 try; to the extreme difficulty that many of the planters ex- 
 perienced in obtaining the necessary funds from the outside, 
 and to the lack of enthusiasm consequent upon the failure of 
 previous commercial crops, and it was not until eight years 
 later in 1875 that the first experimental shipment of manu- 
 factured tea was made to England. 
 
 This sample of a new country growth some 282 Ibs. 
 in all was received with suspicion in London, but the quality 
 of subsequent consignments forced a more kindly attention 
 from the British tea-men, and the distressed island planters 
 were rewarded for their long fight against disaster by the 
 knowledge that success had, at last, been achieved, and that 
 the future of the tea-industry of the island was assured. 
 
 Indian experiences in cultivation and manufacture were 
 exceedingly helpful to the inexperienced planters of Ceylon, 
 who were careful to avoid the initial mistakes of their brother- 
 planters of the mainland, and to adopt the latest and most 
 approved methods of cultivation, plucking and curing. 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 41 
 
 Once fairly started, the progress made was extremely 
 rapid; each succeeding year showing an enormous increase in 
 the output of manufactured leaf over that of preceding years ; 
 until today the production of tea by the island planters, in 
 spite of the increase that India has continued to show, falls 
 little short of that of the latter country ; and, should the same 
 ratio of increase be maintained for a few years to come, the 
 planters of Ceylon will have the satisfaction of outstripping 
 their Indian preceptors, and of seeing their little island be- 
 come the third greatest tea-producing country of the world. 
 
 Owing to the comparatively small area of the island 
 which is about 275 miles long by 140 miles wide the tea-dis- 
 tricts of Ceylon are localized, and are situated mainly in the 
 central, southern and south-western parts of the country. 
 Eanging from the higher elevations of the central interior 
 surrounding the City of Kandy, some 6,000 feet above sea- 
 level, and away to the sea-coast on the west and south-west, 
 estate frequently adjoins estate, and, when such is the case, 
 mile after mile of undulating valley- and hill-country is to be 
 seen clothed in the perpetual green of gleaming tea-bushes ; the 
 scene, when enlivened, here and there, -by the bright-colored 
 turbans and clothing of native pickers, presenting a picture of 
 restful beauty ; a picture suggestive, in all its phases, of peace 
 and plenty and content. 
 
 Tea-plantations in Ceylon are laid out upon lines similar 
 to those of India, and present the same appearance of neat- 
 ness, regularity, and business-like precision that characterizes 
 the gardens of the mainland. The estate-coolies or laborers 
 Tamils mostly live in small, clay-lined, chimneyless rooms, 
 called "lines," built expressly for them upon the grounds ; the 
 factory is usually situated in the most convenient part of the 
 plantation for the purpose, and the planter's home or "bunga- 
 low" in some shady spot in close proximity to the gardens. 
 
42 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 Although the teas of Ceylon are recognized by their dis- 
 trict and estate names in England, a classification by such is, 
 as yet, unusual in the United States. Like the district teas oi 
 other countries those of Ceylon are distinctive and character- 
 istic, but, in this country, they usually pass collectively and 
 individually as Ceylon teas. Both district and estate names 
 are most frequently words of Singhalese origin and these are 
 so very difficult of pronunciation and remembrance that it is 
 not at all surprising that no attempt is made in ordinary tea- 
 circles to use them. We hear of the districts of Maskeliya and 
 Dickoya; of Dinbula and Dolosbagie; and of the 
 Mahadowa, Cocogalla, Happootalle and other estates, but, 
 until Ceylon teas are better known, and in more general use 
 in the markets of the United States, these district and estate 
 names are likely to remain unused and unknown. For many 
 years after the successful establishment of the tea-industry, the 
 planters devoted their efforts almost exclusively to the cap- 
 ture of the markets of Great Britain and her Colonies, but, 
 with the extensive increase in acreage, and the consequent in- 
 crease in production, new markets became necessary and a 
 trade-seeking propaganda on the part of the tea-men, ably 
 assisted by the Government of the island, was inaugurated. 
 Markets in continental Europe and in America were invaded, 
 and, from the onset, the business-like invaders appeared de- 
 termined to make the new markets their own. 
 
 In order to assist in the capture, both the Indian and 
 Ceylon Governments passed ordinances establishing a so-called 
 "tea-cess" or duty of so many cents per 100 Ibs. on all tea ex- 
 ported ; the money so obtained being devoted to the purpose of 
 advertising the teas generally in the various markets of the 
 world; and so faithfully was the money spent, and so satis- 
 factory in every way were the actual results of this general 
 advertising that, in 1902, it was deemed advisable to increase 
 the cess from 20 to 30 cents per 100 Ibs. for further use in a 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 43 
 
 similar direction. Although Ceylon and India teas were 
 known to the trade and in use in a small way in this coun- 
 try prior to 1893, the extensive advertising given to them at 
 the World's Fair at Chicago in that year was, to a great ex- 
 tent, instrumental in creating a demand all over the coun- 
 try. Since that time continued advertising has increased the 
 demand materially, until "today the consumption of Indio- 
 Ceylon teas in the markets of the United States is averaging 
 between six and ten million Ibs. annually. 
 
 Hitherto, or, at least, until the last year or two, the Ea^t 
 Indian tea-men have attempted to push their black teas ex- 
 clusively in America. Not satisfied with the results attained, 
 proportionately great as they have been, these enterprising 
 merchants have determined to capture the green tea-markets 
 of America, and, with a characteristic zeal, have undertaken to 
 produce green teas in imitation of those of Japan and China. 
 Time alone will prove their ability in this direction, for the 
 green teas already marketed in this country and Canada by 
 the Indian and Ceylon manufacturers, although, recently, 
 quite improved in appearance and drinking quality, are not 
 such as might be expected to gain the desired end. If, how- 
 ever, we may judge by the result of their untiring efforts to 
 overcome obstacles in the past, it is only reasonable to expect 
 that their endeavors to produce a satisfactory green tea, and 
 create a growing demand for it in America will result, as 
 usual, in success. Meantime we, the consumers of the United 
 States, are open to conviction, and, although most of us, when 
 our pocket-books are in our hands, are quite likely to con- 
 sider for the moment that Missouri is our native state, the 
 tea-men of sunny Ceylon may depend upon a fair and im- 
 partial treatment, for, in the selection of articles of consump- 
 tion, quality comes first with an American, favor next, who- 
 ever it may hurt or benefit. 
 
 For some year or twa past the tea-industry of Ceylon 
 
44 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 and India has suffered somewhat from the effects of 
 over-production; the war taxes levied on tea by the 
 Governments of the United States and of Great Britain 
 having had much to do with, and forcing, a decrease in expor- 
 tation ; and a check to the planting of fresh tea- lands ha - 
 suited. The heavy annual gains in the sale of Ceylon teas 
 to Russia, and other continental European and Asiatic coun- 
 tries, has been the means, however, of preserving a balance be- 
 tween output and export, in spite of the decreased quantities 
 taken during war- tax years by Great Britain and the United 
 States; and although the year 1901, when compared with that 
 of 1900, showed a decrease in exports of about threi 1 in ill ion 
 Ibs., the year 1902 has succeeded, by the aid oi other countries, 
 in bringing the total to within easy reach of Ceylon's greatest 
 tea-year, 1900, during which season the enormous total of 
 nearly 150 million Ibs. of tea was exported; an amount equal 
 to nearly twice the entire annual consumption of the Unitfl 
 States. 
 
 The following table will give an idea af Ceylon's rapid 
 rise as a tea-producing country; a record that any country 
 might, reasonably, be proud of possessing. 
 
 In 1875 Ceylon exported about 282 Ibs. 
 
 In 1876 Ceylon exported about 757 Ibs. 
 
 In 1880 Ceylon exported about 139,752 Ibs. 
 
 In 1895 Ceylon exported about 98,000,000 Ibs. 
 
 In 1896 Ceylon exported about 108,141,412 Ibs. 
 
 In 1899 Ceylon exported about 130,000,000 Ibs. 
 
 In 1900 Ceylon exported about 149,264,602 Ibs. 
 
 In 1901 Ceylon exported about 146,299,018 Ibs. 
 
 In 1902 Ceylon exported about 148,999,241 Ibs. 
 
 The above figures include exports of 1,110,774 Ibs. .%f 
 green tea in 1901, and 2,796,844 Ibs. in 1902, all of which 
 came to Canada and the United States. 
 
SUPPLEMENTING BLAKE6 
 "TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS' 
 
 1903 
 
 MAP SHOWING THE TEA COUNTRY OF CEYLON. 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 45 
 
 The average annual increase of Ceylon's tea-production in 
 recent years has been about 10 million Ibs. and that of India 
 about 8% million Ibs. 
 
 In Ceylon, according to the latest statistics obtainable, 
 there are about 387,000 acres of land under cultivation to 
 the tea-plant, as against about 524,767 acres in India. 
 
 Both in India and Ceylon more attention has, of late 
 years, been given to quality by the planters, and this, if large- 
 ly carried out, will result in higher costs for the product, and, 
 possibly, by a decline in the quantity produced, for qualities 
 cannot be improved to any great extent unless closer plucking, 
 that is, the plucking of none but the tenderest leaves, is un- 
 dertaken. 
 
 As far as quality is concerned the island of Ceylon un- 
 doubtedly holds the record for having produced and mar- 
 keted the costliest tea of recent years, as the following ex- 
 tract from the "Pall Mall Budget" of March 13th, 1891, will 
 show. It says, in part : "Golden-tips sold at auction in Lon- 
 don as high as 35 per Ib. This tea possessed extraordinary 
 quality in liquor, and was composed entirely of small golden 
 tips which are the extreme ends of small succulent shoots 
 of the plant." It would, of course, be difficult to find out, but 
 it would, nevertheless, be extremely interesting to know just 
 what the English merchant obtained for a tea that cost him 
 about $175 a Ib. But that was before the South African war. 
 
 JAVA. 
 
 Tea-culture in the Dutch island of Java has been one of 
 the varied industries of that country for about seventy-five 
 years. Nurslings and seeds were introduced from Japan in 
 1826, and, a few years later, Chinese plants were imported by 
 the planters who, at the same time, brought expert Chinese 
 
46 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 labor to the island for the purpose of instructing the natives 
 in the art of raising the plant and curing its leaves. 
 
 For some years prior to the introduction of the tea-plant, 
 the island planters had been working their sugar, coffee, spice, 
 and other estates under an admirable method of government 
 co-operation, known as the Van den Bosch "culture system;" 
 which system gave financial aid to the planters on long and 
 easy terms, but compelled both Dutch and native growers to 
 cultivate staples for export. 
 
 Under the system the cash advanced by the government 
 was refunded in yearly instalments of produce, and the pro- 
 duce itself was handled, as a whole, by government agents who 
 found foreign markets for the planters. 
 
 The culture of tea at once came under this system, and, 
 according to the terms of the contract, the planters were com- 
 pelled to manufacture equal quantities of both green and black 
 teas, following Chinese makes. They were also obliged, in 
 the case of tea, to sell their entire output to the government, 
 which disposed of it to the best possible advantage, and in 
 settling, credited the planter with his agreed annual refund- 
 ment of advances. 
 
 For many years, and in spite of the fostering care and 
 efforts of the Dutch authorities, the planters made no finan- 
 cial success of the venture, owing to the fact that their product 
 was poor and unsuitable. The leaf, although well made, small 
 and handsome as compared with that of their only competitor, 
 China, was lacking in all that goes to make good cup quali- 
 ties. The infusion was dark-colored, bitter, rank and weedy, 
 owing, no doubt, to the characteristics of the rich virgin soil 
 of the new plantations, and a market at profitable figures, 
 under such circumstances, was, of course, impossible. 
 
 The home country, Holland, as well as Germany and some 
 minor Asiatic States began, however, to take the teas when a 
 heavy reduction in price was offered; and to this day these 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 47 
 
 countries are the only customers Java has for her teas, al- 
 though small parcels of her makes are to be found in this 
 country and in England. 
 
 The success which attended the introduction of tea-cul- 
 ture by their neighbors in India greatly encouraged the Java 
 planters and resulted in the importation of Assam and Hy- 
 brid plants, and, later, in the adoption of Indian tea-machin- 
 ery and Indian methods of manufacture and packing. After 
 this Java teas materially improved in cup qualities, and, ia- 
 day, some fine teas are produced upon the island, but, like 
 those of India and Ceylon, it is very doubtful if they will ever 
 equal the time-honored hand-made teas of China in flavor 
 and bouquet. 
 
 Javanese tea-gardens are as well cared for, and are as 
 picturesquely handsome as any in the world. Extreme clean- 
 liness and neatness are the rule both on the plantations and in 
 the old-fashioned red- tiled factories, which are called "fdb- 
 riks" Mathematical precision dominates the long rows of 
 squatty tea-bushes which, as in India and Ceylon, give up 
 their pickings throughout the year without danger to the 
 plant. 
 
 Java teas, following the Indian makes, are known to the 
 trade as Pekoes, Souchongs, Pekoe- Souchongs and Congous, 
 and, following the Chinese makes, are known as Hysons, 
 Young Hysons, Imperials and Ooloongs, but less green teas 
 are manufactured each year. The principal tea-plantations of 
 Java are situated in the Preanger Eegencies, rich and beauti- 
 ful valley and hill country in the western part of the island/ 
 not far from Java's great sea-port, Batavia, from which city 
 the teas are shipped. It may be interesting to know that 
 Java, although considered one of the minor tea-producing 
 states of the world, can make the claim, and without much fear 
 of contradiction, of possessing the largest single tea-garden 
 in the world. This plantation, known as the Sinager Estate, 
 
48 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 it is said, covers about fifteen thousand acres of land, nearly 
 one-half of which is under tea and coffee cultivation. The 
 output of prepared tea-leaf from this plantation is in the 
 neighborhood of one million pounds annually. The quantity 
 of Java teas exported in 1901 was nearly 17 million Ibs., the 
 greater portion of which was shipped to Holland. 
 
 SOUTH AFRICA. 
 
 Notwithstanding the fact that the old tea-producing coun- 
 tries, China and Japan, have, during the last fifty to seventy- 
 five years, met with the ever growing competition of those 
 countries which have, of later years, entered the race, their 
 production and exportation has materially increased with the 
 years, and continues to increase. This fact simply ]> 
 that a greater demand for the leaf is obtaining throughout 
 the world, and, as if in further proof, it will be noted that 
 whenever a new producer arises it finds a ready market for its 
 product, provided, of course, that the leaf is commercially suit- 
 able. Hitherto, as has been shown, the countries which have 
 embarked in the tea-growing industry are situated, geograph- 
 ically speaking, close to China, the ancient home of the plant. 
 Japan, Java, India, Ceylon and others, as well as China her- 
 self, are all within the so-called monsoon region of Asia and 
 it ever has been thought that in these latitudes only would the 
 tea-plant thrive. In contradiction to this belief the British col- 
 onies in South Africa have, of late years, entered the field <js 
 successful growers of the plant, and as competitors for a por- 
 tion of the tea-trade of the world ; and should the planters of 
 those far-away lands enter the race with the same commercial 
 energy which has been displayed by their kinsmen of the mon- 
 soon regions of Asia, and should the conditions of soil and cli- 
 mate prove to be as advantageous as is claimed for both, a 
 most important factor in the world's production of tea is likely 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 49 
 
 to result. The colony of Natal, so recently the scene of many 
 battles, costly alike to Bc^er and Briton, has been quite suc- 
 cessful in the raising of the plant and the curing of its leaves, 
 so much so, indeed, that the output of the colony, prior to the 
 outbreak of the South African war, was estimated to be about 
 11/2 million pounds annually. The most important tea-gar- 
 dens of Natal are situated in the north-east corner of the col- 
 ony adjoining the province of Zululand and separated from 
 it by the historical Tugela River, to cross which Gen. Buller 
 spent so much British blood in his numerous efforts to relieve 
 the besieged British garrison under Gen. White in Ladysmith. 
 Near the mouth of the Tugela are some fairly large planta- 
 tions, the largest being known as the Kearney Estate, which 
 has some 1,750 acres of tea-plants. The production of manu- 
 factured leaf from this Estate in 1901 was upwards of one 
 million pounds. 
 
 As is usual with the later British-Colonial tea-growers, 
 the ideas, plantations, , machinery and modes of preparation 
 in Natal are patterned after those of India and Ceylon, from 
 whence the seeds and plants were imported, and this fact nat- 
 urally gives to Natal a production similar to that of the former 
 countries. The possibilities for the future of tea-culture in 
 this British colony are said to be enormous, for not only have 
 her planters the advantages of a soil and climate which will 
 produce an average annual crop of from 400 Ibs. to 700 Ibs. 
 to the acre a yield which is as heavy again, at least, as the 
 average yield of China a labor question solved by the im- 
 portation of Indian coolies under five year contracts or "in- 
 dentures," as the contracts are called; but they have, also, 
 the experiences of India and Ceylon to guide them to success. 
 
 Great Britain is Natal's natural market, although much 
 of her product is consumed at home and in the adjacent col- 
 onies of South Africa. Her teas, it is said, are exceptionally 
 good; equal, in fact, all things being considered, to those of 
 
50 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 India and Ceylon to which they are, in appearance and quality, 
 akin. 
 
 FOEMOSA. 
 
 In the language of the Portuguese the word "formosa" 
 signifies "beautiful." In the year 1590 some voyagers of that 
 nation while skirting the eastern coasts of the island for the 
 first time, and "sighting the green-clad mountains with peaks 
 piercing the scattered clouds; cascades glimmering like silver 
 in the tropical sunlight, and terraced plains waving with feath- 
 ery bamboo, exclaimed, with glad surprise, 'Ilha formosa; 
 Ilha formosa/ ('Beautiful isle, beautiful isle!')" With a 
 characteristic Latin love for the descriptively beautiful, these 
 adventurers chose the word "Formosa" as a name for the 
 island, and by that name the Western world has known and 
 called it since. 
 
 Of Malayan origin the aborigines of Formosa gave to 
 it the Malayan name of Pe-kan or Pe-kan-do. Under Chiiu-sc 
 rule the island was originally called Ki-lung-shan by them, 
 but, at a later date, it was changed to "Tai-wan," signifying 
 "terraced harbor," and to this day the island of Formosa i? 
 called Tai-wan by the Chinese. 
 
 Prior to the conclusion of the late Chinese- Japanese war 
 the island of Formosa formed a part of the Chinese Empire, 
 and, as such, its tea-product, although entirely distinctive as 
 a class, and looked upon by tea-men generally as an individual 
 sort, should rightfully, but for geographical reasons only, 
 have been commercially classed as one of the China kinds. 
 The transfer of the island to Japan, as a portion of the war- 
 indemnity which China was compelled to pay to her victo- 
 rious neighbor in 1894, gave to Japan a possession of untold 
 value, and one which, in the hands of the progressive Japanese 
 nation, is destined to play an important part in the future 
 history of the tea-commerce of the world. 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 51 
 
 Although Formosa tea is akin in make to some of the 
 sorts manufactured in the Chinese Province of Fu-Kien, from 
 which the island is separated by some 150 miles of water, 
 geographically known as the Formosa strait and inasmuch 
 as the style of make, methods of culture, preparation, etc., 
 are distinctly Chinese for the natives of the island, although 
 of Malayan origin, have, from long intercourse and intermar- 
 riage with the people of China, imbibed Chinese methods, and 
 characteristics the justly celebrated product can no longer be 
 claimed by China as a Chinese tea, but for the reason only 
 that the island is no longer Chinese. 
 
 On the other hand, and having the various Japanese 
 tea makes in mind, it would be quite confusing and distinctly 
 incorrect, commercially speaking, to class Formosa teas as 
 Japanese, merely for the reason that the island is now a Jap- 
 anese possession, so that, if any change is attempted, or con- 
 sidered necessary in the future classification of Formosa teas 
 by reason of the late change of ownership, it would appear 
 to be reasonable, and entirely correct to class them as a dis- 
 tinctly individual sort, and give to the island, notwithstand- 
 ing its Japanese connection, that prominent place in the 
 ranks of the celebrated tea-gardens of the world which it so 
 richly deserves. 
 
 The history of the tea-industry in Formosa, al- 
 though of recent origin, is identical with that of China. 
 The methods of cultivation, preparation, etc., are, conditions of 
 soil, climate and leaf being considered, similar to those of 
 China, and the careful husbandry and cleanly habits of the 
 farmer-growers are the equal of those of the farmer-growers 
 of the Flowery Kingdom. 
 
 The island produces but one commercial leaf, known to 
 the world as Ooloong or Oolong, and, frequently, in inner tea- 
 trade circles, as "Tam-sui" leaf; so-called because the teas 
 receive final manipulation at and are shipped from the port 
 
52 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 Tam-sui. The word "Ooloong" is derived from the Chinese 
 name for the make, "Ouloung," which is properly pronounced 
 as if spelled Oo-lo-ong, but is more frequently spelled and 
 pronounced "Oolong." It is said to mean "Green Dragon," 
 and is sa-called because of the small yellowish-green leaf 
 which intermingles with that of darker hue, in greater or 
 lesser quantity, according to the grade. 
 
 As in China and Japan, the tea-gardens of Formosa are 
 mostly little spots of land, owned and cultivated by native 
 farmers, who, like their kinsmen of the mainlands, take par- 
 ticular pains with, and pride in their gardens and product. 
 These tea-gardens are situated mainly in the extreme north- 
 ern and north-eastern part of the island in close proximity 
 to the sea-port Tam-sui, to which city the crop is conveyed 
 for final manipulation and for transportation abroad- "The 
 valleys of the Tam-sui and its tributaries," writes Wilson in 
 1888, "including the lower Kelung, are broad, level plains, 
 mostly given up to rice fields from which two crops a year 
 are harvested; but the hills are everywhere in sight, and, in 
 many cases, are covered to the very top with tea-plantations, 
 producing large quantities of Formosa Oolong. Its cultiva- 
 tion was begun only a few years ago, but, since nearly all the 
 hill and mountain region of the island is adapted to its 
 growth, it is evident that any quantity required by the world 
 can be supplied. The soil of the tea-fields is a reddish, clay- 
 like loam, which at a distance contrasts strongly with the 
 green covering of the hillsides. The plantations are gener- 
 ally small, containing, as a rule, from a quarter of an acre 
 to three or four acres." "Tea-culture is now becoming im- 
 portant," writes Dr. Mackay in 1898, "and Formosa tea is 
 already a popular beverage in Britain and America. A large 
 plateau to the south-west of Tam-sui that twenty years ago 
 was a meadow broken in upon by little rice farms is now a 
 magnificent tea-plantation. This industry gives employment 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 53 
 
 every year to thousands of people many of whom are brought 
 from the mainland" (of China). 
 
 The conditions of soil and climate which exist in For- 
 mosa are distinctively favorable to the cultivation of the tea- 
 plant and quite dissimilar to those of any other tea-country, 
 and, owing to these extraordinary conditions, the leaf possesses 
 an aroma and flavor wMch -is, unquestionably, the world's best, 
 and which no other leaf can ever hope to equal. Late rains, 
 which are extremely heavy in the fall of the year, and the 
 subsequent damp heat of the atmosphere, have a very marked 
 effect upon the quality of the later picked leaf, and, owing 
 to this fact, tea-men give especial preference to these late, or 
 "Autumn pickings," as they are called, as against those of the 
 earlier, or "Spring pickings," which, in consequence of a lack 
 of moisture, are wanting, as compared with autumn leaf, in 
 body, aroma and flavor. 
 
 During the commercial history of Formosa under Chinese 
 rule, the island, for a time, formed a part of the province Fu- 
 Kien, and teas were usually forwarded from Tam-sui to Amoy, 
 on the Chinese mainland, and, at the latter sea-port, settle- 
 ments of Formosa teas were made by foreign importers 
 through Chinese brokers and merchants. This has, of course, 
 been changed since the island passed into the possession of 
 Japan, and now Formosa teas are either shipped from Tam-sui 
 direct, or are transferred to Kobe or Yokohama, Japan, for 
 settlement. Some of the European and native go-down owners 
 of Japan have established houses in Tam-sui and at other 
 points on the island, so that American importers are now able 
 to place their orders for Formosa teas in like manner as they 
 do for Japans. This is a step in the right direction, and it 
 is to be hoped that it will be the means of promoting the im- 
 portation and consumption of Formosa teas in this country, 
 for they are, without exception, the finest that grow. 
 
54 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 THE UNITED STATES OF AMEEICA. 
 
 Ever since the introduction of "the cup that cheers" to the 
 civilization of the Occidental world, tea-culture, and all that 
 pertains to it, has been intimately associated in western minds 
 with impressions of fever-jungles, tropical storms, steaming 
 malarial swamps, picturesquely costurfled Orientals and other 
 things and beings Asiatic; and so very long, indeed, have we 
 been accustomed to regard the tea-plant as a distinctive pro- 
 duct of the Monsoon regions of semi-tropical Asia, and its cul- 
 tivation and the mysterious manipulation of its leaves as the 
 ancient, exclusive, and indisputable right of vocation of the 
 hard-working, silent, almond-eyed coolie, that it is difficult to 
 associate such a husbandry, and such an industry, with any 
 country, climate, or peoples other than those of Asia. 
 
 As a result of this old-time and well-established impres- 
 sion it will be a little difficult for Americans to realize that 
 the cultivation of the tea-plant has been seriously undertaken 
 in America, and much more difficult yet for them to believe 
 that the propagation for profit of such a distinctly foreign 
 shrub has met with a measure of success in this country which 
 not only assures the future of an industry that will, eventu- 
 ally, free America from an absolute dependence upon Asia, 
 and upon Asiatic coolies, for her tea supply, but upsets for- 
 ever all pre-conceived theories and ideas as to the latitudes and 
 longitudes necessary for the successful cultivation of the plant. 
 The history of the experiment of tea-culture in the United 
 States gives another example of that indomitable courage and 
 persistence under extreme discouragement which is so charac- 
 teristic of the Anglo-Saxon race wherever found, for, since the 
 inception of the idea, until quite recently, every experiment 
 has proved to be a failure ; and had it not been for the inde- 
 fatigable efforts of a few resolute Northern gentlemen, aided 
 by the advantageous climate and soil of the sunny South, and 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 55 
 
 by the occasional assistance of the Department of Agriculture 
 of the Government, the experiments would have been discon- 
 tinued as impracticable long ago. 
 
 Quite frequently, within the last half-century, or so, the 
 United States Government has made well-directed efforts to 
 aid and foster the experiment of tea-culture in States where 
 conditions of soil, water -supply, and climate were likely to 
 prove favorable, and, to this end, seeds and plants have been 
 procured, at intervals, through Government agents abroad and 
 distributed among those land owners who cared to take up the 
 experiment. As far back as the year 1800 a tea-plant was 
 brought to the United States by the French botanist, 
 Michaux, and planted at a point some fifteen miles from 
 the City of Charleston, South Carolina, where it still 
 lives, a healthy tree, some fifteen feet in height; and it 
 is quite likely that the health and vigor which this tea-tree 
 has always exhibited was the means of originating the idea of 
 tea-culture in America. Later in the century efforts were 
 made by Dr. Junius Smith of Greenville, South Carolina, to 
 propagate the plant from seeds obtained from India, but his 
 death, before a practical conclusion could be reached, put an 
 end to the experiment at that time. A few years prior to the 
 beginning of the Civil War the Government imported large 
 quantities of seeds from the various tea-growing countries of 
 the Orient, and distributed them throughout the Southern 
 States, but the outbreak of hostilities in 1861 put a stop to 
 the various experiments and, for many years thereafter, noth- 
 ing further was done. In the year 1881 Congress voted an 
 appropriation of funds for the purpose of promoting and pro- 
 tecting tea-culture in the South, and, for the time being, con- 
 siderable interest was awakened in the country surrounding 
 the various scenes of action, but the experiments were attended 
 by results so disappointing and discouraging in every way 
 
56 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 that the project was, practically speaking, abandoned as im- 
 possible. 
 
 The relinquishmcnt of the experiment by the Government 
 and the subsequent withdrawal of its financial support did not, 
 however, deter private enterprise from making further tests, 
 for the knowledge gained during the years of investigation 
 was valuable. It had proved, to those who had the welfare 
 of the idea at heart, that the failure of the initial experiments 
 was due either to a lack of positive, or accurate, knowledge of 
 the laws which govern successful tea-culture, or that the soil 
 and climate selected were unsuitable; and, above all, it was 
 the means of establishing a well defined idea in the minds of 
 a few enthusiasts that, under express conditions, the tea-plant, 
 notwithstanding past failures, could be successfully and profit- 
 ably cultivated in certain sections of the United States. 
 
 Twelve years ago, or thereabouts, Dr. Charles U. Shepard 
 broke soil at his Pinehurst Plantation, Summerville, South 
 Carolina, for an experimental tea-garden. In the face of 
 trying difficulties, numerous disasters to his young plants, and 
 other discouragements, he persisted in his efforts to make the 
 experiment a successful one, and demonstrate to the world 
 at large that his theories were practical, and that a successful 
 and profitable industry could be established if correctly man- 
 aged. After a few years spent in continued research and 
 costly experiment, Dr. Shepard's efforts were rewarded by suc- 
 cesses great enough to attract the attention of the Secretary of 
 the Department of Agriculture, and, after further evidences of 
 a successful termination of the experiment were forthcoming, 
 the moral and financial support of the Government was en- 
 listed in the project, to the end that the Pinehurst Tea-Plan- 
 tation is now a provisional Government institution and Dr. 
 Shepard the Special Agent in charge Tea-Culture Investiga- 
 tions. To-day the Pinehurst gardens are yielding a profitable 
 harvest of tea-leaves, so that to Dr. Shepard belongs the honor 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 57 
 
 of having produced the first commercially successful tea- 
 garden in the United States, and of having established an in- 
 dustry in the South which is destined to grow with the years 
 and become the means of providing a new, pleasing, and 
 healthful employment to many hundreds, and, eventually, 
 thousands of native Americans., 
 
 Although the Pinehurst Plantation can scarcely be said to 
 have much more than passed its experimental stage, sufficient 
 evidence is at hand to fully warrant the statement that the 
 experiment is a success and that the future of the tea- 
 growing industry in the United States is assured. In this 
 connection it will be well to quote the remarks of Sec- 
 retary Wilson of the Department of Agriculture who, in 
 his annual report to the President in 1902, says in part: 
 "Whether or not tea growing in this country can be 
 made a commerical success will depend, in large meas- 
 ure, upon most rigid attention to the details connected with 
 the field and factory work. It is not expected that any large 
 profits will be made, b ut it is believed that by proper and judi- 
 cious management sufficient profit will result to encourage the 
 planting of the crop in many parts of the South, especially 
 where there is cheap labor available" 
 
 It is true that many and serious difficulties have yet to be 
 overcome before American growers can hope to compete suc- 
 cessfully with those of the older and more experienced pro- 
 ducing countries, but it can be confidently stated that few of 
 our industries have shown more lusty health and vigor in in- 
 fancy than that of tea-growing under present circumstances. 
 
 The tea-plantation at Pinehurst has, since its inception, 
 been nothing more than an experiment; at the beginning on 
 a small, now, on a practical scale, for to demonstrate the fea- 
 sibility of tea-culture has ever been Dr. Shepard's sole idea. 
 "At the commencement," he writes, in 1899, "it was wisely 
 
58 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 an a small scale, but has been gradually increased until now 
 over 50 acres have been planted in tea." 
 
 It will be readily understood . that, inasmuch as the 
 experiment was intended to produce practical results in 
 every way, the manufacture of the green leaf into a com- 
 mercial commodity was of as much importance as the 
 successful culture of the plant itself, so that, although 
 upon a small scale, the plantation and its attendant fac- 
 tory have been systematically arranged, well kept and 
 laid out upon lines calculated to minimize the labor-cost 
 of culture and manufacture, and produce the green and 
 commercial leaf at as small an expense as possible. 
 
 In the beginning "it was desirable to conduct the experi- 
 ments," says Dr. Shepard, "with as many varieties of seed and 
 under as different conditions of soil and location as possible. 
 To this end, by the kind assistance of the Department of 
 Agriculture, and by purchase from foreign and domestic pro- 
 ducers, a considerable variety of seed, representing many of 
 the choicest sorts of tea, was obtained. Gardens were estab- 
 lished on flat and on rolling land, in drained swamps and 
 ponds, and on sandy, clayey, loamy, and rich bottom soils." 
 In the gardens today growing plants and nurslings oi Chinese, 
 Japanese, Indian, Indian-Hybrid, Formosan and other species 
 may be seen nourishing in their especial acreage and nurseries, 
 where each species receives that agricultural attention neces- 
 sary for its individual well being. Some varieties of the above 
 mentioned species have taken more kindly than others to the 
 new conditions of soil, climate, and irrigation to which they 
 have been subjected, which was to be expected, but, with time, 
 experience, skilful manipulation and management, it is an- 
 ticipated that all species of the plant, and all varieties of spe- 
 cies will become acclimated and thrive equally well. 
 
 So far the production of marketable leaf, owing to a lim- 
 ited acreage of full bearing plants, has been, necessarily, small. 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 59 
 
 It takes time for the plants to grow, and several years must 
 elapse before the present producing plants will attain the age 
 of maximum productiveness, and the present and future nurs- 
 lings of the Pinehurst, and other gardens, reach that period 
 of their life when leaf -plucking may be safely undertaken, so 
 that for many years to come the demand of Americans for 
 "American tea" is sure to be greatly in excess of the supply. 
 During the season of 1901 the total output of "Pinehurst" pre- 
 pared leaf was 4,000 Ibs., which quantity included the several 
 kinds, grades and makes of both green and black teas; and 
 during the present season, 1902, the output of all sorts is ex- 
 pected to reach a total of from 8,500 to 9,000 Ibs. 
 
 It goes without saying that the expectations of those in- 
 terested in the production of American tea have been fully 
 realized in the matter of finding a ready and appreciative mar- 
 ket for the product, which, so far, has been sold at prices that 
 have returned a profit to the plantation of between $40 and 
 $50 an acre; an object lesson in profitable soil-cultivation 
 which many progressive land owners will not be slow to im- 
 prove; and, now that all material difficulties have been swept 
 aside and success assured, we may look expectantly forward 
 to the time when thousands of Southern acres will gleam with 
 the delightful green of waving tea-bushes, and the country 
 sides resound with the happy laughter of busy leaf-pickers. 
 
 Every pound of tea-leaf grown at Pinehurst is cured and 
 prepared for market in the tea-factory which has been espe- 
 cially built for the purpose in a convenient part of the planta- 
 tion. This factory has a daily capacity of 125 Ibs. of tea, and 
 is equipped with labor-saving machinery of various kinds ; in- 
 cluding machines for wilting and evaporating the leaf; ma- 
 chines for rolling; traveling trays for drying; hot-air ma- 
 chines for firing; sifting machines; screens, fans, etc.; and, 
 in consequence, it may be truthfully claimed that every opera- 
 tion of the manufacture of American tea is attended by a per- 
 
60 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 feet cleanliness ; a cleanliness which is unequaled by most East- 
 ern methods ; producing a tea that is entirely "machine made/' 
 and as much untouched by hand as any British manufactured 
 tea. 
 
 The greatest drawback which American tea-growers are 
 likely to meet with in the production of a commercial article is 
 in the question of labor in plucking the leaves. It is not rea- 
 sonable to expect that labor can be procured in this country 
 which can successfully compete in price with the cheap coolie-, 
 female-, and child-labor of Asia, and, for this reason alone, it 
 is quite likely that American growers will find it difficult to 
 produce low-grade teas at a cost equal to that of Oriental pro- 
 duction. It is claimed, however, by those interested, and rea- 
 sonably so, that the greater cost of free American labor is. 
 in a measure, equalised by its superiority to Oriental labor; a 
 superiority which is proved by its ability to pick more leaf 
 in a given time than the ordinary run of Eastern labor. It 
 is true that, with the well known inventive genius of Anu-ri- 
 cans, machinery will, eventually, be produced that will ma- 
 terially reduce the cost of manufacture, and offset, in this 
 manner, the greater cost if such is, in reality, the case of 
 leaf-plucking, for it would appear to be improbable that a 
 machine could be invented to pluck leaves successfully.* 
 
 On the other hand, should American growers, owing to 
 the greater cost of labor, be unable to produce low-grade leaf 
 at a competitive price, it will by no means endanger the future 
 of the industry, for the time will surely come when the Ameri- 
 can consumer will learn to esteem the health-giving beverage 
 and insist upon receiving an article of merit from the retailer 
 in place of the cheap, trashy, carelessly made leaf, which so 
 
 *A machine especially designed for leaf-plucking has already 
 been invented and tried in India, but, according to accounts, it 
 has been abandoned as impracticable. 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 61 
 
 many dealers, unfortunately, insist upon purchasing in order 
 to enhance their profits. 
 
 At Pinehurst the leaf is plucked by negro children, 
 whose well being, both educational and otherwise, is cared 
 for upon the plantation. To them the labor is particu- 
 larly agreeable and much less arduous than that of cotton- 
 picking, and it is said that the wage paid to them runs 
 from thirty to fifty cents a day; a remuneration from five to 
 ten times greater than that received by the Asiatic for a sim- 
 ilar labor. Leaf-plucking at Pinehurst is conducted in a 
 cleanly and scientific manner. The children, thoroughly 
 trained to the work, go from bush to bush and nip off the ten- 
 der stems, or shoots, just below the third leaf, and each stem, 
 with its three appending leaves, is deposited in a picking- 
 basket which is conveniently slung over the shoulder. The 
 pickers are careful in their work; do not allow the leaves to 
 pack tightly in the baskets for fear of over-heating, which 
 would result, after manufacture, in an undesirable "red-leaf," 
 and, for a similar reason, are not permitted to collect in large 
 quantities. When a basket contains the stipulated amount of 
 leaf it is immediately taken to the factory, where a careful ex- 
 amination of its contents takes place, and all objectionable 
 leaf rejected. It is then weighed in and spread out upon a 
 cool, clean wooden or cement floor, or on trays, to await manip- 
 ulation. A good picker will gather from 30 to 40 Ibs. of green 
 leaf during a day's work, when the plants are "flushing" well. 
 This quantity will return 7% to 10 Ibs. of manufactured tea, 
 for it takes four Ibs. of green leaf to produce one Ib. of tea. 
 (In China an expert picker can gather not to exceed fifteen 
 pounds a day for the plants will not yield more than one to 
 two ounces at a picking and thrive.) 
 
 Of the three tender leaves plucked with each "flush," as 
 the shoots are called, the tiny, unexpanded end leaf -bud returns 
 the "Pekoe-tip," or "Flowery Pekoe," of commerce; the sec- 
 
62 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ond leaf from the end is made into "Orange Pekoe," so called 
 on account of the orange-colored leaf-tips it shows when man- 
 ufactured, and not, as is erroneously supposed, because of an 
 orange-flavor, for such a flavor is not present; and the third 
 leaf into "Pekoe;" commercial terms which exactly designate 
 the age, and, therefore, the grade of leaf ; following the Indian 
 system of grading. Immediately below the third, or "Pekoe," 
 leaf upon each shoot, two larger and maturer leaves grow 
 which are known as the first and second Souchong leaves, and, 
 should the season and the demand so warrant, these Souchong 
 leaves are taken with the shoot if sufficiently tender. Careful 
 husbandry furnishes the bushes with a means to sustain 
 healthy life and a vigorous reaction immediately sets in within 
 each plant to repair the trifling hurt occasioned by the pluck- 
 ing of the shoots, which is, in reality, a stimulus to luxuriant 
 "flushing" as the putting forth of new shoots is called. 
 
 Of the several varieties of the plant under cultivation at 
 Pinehurst those of Indian origin are the most prolific, and, 
 from the bushes of these kinds, twenty, or more, plucking- 
 made during a season, or about one every ten days. The 
 bushes of the Chinese, Formosan and Japanese varieties permit 
 of fewer pickings although they thrive very well and are 
 being planted extensively. Although, upon its face, it would 
 appear to be a much more profitable undertaking for future 
 American growers to raise plants of the more productive 
 Indian, to the exclusion of the less productive Chinese, For- 
 mosan and Japanese kinds, it is to be hoped, for the sake oi 
 appreciative American tea-drinkers, as well as for the future 
 welfare of the industry, that growers will not be induced to 
 make such a serious mistake. American consumers are not 
 generally prepared to accept the heavy bodied beverage result- 
 ing from the infusion of Indian, Indian-Hybrid, or Ceylon 
 leaf, so that, although the harvest of leaves may not be so 
 great, a readier market at remunerative prices may be ex- 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 63 
 
 pected for teas manufactured from the lighter liquoring and 
 much more pleasing Chinese, Formosan and Japanese kinds. 
 
 The quality of prepared tea produced at Pinehurst is 
 said to be exceptionally good. Black teas, so-called English 
 Breakfast teas, Green teas and Ooloongs, have been manufac- 
 tured and sold to the trade in various parts of the country, 
 and words of praise returned. 
 
 According to Mr. Hobbs, the editor of "Tea, Coffee and 
 Sugar" the teas "are a delight to the eye in point of style, 
 and their cup qualities prove and justify the praise that the 
 tea has received in not a few quarters" 
 
 It is said that Dr. Shepard numbers among other appre- 
 ciative consumers of. his tea, several members of an Oriental 
 Legation at Washington, D. C. If such is the case, no 
 stronger testimony as to the quality of the production could 
 be asked, for no better judges of the drinking qualities of 
 tea are to be found than these Oriental gentlemen. At a 
 meeting of the Cabinet in the Autumn of 1901, the Secretary 
 orf Agriculture, under whose protecting hand the Pinehurst 
 Plantation has grown, said, in speaking of the cultivation of 
 tea in the United States, that "the green tea grown in South 
 Carolina is as good as any grown in the world." 
 
 Although the opinion of the writer may not count for 
 much when measured with that of men more competent to 
 judge, he feels justified in stating that he has examined sam- 
 ples of both black and green Pinehurst teas in a commercial 
 way, and has found them to be well made, of good liquor, 
 strength and flavor, and, accordingly, he has no hesitancy 
 whatever in recommending retailers to place them in stock 
 when offered. 
 
 "The green color of the infusion of Pinehurst green 
 tea," writes Dr. Shepard in his report to the Government, 
 "has attracted keen interest in the trade and among consum- 
 
64 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ers. Oriental teas/' he continues, "can hardly furnish the 
 like in this country." 
 
 Asiatic teas, intended for export, are subjected to a 
 course of heavy "firing" in order that the leaf may not dete- 
 riorate during a long ocean voyage. This heavy "fire" imparts 
 a metallic or "raspy" flavor to the infusion in a greater or 
 lesser degree according to grade, as well as an unnatural color 
 to the liquor, the like of which is not met with or expected in 
 countries where teas are made. Unfortunately the "raspiness" 
 which heavy firing induces has come to be looked upon in 
 this country as an evidence of quality, and, with many con- 
 sumers, a tea without the expected "raspiness" or strength 
 as it is thought to be is likely to be condemned. It is not 
 necessary for American teas to be highly fired, for they have, 
 as yet, no ocean voyage to withstand, hence the flavors of the 
 infusion and the colors of the liquor are exactly as they 
 should be; as they are in Oriental countries; the true tea- 
 flavor and color, uninjured by a heavy "fire" 
 
 Albert B. Prescott, Professor of Organic and Applied 
 Chemistry in the University of Michigan, in an article enti- 
 tled "The Chemistry of Coffee and Tea," 1882, says : "Tho 
 processes of manufacture in China and India are necessarily 
 modified to enable the tea to bear sea transportation without 
 injury, and it must be accepted that the finest tea can only be 
 obtained in tea-growing lands." 
 
 The success which has attended Dr. Shepard's experi- 
 ment has, already, been the means of inducing others, in 
 several parts of the Southern States, to invest capital in 
 similar undertakings, in one instance, at least, upon an ex- 
 tensive and business-like scale, and this fact alone should 
 be sufficient to silence forever the adverse reports of those 
 who are inclined to judge hastily, or unfairly, or to speak, 
 or write, disparagingly of an infant industry. A year or 
 two ago a corporation known as "The American Tea 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 65 
 
 Growing Company of South Carolina," of which Colonel 
 Aug. C. Tyler is President and Major Eoswell D. Trimble, 
 Vice- President and Manager, embarked in the business of tea- 
 planting and manufacture, and chose lands at Kantowles, 
 Colleton County, S. C., in the vicinity of Pinehurst, as the 
 scene of its operations. This company now owns 6,500 acres 
 of contiguous rice-lands, the whole of which it intends to pre- 
 pare for the purpose of planting tea-shrubs. 
 
 This year, 1902, the nurseries of the company cover two 
 and one-half acres of land and contain about one million and 
 a half growing nurslings; enough to plant about 300 acres. 
 These nurslings have been raised on the ground from seeds im- 
 ported from China, Japan, Formosa, India, and Ceylon and, 
 at the present time, about 100 acres have been planted from 
 the nurseries and are under cultivation to the several varie- 
 ties of the above mentioned kinds. Within the next two or 
 three years it is promised that between 1,000 and 2,000 acres 
 will be in leaf-bearing, and in such a case, and should no un- 
 foreseen calamity intervene, the American public may expect 
 to find "American tea" supplanting much of that of foreign 
 growth in many of the stores and homes of Americans. 
 
 In several widely separated sections of the South experi- 
 ments are being, and will be undertaken in a systematic and 
 practical way. As a result much enthusiasm is manifest over 
 the probabilities of a new and profitable industry arising, 
 and it is expected that, in the near future, many estates will 
 be laid out to tea-culture on lands that have been proved 
 to possess the necessary qualifications. 
 
 It will, of course, be several years before American grow- 
 ers will be in a position to supply the full demand of Ameri- 
 can consumers for American teas, for, as already stated, it 
 takes time fox the plants to reach the age of maximum pro- 
 ductiveness. 
 
66 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 In the meantime it is quite likely that much adverse crit- 
 icism will be indulged in. 
 
 Antagonistic reports and hostile opinions are to be ex- 
 pected. Such were extremely bitter in England during the 
 infancy of the tea-industry in India and Ceylon, but planters, 
 and the public generally, may rest assured that reports of 
 the kind will emanate solely from opposedly interested sources. 
 The American retailer will do well to test and judge American 
 teas for himself, for he may take it for granted that the time 
 is not very far off when this home-grown article will become 
 an important factor in the tea-trade of the United States. 
 Already the representatives of Asiatic tea-growing countries 
 are studying the probabilities of American competition in 
 American markets ; reviewing the situation and reporting, at 
 length, to their home countries; striking evidences that it is 
 their intention to prepare for, and, if possible, anticipate 
 whatever trade rivalry they may be called upon to face. 
 
 American dealers have much to gain by advertising and 
 otherwise aiding and protecting the new American industry, 
 for, outside of purely patriotic motives, their individual in- 
 terests are concerned, inasmuch as these are identical with 
 those of any industry that will keep the money spent for labor 
 and the profits of the trade at home. 
 
 An import duty on tea would do much to aid the enuso 
 and strengthen the hands of planters, but, until American 
 growers are in a position to supply the full demand of con- 
 sumers, the imposition of such a tax would be hurtful to their 
 interests, because it would le looked upon as unjust. Planters, 
 during the earlier years of the industry, will find no difficulty 
 in disposing of their entire output at profitable figures, so 
 that, under present circumstances, it is difficult to perceive 
 wherein an import duty would aid them. Under proper con- 
 ditions a protective duty on tea would be for the benefit of 
 the people as a whole, for not only would it protect the indus- 
 
THE TEA GARDENS OF THE WORLD. 67 
 
 try and keep the trade and its profits at home, but it would, 
 eventually, be the means of putting an end to the importation 
 of inferior and very low grade leaf, the use of which does 
 more to injure the cause of the healthful beverage than any 
 other evil connected with the trade. 
 
 It is quite likely that the soil and climate of our lately 
 acquired colonies, Hawaii and the Philippine Islands, will 
 prove to be exceptionally favorable to the propagation of the 
 tea-plant, and, if so, with the advantageous labor conditions 
 existing in both, we may look forward to the time when the 
 United States, as a great tea-producing nation, will enter into 
 serious competition with China, Japan and the several British 
 countries for a share of the tea-trade of the world. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 
 
 BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION. 
 
 Scientific men appear to be at some variance with regard 
 to a proper botanical classification for the tea-shrub. Many 
 scientists agree that it is a genus of evergreen shrubs of the 
 natural order Ternstrcemiacece, closely allied to the genii- 
 Camellia, and, as such, is classed by Griffith as Camellia thci- 
 fera, and by Linklater as Camellia thea. The great botanist, 
 Linnaeus, gives the tree a distinct classification as Thea Chin- 
 ensis or Sinensis, and this classification is the more frequently 
 accepted. 
 
 Davis, while differing with those who class it as a species 
 of the camellia, informs us that with the Chinese "the camel- 
 lia bears the same name with the tea-shrub and possesses most 
 of its botanical characters." 
 
 Eein argues that "the relationship between these two 
 plants (camellia and tea-shrub), from an economic point of 
 view, is seen in a still greater degree by observing more clo-dy 
 the entire structure of both, especially with regard to blos- 
 soms and fruit, and is, in fact, so great that the tea-plant has 
 come lately to be looked upon by many as only a particular 
 species of the genus camellia, since there are no generic dif- 
 ferences, e. g., in Bentham and Hooper's "Genera Planta- 
 rum." 
 
 Davis, on the other hand, informs us that "they, in fact, 
 constitute two genera very closely allied, the distinctions con- 
 sisting principally in the seed. The seed-vessel of the tea- 
 plant is a three-lobed capsule, with the lobes strongly marked, 
 and each of them orf the size of a black currant, containing 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 69 
 
 one round seed. When ripe, each, erf the three lobes bursts 
 vertically in the middle and exposes the seed. The capsule 
 of the Camellia is not lobular externally, but contains alto- 
 gether three seeds, like that of the tea, though of longer 
 shape," and Williams, who is of opinion that "there is proba- 
 bly only one species of the tea-plant, and all the varieties have 
 resulted from culture," tells us that "the principal differ- 
 ence is in .the thin leaf of the tea and the leathery, glabrous 
 (smooth, hairless) leaf of the beautiful Camellia Japonica" 
 
 Dr. Shepard, whose recent practical experiences in the 
 cultivation of tea-plants of all varieties in South Caro- 
 lina should give his opinion weight, says: "Commercial tea 
 is made from the leaves of the Camellia Tinea,. Formerly, 
 when it was erroneously supposed that black and green teas 
 were necessarily made from different plants, it was attempted 
 to distinguish scientifically between the varieties used in the 
 production of each; for, although either sort may be made 
 from the same leaf, experience will show that each variety of 
 the tea-plant is better adapted for the manufacture of the 
 one or the other. Practically," he continues, "it is desirable 
 to separate as distinct varieties the two most divergent types 
 viz., the Assamese and the Chinese from the many interme- 
 diate sorts which have resulted from their hybridization or 
 are the result of climatic and other influences upon them. It 
 is claimed that the original tea-plant is indigenous to Assam, 
 a province in north-eastern British India. * * * It is 
 believed by many that all cultivated tea owes its origin to 
 this source, and that when its utility to man was recognized 
 it was thence carried to the north and east, even to the remote 
 and chilly northern islands of Japan. The result of this cli- 
 matic change was to stunt the plant and shrink the foliage 
 to the small, dull-colored, lancet-shaped leaves characteristic 
 of the variety generally (but with some injustice) called 
 Chinese." 
 
70 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 Walsh, on the other hand, after much investigation and 
 deduction, inclines to the Linnsean theory, which, while rec- 
 ognizing the tea-plant as belonging to the Camellia family, 
 classes it as Thea Chine-nsis or Sinensis, the tea-plant of 
 China, which genus the theory divides into two species viz., 
 Thea Viridis, green tea, and Thea Bohea, black tea, to which 
 may be added the later species, Thea Assamensis or Thea As- 
 samica, Masters, the tea-plant of India. 
 
 CLIMATE. 
 
 The tea-plant may be grown in any fairly temperate cli- 
 mate, but it flourishes to the best advantage in the monsoon 
 regions of South and South-eastern Asia, within the limits of 
 which are situated the most extensive and famous tea-gardens 
 of the world. Recent years have, however, demonstrated that 
 the plant will thrive in other parts of the world; the success 
 attending its cultivation in countries remote from its home, 
 going far to prove that it will prosper in any part of the 
 world where climate and soil are to be found akin to those of 
 its native home. 
 
 Ball informs us that "The rainfall should not be less 
 than 80 to 100 inches per annum," and Fortune insists that 
 were it not for the frequent summer showers which fall 
 copiously at the leaf-picking time in China, the repeated 
 plucking of the leaves from the tea-bushes must be very inju- 
 rious to their health. "The rains," he says, "cause the leaf- 
 buds to burst out again with fresh vigor, and the bushes are 
 soon covered with new leaves. After a careful consideration 
 of this subject," he continues, "it seems plain to me that, how- 
 ever favorable the climate may be as regards temperature, and 
 however good the soil and situation of the plantations may 
 be, yet without these early summer rains it would not be pos- 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 71 
 
 sible to cultivate the tea-plant with success," that is, com- 
 mercially. 
 
 Dr. Charles U. Shepard in an article written for the 
 Florida Times-Union, published in 1897, says, in part: "It 
 is generally held that certain natural conditions of climate 
 are indispensable for the success of tea-culture. Among the 
 former are a uniformly warm but not excessively hot tempera- 
 ture, one quite free from frosts, and an abundant rainfall, its 
 copiousness being directly proportional to the intensity of 
 the heat. To which supposed essentials may be added the 
 necessity of a deep, rich, thoroughly drained soil, since the 
 tea-plant requires the most abundant sustenance. It will be 
 at once suggested that a great and apparently insuperable 
 disparity exists in mast of these prerequisites between the 
 Oriental tea-countries and the Southern United States. It 
 is true that almost all of the latter country is liable to frost 
 and certainly by far the greater part to occasional ice; that 
 the average rainfall is only half of that of India. * * * 
 Nevertheless, there are, as we think, substantial reasons why 
 tea should be extensively cultivated in this country." 
 
 "It is not necessary," Dr. Shepard continues, "that the 
 annual rainfall should exceed 60 inches where the average 
 temperature is less than 70 degrees F., especially if the 
 greater part of the yearly precipitation occurs in the growing 
 season. This is true of Japan, China, the higher altitudes of 
 Ceylon, and some districts of India, where altogether the 
 greater part of the world's tea is produced. And by a proper 
 treatment of the soil, by underdrainage, subsoil plowing, and 
 deep pulverization, a gain of moisture equivalent to a fall 
 of 10 to 15 inches of rain is secured. This effect is enhanced 
 by planting cowpeas between the tea-bushes, whose roots pene- 
 trate the soil, and dying not only leave valuable food for the 
 tea, but render the earth much more porous and capable of 
 retaining moisture during seasons of drought." 
 
72 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 "There is probably no place in the United States where 
 the rainfall is sufficient for the best results with the tea- 
 plant," Dr. Shepard tells us in his introduction to Report Xo. 
 61, 1899, to the Secretary of Agriculture, "and irrigation 
 should, when possible, be provided for in growing tea." 
 
 "The tea-plant can grow where the thermometer falls 
 below the freezing point," says Ball, and Rein tells us that 
 "In the lower temperature belt for tea-culture, not only in 
 northern China and Japan, but also in the Himalayas, the 
 bushes are often exposed to frosts in Winter, which may be 
 as severe as 9 C., without killing them, but it cannot be 
 too hot for the tea-plant if the heat is accompanied by moist- 
 ure." "The yield is double in a hot and moist climate," 
 Ball continues, " to what it is in a comparatively dry and tem- 
 perate one, for it yields most abundantly with hot sunshine 
 and showers and with the rain equally diffused." 
 
 "Frosts and brief periods of cold curtail the production 
 of tea," Dr. Shepard wrote in 1897, "but some of the choicest 
 brands, particularly those of great flavor, come from climates 
 whose temperature often falls in Winter below 32 degrees F. 
 A decided gain in quality compensates for a lesser yield in 
 quantity." Writing again in 1899, Dr. Shepard says : "Tea- 
 growing can be undertaken safely only where the temperature 
 rarely goes lower than 25 degrees F. and never below zero." 
 
 During the Winter of 1898-99 the tea-plantation at Pine- 
 hurst, South Carolina, furnished conclusive proof af the ex- 
 treme hardiness of the shrub, and the excessive cold to which 
 the plants were then exposed went far to upset previously 
 conceived theories as to the extent of cold the exotic could 
 successfully withstand. "The past Winter," Dr. Shepard 
 writes, "has fortunately (for the sake of most conclusively 
 testing the feasibility of the local cultivation of tea) sub- 
 jected the gardens to an extraordinary ordeal, viz., the great- 
 est cold in one hundred and fifty years the fall of the ther- 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAP. 73 
 
 mometer on the morning of February 14 to half a degree be- 
 low zero F. Happily this occurred when the ground was cov- 
 ered to the depth of five inches with snow. It was observed 
 that those plants which were in the most exposed situations 
 suffered the least, having been brought by the previous cold 
 weather into a state of hibernation which enabled them to 
 withstand the extreme cold.] whereas those which were in shel- 
 tered positions or in the most luxuriant growth suffered 
 greatly in all parts above the snow level. The result was, that 
 it was found necessary to rigorously prune back to within a 
 few inches of the ground all of the bushes. * * * * On 
 May 1 every clump of shorn roots was more or less covered 
 with a thrifty outburst of young vegetation." 
 
 Thus it will be observed that the tea-plant, although orig- 
 inally from a subtropical climate, can endure extreme cold, 
 and, under a correct treatment, will thrive in climates hitherto 
 thought to be too rigorous. 
 
 SOIL. 
 
 Ball informs us that "though tea will grow in poor soil, it 
 has been proved, by experiments in India, that the best soil 
 for it is a friable, light-colored, porous one, with a fair pro- 
 portion of sand and a superabundance of decaying vegetable 
 matter on the surface/' 
 
 Bohn says that "the soil in which the tea-plants are reared 
 is a decomposition of granite, abounding in feldspar, as is 
 proved by the same soil being used in the manufacture of por- 
 celain." Thus, as Davis facetiously observes, "the soil pro- 
 duces the tea and the cups in which it is drunk." 
 
 Gorst informs us that the tea-plant "nourishes best in a 
 sandy soil," and Fortune personally noted that "the soil of 
 these plantations (Chinese) consisted of a red-colored loam 
 mixed with a considerable portion of sand and gravel." The 
 
74 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 reason for choosing this sandy, gravelly soil is obvious, for 
 as Rein observes, "Atmospheric water flows off easily from 
 gently inclined ground of this sort (sandy loam) without car- 
 rying away good earth." Davis saw the tea-shrubs succeeding 
 best on the sides of mountains, where there is a small accumu- 
 lation of vegetable soil. "We observed it always," he con- 
 tinues, "elevated above the plains, in situations where the 
 soil was a disintegration of sandstone or of granite, or where 
 the soil was composed partly of a micaceous sand." 
 
 "Select level land," says Dr. Shepard, "naturally moist, 
 but free from stagnant water; the soil should be light and 
 porous, rich in thoroughly decomposed organic matter, and as 
 deep as possible. The subsoil should be self-draining and pre- 
 sent no obstacle to the deep penetration of the taproot." 
 
 "Analyses of the best Indian tea-soils," he contimu-s, 
 "show a great deficiency of lime, an absence of sulphuric acid, 
 the constant occurrence of manganese, and a large amount of 
 nitrogen, as also considerable quantities of potash and mag- 
 nesia micas. The best Chinese, Japanese and Javanese tea- 
 soils are said to contain a great deal of ferruginous clay, and 
 to be likewise deficient in lime. The high quality of the 
 Formosa tea has been attributed to the large content of iron 
 in the soil. At Pinehurst experiments have been conducted 
 on sandy, clayey and bottom lands; on level fields, on hill- 
 sides and in drained ponds, with the result that we earnestly 
 recommend level lands thoroughly drained, porous to as great 
 a depth as possible, and sweet, i. e., free from all virginal 
 acidity. It was early recognized that none of our lands 
 afforded sufficiently abundant and quick plant-food to stimu- 
 late and maintain that unusually luxuriant growth which is 
 indispensable in a successful tea-garden. Consequently, all 
 have received abundant enrichment." "The manures em- 
 ployed at Pinehurst are carefully preserved stable compost, 
 (fortified with acid phosphate and kainit) wherever it can 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 75 
 
 be profitably utilized, and commercial fertilizers rich in solu- 
 ble potash and available nitrogen, with a modicum of soluble 
 phosphates. New land gets with us a heavy dressing of 
 burned marl in advance of cultivation. The tea-plant de- 
 mands the richest of food and plenty of it." 
 
 THE PLAttT AND LEAF. 
 
 It is usual to refer to the tea-plant as an evergreen bush, 
 shrub, or plant, because, under cultivation, its natural height 
 is kept down by constant pruning or trimming, but in a 
 state of nature it becomes a fair sized tree, reaching a height 
 of from fifteen to eighteen feet, and, we are told that, in the 
 jungle-forests of Assam, it grows to a height of thirty to forty 
 feet. Under cultivation it is not allowed to exceed a height 
 of from three to six feet, the constant trimming of its 
 branches and plucking of its leaves causing it to flush out and 
 put forth a greater number of bushy branches which run to 
 breadth instead of to height, a result which is, of course, in- 
 tended in order to facilitate the picking of the leaves, as well 
 as to produce a more abundant harvest. 
 
 Williams informs us that in China "the plants seldom 
 exceed three feet, most of them are half that height; strag- 
 gling and full of twigs, often covered with lichens, but well 
 hoed and clean around their roots." 
 
 The trimming of the plant is done in the colder part 
 of the year, when the sap is at its least. This operation re- 
 quires considerable skill and intelligence, and is a most im- 
 portant part of the business of tea-gardening. 
 
 "The wood of the tea-tree is hard and light-colored," says 
 Eein, "and its stem puts forth many branches. Its bark is 
 smooth, light ash-colored, resembling that of the beech. The 
 bark of the younger branches is brownish in color. The leaves 
 are persistent, short-stemmed and from elliptical to narrow 
 
76 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 lanceolate, sharply serrated, with a bright, lasting, dark-green 
 polish, covered, when young, with a white down or silken hair, 
 which drops off in the course of development." This white 
 down or silken hair is called by the Chinese "Pak-ho," hence 
 the tea-term "Pekoe." 
 
 Williams informs us that "the tea-flower is small, single 
 and white, has no smell and soon falls." Rein speaks of it 
 as being "almost odorless" and Walsh reports that it is 
 "slightly fragrant." 
 
 The fruit, according to Rein, "is a round, three- 
 chambered, three-seeded capsule, looking as if it consisted of 
 three balls partly pressed into one another, growing to one 
 side." "The oily seeds," he continues, "enclosed in a hard 
 shell, are spherical, as large as a cherry stone and the color 
 of a hazel-nut." To the taste the tea-seed is oily and bitter. 
 As already stated, the genus Thea Sinensis is divided into 
 two species, viz. : Thea Viridis and Thea Bohea, to which 
 may be added the so-called Thea Assamensis, or Indian 
 species. 
 
 These species vary considerably in size and shape of 
 leaf, blossom, and general characteristics, the variance creat- 
 ing the species. 
 
 77,' ro. Viridis, or the Green Tea-plant, is, accord- 
 ing to Rein, "a quick-growing bush, which is hardier 
 than Thea Bohea. Its leaves are lanceolate, one to two 
 inches long, with a breadth one-third as great. They have 
 coarse, irregularly indented edges, often somewhat undulat- 
 ing, thin and of a light-green color. The blossoms, which 
 are large, grow mostly singly." This species is mainly culti- 
 vated in the northern tea-districts of China and its leaves 
 produce the China green teas of commerce, viz., Gunpowders, 
 Young Hysons, Imperials, Hysons and Twankays. 
 
 Thea Bohea, or the Black Tea-plant, "remains much 
 smaller," continues Reii). "It is more sensitive to the cold 
 
THEA CHINENSIS BRANCH OF JAPAN TEA PLANT. 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 77 
 
 than is Th. Viridis. Its branches and twigs are stiff, like 
 its leaves, which are of an elongated, elliptical shape, scarcely 
 half as long as those of Th. Viridis, and are smooth and regu- 
 larly serrated. The bushes bloom luxuriantly, often having 
 two or three blossoms at the base of each leaf." 
 
 The a Bohea is cultivated in the central and southern tea- 
 districts of China and its leaves produce the China black 
 teas of commerce, viz., Congous, Souchongs, Ooloongs, Pe- 
 koes and Scented teas. 
 
 Thea Assamensis (Assamica, Masters) is the species 
 (some claim that it is not a species of, or even a true tea) 
 which was discovered in 1826 growing apparently wild in 
 the forests of upper Assam. "When cultivated it is a beau- 
 tiful little tree. Compared with the Chinese varieties its 
 leaves are very large, elliptically pointed, from three to five 
 inches in length and half as broad, smooth and strongly 
 veined." Thea Assamensis is much more productive than 
 either of the Chinese species and, in consequence, the Indian 
 tea-growers obtain many more pickings than are obtained 
 from the Chinese or Japanese plants. 
 
 "The Hybrid, or cross between the Assam plant and 
 the tea-plant of China, which is now much grown in India, 
 combines the richness in leaf -production and the strength in 
 infusion of the Indian type, with the compactness, hardiness 
 and pleasant aroma of the Chinese." 
 
 The Japanese are indebted to the Chinese for the intro- 
 duction of the tea-plant to Japan, which event, we are told, 
 took place more than a thousand years ago. After its in- 
 troduction it seems that the cultivation was neglected and 
 its use practically abandoned. In the thirteenth century seeds 
 were again imported from China, and soon afterwards the 
 use of the beverage received royal patronage and became 
 national. 
 
 The preparation of the leaf in Japan is somewhat dif- 
 
78 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ferent to the Chinese method, although in result it is the 
 same. All, or nearly all Japan teas are green, and, strange 
 as it may appear, the plants are of the Thea Bohea or Black 
 tea species. 
 
 Rein in his "Industries of Japan" writes as follows: 
 "Almost all Japanese tea is green, though coming from sev- 
 eral varieties of low-trimmed Bohea bushes. I have scarcely 
 anywhere seen (in Japan) the form Thea Viridis." 
 
 The seeds and plants, therefore, which were originally 
 imported by the Japanese from China must have been of the 
 Thea Bohea species, and the fact that the Japanese produce 
 a green tea from a supposedly black tea-plant is a seeming 
 paradox. In explanation of this it may be said that the kind 
 and color of commercial tea is a matter of manufacture 
 only. A manipulator can, at will, produce a green or a black 
 tea from either species of the plant, and, further, he can, if 
 desired, produce from the leaves of one and the same plant, 
 a Gunpowder tea, a Cong5u, a Souchong, an Ooloong or a 
 Japan green. In further explanation and to correct an erro- 
 neous popular belief, a quotation from Fortune's "Tea Dis- 
 tricts of China" will go far towards making the matter ex- 
 plicit. 
 
 He says : "The plant in cultivation about Canton, f rom 
 which Canton teas are made, is known to botanists as the 
 Thea Bohea, while the northern variety, found in the green 
 tea-country, has been called Thea Viridis. The first appears 
 to have been named upon the supposition that all the black 
 teas of the Bohea Mountains were obtained from this spe- 
 cies (Thea Bohea) and the second was called Viridis because 
 it furnished the green teas of commerce. These names seem 
 to have misled the public, and hence many persons, until a 
 few years back, firmly believed that black tea could be made 
 only from Thea Bohea, and green tea only from Thea Viri- 
 dis." "In my 'Wanderings in China'," he continues, "I made 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 79 
 
 some observations upon the plants from which tea is made 
 in different parts of China. While I acknowledged that the 
 Canton plant, known to botanists as Thea Bohea, appeared 
 distinct from the more northern one called Thea Viridis, I 
 endeavored to show that both green and black teas could be 
 made from either, and that the difference in the appearance 
 af these teas, in so far as color was concerned, depended upon 
 manipulation and upon that only. 
 
 It is quite true that the Chinese rarely make the two 
 kinds of tea (green and black) in one district, but this is 
 more for the sake of convenience and from custom than for 
 any other reason. The workmen, too, generally make that 
 kind of tea best with which they have had most practice. 
 But while this is generally the case in the great tea-districts, 
 there are some exceptions. It is now well known that the fine 
 Moning districts near the Poyang Lake, and which are daily 
 rising in importance on account of the superior character 
 of their Hack teas, formerly produced nothing else but green 
 teas. At Canton, green and black teas are made from the 
 Thea Bohea at the pleasure of the manufacturer and accord- 
 ing to demand." 
 
 Mr. Lettsom also understood this subject as Mr. For- 
 tune did. In his "Natural History of the Tea-Tree/' pub- 
 lished in 1799, he says: 
 
 "There is only one species of this plant, for the differ- 
 ence between green and Bohea (black) tea depends on the 
 nature of the soil, the cultivation and the method of drying 
 the leaves. It has even been observed that a green tea-tree 
 planted in the Bohea district will yield Bohea (black) tea, 
 and likewise the contrary." 
 
 Mr. Williams in his excellent work, "The Middle King- 
 dom," is just as explicit upon this subject. He says : "While 
 the leaves of each species of the shrub can be cured into 
 either green or black tea, the workmen in one district are 
 
80 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 able, by practice, to produce one kind in a superior style and 
 quality; those in another region will do better with another 
 kind. Soil, too, has a great influence, as it has in grape- 
 culture, in modifying the produce." 
 
 It will be seen, therefore, that the color and kind of tea 
 produced depends upon its manipulation, but that conven- 
 ience, ancient custom, and, of more importance still, the fit- 
 ness of the leaf itself, confines the green and black districts 
 to distinctive localities. 
 
 The tea-plant or tree is exceedingly long-lived and, if 
 allowed to grow undisturbed by man, will thrive for several 
 hundred years. Some of the very finest Japan leaf is picked 
 from bushes which are said to be over two hundred years old,' 
 the young leaves of these old trees being eagerly sought in 
 Japan. At the old Middleton Barony on the Ashley River, 
 some fifteen miles from Charleston, South Carolina, there is 
 still growing a healthy tea-tree which was brought from China 
 in the year 1800. Today this tree is 102 } T ears old, is some 
 fifteen feet in height, and still flourishing. 
 
 CULTIVATION AND PICKING. 
 
 CHINA. Throughout the tea-districts of China the tea- 
 plants are raised from seeds, which are annually gathered 
 from the shrubs in October, after the last crop of leaves has 
 been harvested. Great care is exercised in protecting the 
 seeds during the succeeding Winter months, so that they may 
 be fresh and possess life in the* Spring. After gathering, the 
 seeds are exposed to the warm rays of the sun until every 
 suspicion of dampness is evaporated; then they are carefully 
 packed in sand and earth, where they remain until planting 
 time arrives in the Spring. Before planting they are placed 
 to soak in cold water for twenty-four hours, and, after this, 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 81 
 
 they are deposited in cloth bags and placed in a warm room 
 where they become gradually dry. This process of aiding 
 nature, or rather forcing it, is continued until the seeds be- 
 gin to sprout, when they are planted in a nursery and care- 
 fully watched, watered, and tended until the resulting nurs- 
 lings are large and strong enough to be transplanted to the 
 tea-garden. This usually takes place when the nurslings are 
 about one year old, and are about nine to twelve inches in 
 height. In some parts of China, according to recent ac- 
 counts, the young plants are transplanted at a more youthful 
 age; when about four inches high. This, however, could only 
 occur in parts of the country where the climate is mild 
 enough to permit early transplantation. When planted out 
 in the tea-gardens the young plants are always given plenty 
 of space to bush out, being set out in rows about four feet 
 apart, several plants being set together in each hole. The 
 space between rows is usually three to four feet wide, which 
 gives ample room for the pickers of the leaves to move along, 
 and for the shrubs to spread. As is natural, the young plan- 
 tations are started in the Spring, in anticipation of the 
 abundant rainfall which is usual in those regions at the 
 change of the Monsoon in April and May. 
 
 After transplantation little labor is expended upon the 
 young plants; a beneficent sunshine and plenteous rainfall 
 giving health and vigor to the entire plantation, and aiding 
 the young plants to thoroughly establish themselves in their 
 new quarters. The ground around the roots is kept free from 
 weeds, but, with this exception, until the time arrives for the 
 first picking of the leaves, no labor, of consequence, is neces- 
 sary. 
 
 The native Chinese are, naturally, expert gardeners, and, 
 consequently, are careful in plucking the leaves when the 
 time arrives for that operation. To strip a plant entirely of 
 its leaves would be the means of destroying its life; to strip 
 
82 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 it carelessly, too frequently, or unduly would be very prejudi- 
 cial to ks health; so not only are the farmer-growers exceed- 
 ingly careful as to the quantity of leaves culled from a plant, 
 but they are careful, also, that the plant is in a strong and 
 vigorous condition before they commence picking its leaves 
 at all. 
 
 "The young plantations are generally allowed to grow 
 unmolested for from two to three years," says Mr. Fortune, 
 "or until they are well established and are producing strong 
 and vigorous shoots; it would be considered very bad man- 
 agement to begin to pluck the leaves until this is the case. 
 Even when the plantations were in full bearing I observed 
 that the natives never took many leaves from the weaker 
 plants, and sometimes passed them altogether, in order that 
 their growth might not be checked." 
 
 The length of life of a cultivated tea-shrub depends 
 altogether upon circumstances. A garden, with careful treat- 
 ment, will continue to yield for from eight to twelve years; 
 after that age, the constant picking deprives the plant of fur- 
 ther vigor, and it becomes unproductive of the kind of ! 
 that are commercially valuable; then it is removed to make 
 place for younger plants of its kind. 
 
 Great care is taken by the Chinese in picking the leaves; 
 only one leaf from each stalk being removed, so that an expert 
 picker can gather not to exceed ten to fifteen pounds a day. 
 Fifteen pounds of leaves a day, indeed, is considered excep- 
 tionally good picking, for which the pay equals about eight 
 cents, American. A tea-plant will yield from one to two 
 ounces of green leaves at a picking, according to the size, age, 
 and vigor of the plant, and when the various processes, to 
 which the green leaves are subjected in their preparation for 
 market, are completed, the shrinkage equals about four-fifths 
 of the green weight, thus giving a manufactured product of 
 one-fifth the weight of the unmanufactured leaves. 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 83 
 
 Extreme care is also taken in handling the leaves during 
 the process of picking, notwithstanding the reports of inter- 
 ested persons to the contrary. CLEANLINESS is ABSOLUTE, 
 and, in fact, is necessary in order to prevent the leaves from 
 absorbing obnoxious foreign flavors, which would undoubtedly 
 result were careless or uncleanly hands allowed to touch 
 them. Gloves are worn during the pickings, and the pickers 
 are forced to bathe several times daily during the picking 
 season. Women and children only are employed and it is 
 said that they are forced to abstain from eating strong- 
 flavored or uncleanly food during the entire picking season 
 for the aforesaid reason. The bamboo baskets into which the 
 green leaves are deposited as they are picked, receive as much 
 cleanly care as the pickers themselves, so that the entire 
 operation is, above all else, cleanly. This extreme care in 
 the handling of the product costs the farmer nothing, and is, 
 naturally, to his advantage, for no one knows better than he 
 that the renown of his production, and, consequently, the 
 price that he will obtain for it, depends absolutely upon its 
 quality and condition. The reputation of his crop is much 
 to the native farmer, who aspires to become known as the 
 producer of the best teas in his vicinity. This engenders a 
 friendly rivalry among the growers and the result is, natur- 
 ally, a pure, clean and healthful leaf. 
 
 Several pickings or crops occur during the season, usu- 
 ally three. The first takes place from the middle of April to 
 ihe first week in May, according to season, when the youngest 
 leaves only are taken. These young leaves, so full of deli- 
 cate sap, form the best of the farmer's crop, and receive, at 
 his hands, more careful handling than those of succeeding 
 crops, for the extremest care is necessary in order to prevent 
 damage to the tender leaves and leaf-buds, which are much 
 more liable to injury than are the older and stronger leaves 
 of subsequent pickings. The second picking or crop occurs 
 
84 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 about the first of June and gives to the farmer his largest leaf- 
 harvest, although inferior in quality to the first. Less care 
 is exercised in the picking of the second crop and more leaves 
 are culled than at the first picking, but just as much care is 
 taken in the matter of cleanliness. 
 
 The third picking occurs in July and affords a further 
 heavy yield if the season is propitious, but is of a greatly in- 
 ferior quality. 
 
 As each picking proceeds the leaves are partially cured 
 by the farmer and stored to await the coming of the tea-men 
 or buyers, who are sent throughout the country districts by 
 the tea-merchants in the larger cities oi the districts to pur- 
 chase the crops of farmers. The teas of the vicinity are, by 
 this means, gathered together to the large local cities and 
 there treated as described in a following chapter entitled 
 "Tea From Leaf to Cup." 
 
 JAPAN. The native Japanese are, like their kinsfolk, 
 the Chinese, expert gardeners and are very capable of culti- 
 vating the tea-plant to the very best advantage. As in China 
 the plants are raised from seed, although many of the farm- 
 ers utilize the public nurseries from which growing tea- 
 plants may be purchased. 
 
 The seeds are sown in the fall orf the year, immediately 
 after the pickings are completed, or else in the Spring of the 
 succeeding year. 
 
 Tea-seeds easily lose their reproductive power, a heavy 
 proportion proving defective. For this reason great care is 
 exercised in preserving those that are held over from the time 
 of gathering in the Fall until planting time in the Spring, 
 which is done, as in China, by keeping them in a cool place, 
 in a mixture of sand and earth. 
 
 The garden spot having been well worked and manured 
 in the early Spring is then ready to receive the seeds which 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 85 
 
 are planted in rows and covered with a few inches of soil. In 
 two months the seeds begin to sprout ; the plants' are several 
 inches high at the end of the first year ; throw out side shoots 
 the second year and are ready for the first picking with the 
 third or fourth year. 
 
 In order to obtain bushy plantations many plants are 
 planted in one hole so that they may unite and form one 
 cluster, for it has been discovered that the production is 
 greater when the plants are set out close together, and the 
 method affords more room for the workmen to move around 
 the plants and to keep the ground freer of weeds. 
 
 While it is by no means the general rule, it frequently 
 happens that a farmer will allow for a considerable space 
 between the rows of tea-plants, and cultivate crops of the to- 
 bacco-plant, vegetables, etc., in the intervening ground. 
 
 At three to four years of age the plants begin to pro- 
 duce and, with the succeeding years, the crop increases until 
 the tenth or twelfth year, after which the yearly pickings 
 steadily decline in quantity and quality, and at the age of 
 fifteen to eighteen years the plant has outlived its usefulness 
 as a commercial producer and is rooted out to make place for 
 others. 
 
 In Japan, as in China, three annual pickings occur, the 
 first beginning in the last week of April or the first week of 
 May, according to the season, and lasting for from two to 
 three weeks. This first crop produces Japan's highest grade 
 teas, a heavy proportion of which is retained for home con- 
 sumption. At the manufacturing and shipping ports of 
 Yokohama and Kobe, the advent of the picking season inau- 
 gurates a period of great activity, which lasts until the ship- 
 ments of the latest crop teas have been made abroad. 
 
 At the "turn of the leaf," that is for a very short period 
 between the first and second pickings, a small crop is har- 
 vested, and this leaf is very distinctive, having a peculiar 
 
86 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 orange, or somewhat like an Ooloong flavor. By some buyers 
 in this country this leaf is sought on account of its flavor. 
 The second crop or picking occurs from four to six weeks after 
 the first; that is from the first to the fifteenth of June. This 
 crop, like that of China, is quite heavy and constitutes the 
 bulk of teas for exportation. 
 
 The third crop is harvested in July or August, but it 
 frequently happens that this crop remains unpicked, for the 
 reason that the second crop usually produces a sufficiency of 
 medium and low grade teas to supply the foreign and do- 
 mestic demand. A third picking is alsa likely to injure the 
 shrubs and, for this reason, the farmers prefer not to pick it 
 except in exceptional seasons. 
 
 INDIA. As already stated, the tea-plantations of India 
 and Ceylon differ very materially from those of China and 
 Japan. It is simply the difference between the old-fashioned 
 methods of a very conservative people and the business-like 
 system of a progressive nation of manufacturers. 
 
 The tea-estates of India and Ceylon are usually owned and 
 operated by British stock companies. In such a case, capital is 
 unlimited for the purpose and the plantations are, from their 
 inauguration, laid out and conducted in a wholesale way. No 
 risk of failure is taken, for a thorough knowledge of every con- 
 dition has, from past experiences, been gained by the 
 planters. 
 
 After the land has been selected, the jungle-trees and 
 underbrush are cleared so that an open space of 200 to 500 
 acres, or more, is obtained. Here the factory is erected and 
 the business of growing and manufacturing tea is com- 
 menced, every detail of which, both present and future, being 
 superintended by experienced and well-paid Europeans. 
 
 The seeds are obtained and sowed in nurseries upon the 
 grounds, where they remain until the resulting young plants 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 87 
 
 have reached a height of from 10 to 18 inches, which is usu- 
 ally about six months after sowing. The nurslings are then 
 planted in the gardens in long parallel rows about four feet 
 apart. These rows usually run as straight across the planta- 
 tion as the nature of the surface ground will permit, and at 
 a distance of about four feet one from the other. This dispo- 
 sition of the rows of nurslings allows plenty of room for the 
 spreading or bushing out of the shrubs when grown and 
 gives space enough between rows, and around bushes, for the 
 cultivators and pickers to work. After the nurslings have 
 been transplanted and placed in position they remain un- 
 touched for about a year, the soil about their roots, in the 
 meantime, receiving every attention necessary in the way of 
 hoeing, weeding and irrigating. At the end of this proba- 
 tion period the plants have attained the age of about eighteen 
 months, and are then considered old and vigorous enough to 
 have their branches trimmed or "pruned," as it is called. The 
 object of pruning is to cause the shrub to bush out and to 
 prevent it from growing too high to enable the pickers to 
 pluck its topmost shoots or twigs. At the age of from two 
 to three years the bushes are old enough to pluck, and in 
 the month of April, following the time that this age has been 
 reached, the plucking commences. 
 
 The method of plucking the leaves in India and Ceylon 
 differs very materially from the same operation in China and 
 Japan. During the' first picking in the latter countries but 
 few leaves are picked from each plant and these are none 
 but the youngest and tenderest end leaves, but, during the 
 subsequent pickings, as many of the leaves as the shrub can 
 safely give up are taken. In India and Ceylon the three top- 
 most leaves, at most, of each shoot or twig are plucked at 
 each plucking; the remainder of the leaves being allowed to 
 stay upon the bushes, as they are considered too coarse to be 
 made into commercial tea. In China and Japan three annual 
 
88 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 pickings, at most, are obtained, and each of these pickings 
 returns leaf that is commercially inferior to that of the pre- 
 ceding picking. In India from twelve to twenty pluckings 
 are obtained from the bushes annually ; estates that are more 
 favorably situated, as far as climate and water supply are 
 concerned, obtaining the greater number. In Ceylon be- 
 tween twenty and thirty pluckings are annually obtained owing 
 to the extremely favorable climatic conditions which exist in 
 the island. The Indian system of plucking is the result of a 
 greater scientific knowledge ; of a greater care in encouraging 
 productiveness, and these not only preserve the health and 
 vigor of the bushes, but make the labor much less arduous 
 and reduce it to a minimum cost. 
 
 Much care is exercised in India in the plucking opera- 
 tion so that no injury shall occur to the plants. Women and 
 children only are employed in the work, and these go care- 
 fully around the bushes and along the rows, snipping the 
 twig or "flush," as it is called, immediately below the second 
 or third leaf, according to the grade of manufactured leaf 
 required. If fine and medium teas only are wanted, the 
 twig, with the end-bud and the next two delicate leaves at- 
 tached is taken, and this shoot or twig, with its two leaves 
 and end leaf-bud appending, is spoken of and generally 
 known in the tea-districts as a "two and a bud." 
 
 When coarse teas are required at the factory, orders are 
 given to pluck the shoot below the third leaf, which gives 
 three leaves and a bud, the third leaf giving the required 
 coarse leaf for a coarser and cheaper tea. The native over- 
 seers, called "Sirdars" in India, and "Kangani" in Ceylon, are 
 held responsible, at headquarters, for the proper plucking of 
 each flush, and are required to see that no leaf coarser than 
 wanted is taken. 
 
 As the pickers proceed they deposit the shoots in the 
 picking-basket, and the leaves remain unseparated from the 
 
AN INDIAN "FLUSH," SHOWING METHOD OF PLUCKING. 
 
 A Flowery Orange-Pekoe Leaf Buds. 
 
 B Orange-Pekoe Leaf. 
 
 C Pekoe No. i Leaf. 
 
 D Souchong Leaf and Broken Teas. 
 
 E Where the "Flush" is Plucked. 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 89 
 
 stem until after firing, when they are separated by machine 
 and make the several gradings. 
 
 The picking-basket, called a "tukri," is a large, open- 
 mouthed affair, two feet or thereabouts in diameter and about 
 two and a half feet in depth, tapering towards the bottom. 
 The basket is conveniently slung over the shoulder of the 
 picker, so that every care 'may be taken in depositing the 
 twigs, for tight pressing or jamming the leaves into the bas- 
 ket must be avoided. Should it occur, it will result in over- 
 heating, especially if the day be unusually hot, and produce, 
 after wilting, an inferior quality of leaf called "red-leaf." 
 
 The plucking of the twigs of the shrub does no material 
 damage, and Nature immediately steps in to repair the tri- 
 fling hurt, and a week later another sprig is ready for the 
 plucking, and so it continues throughout the long period of 
 an Indian tea-picking season. 
 
 In India and Ceylon "first flush" teas, as the pickings 
 of the earlier months are called, are usually inferior to the 
 flushes of later months, it being claimed that Nature, in the 
 earlier months, has not had time to mature within the leaves 
 those constituents which are necessary to give to the leaf its 
 full strength and flavor. This is totally opposed to the con- 
 ditions which exist in both China and Japan, where the first 
 pickings of the season produce the highest grade teas, never- 
 theless it is a well-known fact that Indian and Ceylon teas 
 of the later pluckings are much superior in cup qualities to 
 those of the earlier pickings. 
 
 It is claimed by the planters that the plucking is the 
 only operation, under their system, where the leaf is touched 
 by hand and much stress is laid upon the fact, but, be this as 
 it may, it cannot be truthfully said that greater cleanliness 
 is exercised by their native pickers than is practiced by the 
 pickers of China and Japan. A machine especially built for 
 the purpose of plucking the leaves, provided that it could be 
 
90 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 designed to do the work thoroughly and well, would be of 
 untold value to the British planters. Such a machine has 
 already been invented and tried in India, but, according to 
 the account of Mr. Crole, it has not proved to be practi- 
 cable. 
 
 "The form of mechanical plucker," he says in his "Text 
 Book of Tea-Planting and Manufacture," Lockwood, London, 
 1897, "that I have seen used was like a pair of shears, the 
 upper surfaces of the blades of which had a rim about a 
 couple of inches in height running around them, the object of 
 which was to prevent the leaves cut off at each clip from 
 falling off. The bushes had to be very carefully pruned be- 
 fore submitting to the machine so as to give flat surface. 
 Although one would be only too glad to welcome any success- 
 ful invention in this line, yet one must, I fear, reluctantly 
 confess that it does not seem possible for any feasible device 
 to be forthcoming." 
 
 In Ceylon the cultivation of the shrub and the plucking 
 of its leaves is carried on in much the same manner as in 
 India, but, owing to the sub- tropical climate and superior 
 conditions of soil of that favored island, which gives to its 
 planters a greater advantage, more pluckings are obtained 
 annually than in India. The plucking season in Ceylon 
 never ceases except during the "pruning'' months, which opera- 
 tion prevents the "flushing 5 ' of the branches. 
 
 In the trade parlance of both India and Ceylon the put- 
 ting forth of new shoots by the shrubs is called "flushing," 
 and the young shoot or twig itself is known as a "flush." The 
 quantity of twigs taken as the result of a day's plucking is 
 also called a "flush," and the bulk of manufactured tea col- 
 lected at the termination of each season of plucking is called 
 a "break;" the term "break" meaning the same as the word 
 "chop" with the Chinese, that is, the collective product of a 
 given period of plucking. The plants "flush" weekly, that 
 
TEA FROM SEED TO LEAF. 91 
 
 is, put forth new shoots about one week after the plucking 
 of the previous "flush" or shoot. 
 
 The terms "picking" and "plucking" are, practically 
 speaking, synonymous; meaning, of course, the forcible re- 
 moval of a leaf or twig. In India and Ceylon, where shoots 
 are taken from the bushes instead of single leaves, the word 
 "plucking" is in more general use, whereas in speaking of 
 the same operation by the Chinese and Japanese, who remove 
 one leaf at a time, the word "picking" is generally used. The 
 difference in meaning of the two words, if a difference can 
 be found, correctly describes the difference in the operations 
 one plucks a twig and picks a leaf. 
 
 After plucking the various processes of manufacture im- 
 mediately take place in their order, and a description of these 
 will be attempted in a subsequent chapter. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 
 
 Given the discovery of virtue in a green leaf ; virtue as a 
 medicine, as a beverage, as a commercial commodity and the 
 preservation of that leaf becomes a necessity. 
 
 Here, in a nutshell, we have the problem which must 
 have confronted the people of China at the time when they 
 discovered the valuable properties of the leaf of the tea-plant, 
 and there can be little or no doubt but that this interesting 
 people, after realizing that some process was necessary to pre- 
 serve the leaves from one season to another, originated the 
 method which, with modifications and improvements, is fol- 
 lowed by all of the tea-producing countries of the world 
 today. 
 
 The honor of having made the discovery of the virtues of 
 the tea-plant, undoubtedly, belongs to the Chinese people, 
 and to China, also, belongs the honor of originating and intro- 
 ducing the preservative method which has made a commercial 
 tea possible. 
 
 It is, of course, very probable that the original methods 
 which the Chinese adopted for the preservation of the leaf 
 were crude, and that the practical experience of many years 
 was necessary to enable them to reach the present perfection 
 of the art ; but, be that as it may, there can be but little doubt 
 that the Chinese have followed their present methods for 
 many centuries, for so very old is the industry with them, if 
 we are to believe their ancient and modern chroniclers, that 
 at the time the Israelites were curing bricks, with and with- 
 out straw, for their Egyptian task-masters, the Chinese were 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 93 
 
 curing tea-leaves for their mandarins, for their neighbors, and 
 for themselves. 
 
 Manufactured tea, therefore, is one of the very oldest 
 of the world's commercial commodities, and it is quite likely 
 to hold its place, as such, until the end of time. 
 
 The methods which are employed by the manufacturers 
 of commercial tea in the various tea-growing countries, fol- 
 low, in principle at least, the original methods as demon- 
 strated by the Chinese. 
 
 In Japan, where the curing and preparing for export is 
 done mainly by Americans and Europeans, who employ native 
 hand-labor and some machinery, improvements of practical 
 value have been instituted; while the British tea-manufac- 
 turer of India, Ceylon and elsewhere, in his effort to cheapen 
 the cost of production, and in his craze for an article, as much 
 as possible, untouched by hand, has invented steam-power 
 machinery to do the same work that is done in China by man- 
 power. In both cases a similar result is attained ; in the one 
 case by the means of hard hand-labor, in the other by means 
 of steam-power machinery which has been invented in order 
 that a saving in labor may be made. 
 
 After picking, as already stated, the process of manufac- 
 ture is similar in all of the tea-producing countries. First 
 comes the wilting, or withering of the leaves; then the evapo- 
 rating of superficial moisture and superfluous sap; then the 
 fermentation or oxidation, as it really is then the rolling 
 and firing; separating and grading; all of which require 
 experience, watchfulness, and great care. 
 
 To the process of manufacture is due the various kinds 
 and colors of commercial tea. It produces the Chinese Gun- 
 powder, the Japanese Sun-Cured, the Formosa Ooloong, and 
 the Indian Pekoe. The tea-leaf which the Chinese manufac- 
 turer made into a round-rolled green Gunpowder, might, by a 
 difference in manipulation, have been, just as easily, made by 
 
94 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 him into a long-rolled black Congou or folded Pouchong, and 
 the European manufacturer in Japan who decided to make 
 the leaves submitted to him into a Sun-Cured, could have, ;i< 
 readily, used them to produce a Basket-Fired, or a Pan-Fired 
 tea. 
 
 Local custom, and the life-long experience of the work- 
 men in China, and the characteristics or the suitability of the 
 leaf in Japan regulate the production of the kinds; while in 
 India and Ceylon, with trifling exceptions so far, all 1. 
 are converted into black teas. 
 
 LEAF PREPAKATION. 
 
 CHINA Owing to the vast extent of Chinese territory, 
 and to the exceedingly crude and slow methods of transporta- 
 tion which exist therein, it becomes necessary that an initia- 
 tory preparation of the leaves be made by the farmer-grower. 
 This preparation is, however, just sufficient to preserve the 
 leaves against deterioration, injury, or ruin during the jour- 
 ney to the "hongs," or firing establishments of the larger cities 
 of the tea-districts, where they are prepared for market. 
 
 Man-power is used, as a rule, in this transportation; 
 each coolie, so employed, carrying one basket of the higher 
 grade leaf, or two baskets of the lower grades, and he pro- 
 ceeds steadily towards his destination at a shuffling jog-trot, 
 balancing the baskets on both ends of a long bamboo pole, the 
 center of which rests upon his shoulder, in like manner as 
 we see his kind peddling vegetables and other wares in this 
 country. 
 
 In this initiatory preparation the leaves, as they arc 
 brought in by the pickers, are spread out on flat bamboo trays, 
 or on lengths of Chinese matting, and placed in such a posi- 
 tion in the sunshine that they quickly wilt or wither, and all 
 superficial moisture is evaporated. 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 95 
 
 Alter the wilting process has been completed, the leaves 
 are gathered up, placed in a receptacle suitable for the purpose 
 and any remaining moisture, together with a considerable 
 percentage of the sap, is expressed under pressure. 
 
 A digression, at this particular point, becomes necessary 
 in order to discuss and, if possible, correct an accusation of 
 uncleanliness in the Chinese method of pressing out the sap; 
 which accusation is sometimes used in the advertisements of 
 interested persons. 
 
 With regard to the method of this pressure, writers on 
 the subject apparently differ. Dr. John H. Gray, Archdeacon 
 of Hong Kong, in his work entitled "China," published in 
 1878, states that the leaves are "then trodden by labourers to 
 press out all moisture remaining." Mr. Harold E. Gorst in 
 his "China," 1899, says : "After the leaves have been assorted 
 and the moisture pressed out of them by treading with the 
 naked feet" * * * * 
 
 Mr. Joseph M. Walsh, in his "Tea, Its History and Mys- 
 tery," 1892, and which, by the way, is the most authentic and 
 exhaustive work ever published upon the subject, says : "The 
 partially withered leaves are packed in cotton bags, loosely 
 tied at the mouth and placed in open wooden troughs or boxes 
 perforated at the sides with numerous holes, in which they 
 are pressed and kneaded by the feet to expel all superfluous 
 moisture" 
 
 In point of fact, there is nothing in the description of Dr. 
 Gray, or in that of Mr. Gorst, to warrant the assumption that 
 the bare feet of the laborers come in contact with the tea- 
 leaves, although a cursory reading of either description might 
 convey such a meaning. Dr. Gray says that the leaves are 
 "trodden by laborers." He might have gone further in his 
 description and added that the leaves were first placed in 
 cotton bags. Mr. Gorst, although stating that the naked feet 
 are used in the operation, does not state that the feet come in 
 
96 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 contact with the leaves, but it is not at all likely that the 
 natives would use shoes on their feet when kneading cotton 
 bags filled with leaves. 
 
 Again, the idea of using gloved hands, prohibiting the 
 use of strong food, enforcing frequent bathing during the 
 operation of picking the leaves, as has been described in a 
 previous chapter, goes far to prove that the Chinese farmer 
 is too great a master of his trade to make such a mistake, or 
 to take such chances of injury to his product, as pressing the 
 leaves with naked feet would mean. 
 
 The description of the process by Mr. Walsh is, undoubt- 
 edly, accurate, and it has never been refuted by authorities; 
 neither can it be said that it differs from the descriptions of 
 the aforesaid writers cm the subject, except that it goes further 
 into details, and, consequently, aids the cause of justice by 
 repairing the damage inadvertently and, without doubt, inno- 
 cently done to a cleanly and careful people by the meagre 
 writings of others. 
 
 Unfortunately, in the printed advertisements of some tea- 
 dealers, advantage has been taken of these meagre descrip- 
 tions, and statements have been spread broadcast over this 
 and other countries, in which charges have been made of un- 
 cleanliness in Chinese methods of manufacture. 
 
 Such advertisements go to show how eagerly interested 
 persons will grasp at the incomplete descriptions of authors 
 and craftily turn the natural inference of them to an unholy 
 advantage, for it cannot be otherwise than expected that the 
 distributors of such unjust and unwarrantable statements 
 knowingly base them upon the inadequate accounts of emi- 
 nent men which afford apparent proof and protection. 
 
 Pardon is requested for this lengthy digression which 
 has been made solely in the interest of justice and fair play, 
 and in the endeavor to protect a people apparently unwilling 
 to protect itself. 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 97 
 
 To continue: After a sufficiency of the sap has been 
 expressed from the leaves, they are again exposed to the sun- 
 heat to dry, and when this is accomplished they are sub- 
 jected to a partial "firing" by being held in iron pans over a 
 charcoal fire until the leaves have reached that condition 
 which will permit of transportation to the hong. 
 
 The work of the farmer-grower is now complete, and the 
 tea is stored to await the arrival of an agent from one of the 
 hongs. These agents, locally known as "tea-men," travel 
 throughout the district in the interest of their employers, 
 visiting all the small towns, villages, farms, and temples for 
 the purpose of purchasing the partially prepared tea-leaves 
 from the monks, priests, and farmers. 
 
 The reason for the above described mode of semi-prepa- 
 ration is, as already stated, to prevent deterioration, or pos- 
 sible injury, during transportation to the hongs, and also to 
 deliver the teas thereat in such a condition that no difficulty 
 will be experienced by the hong owners or manufacturers in 
 making up the teas as they desire for the greater home and 
 shipping markets. The wilting of the leaves, the pressing 
 out of the superfluous moisture and sap, and the subsequent 
 partial firing, prevents a natural chemical re-action oxida- 
 tion from taking place, and the semi-prepared leaves conse- 
 quently reach the firing establishment in a condition which 
 permits of further manipulation. 
 
 Arrived at the hong, which is one of many large estab- 
 lishments capable of preparing many hundreds or thousands 
 of chests of tea, the collective product of the district is mixed, 
 due care being exercised in separating the various qualities of 
 leaf, after which the teas are prepared for market and in the 
 following manner: 
 
 GREEN TEA. Upon arrival from the gardens the leaves, 
 destined to be made into green tea, are first picked over and 
 
98 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 all stalks and decayed leaves thrown out. The leaves are then 
 spread out sparsely, upon flat trays made of bamboo in order 
 to evaporate any moisture which may have gathered, for it 
 must be remembered that, during the curing season, there is 
 considerable humidity in the atmosphere. The leaves are 
 allowed to remain exposed in this manner for from one to two 
 hours, according to the state of the weather, after which they 
 are ready to be "fired." 
 
 This process, like all others connected with the manu- 
 facture of tea, requires experience and care, for to fire or roast 
 the leaves imperfectly will materially hurt them and render 
 the batch subject to a very low price or possible rejection by 
 the buyers in the tea-exporting marts. 
 
 In China the leaves are fired after a somewhat primitive 
 fashion. A number of small fire places are built upon the 
 ground; brick and mortar being used in their construction, 
 and are so arranged in circular form that shallow iron roast- 
 ing pans will fit snugly on top. Each fire place is attended 
 by an operator whose mouth and nostrils are corered with a 
 cloth to prevent breathing the rising vapor. A charcoal fire 
 is lighted beneath and, when the roasting pans are hot enough, 
 a specified quantity of the leaves is thrown into them, and i? 
 then, as Mr. Fortune says, "rapidly moved about and shaken 
 up with both hands. They are immediately affected by the 
 heat, begin to make a crackling noise, and become quite 
 moist and flaccid, while, at the same time, they give out a 
 considerable portion of vapor." They remain in the pans 
 for four or five minutes, rapidly shaken the while by the oper- 
 ator, whose experienced eye can detect the exact moment for 
 removal, and, when that moment comes, he quickly gathers 
 them up and places them on the rolling table close at hand. 
 
 From the time that the leaves are deposited in the pans 
 until the subsequent rolling process is completed, no time is 
 lost by the operators, who, being trained and expert at the 
 
NATIVE TEA FIRING IN CHINA. 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 99 
 
 work, do not waste a single arm movement. The rolling table 
 is made of rattan and fashioned so as to assist the rolling 
 process as much as possible. At the moment that the batch 
 of heated leaves is deposited upon the table and it must be 
 remembered that the leaves are in a moist and flabby con- 
 dition, the essential oil and water, both component parts of 
 the leaf, being brought out' by the few minutes' heating it is 
 seized by the first of a number of consecutive rolling operators 
 who quickly separates a double handful from the wet and 
 sticky mass and passes the remainder on to his fellow work- 
 men who, in turn, do likewise. Then, by a peculiar, sinuous 
 motion of the hands, very much like the motion used in knead- 
 ing bread-dough, the operators roll their bunches of leaves 
 upon the table and each bunch quickly assumes a spherical 
 shape, the object being, at once, to express a portion of the sap 
 and moisture, and to give the required "roll" or twist to the 
 leaves. The sphere-like bunches of leaves are repeatedly 
 shaken out upon the table, gathered together, and rolled again, 
 and are passed from operator to operator at the table, receiv- 
 ing a similar treatment at the hands of each in transit. At 
 last the batches reach the head of the table, where the fore- 
 man examines each lot carefully and notes if the leaves have 
 been properly curled. 
 
 During the rolling process new lots of leaves reach the 
 rolling table fresh from the firing-pans, so that the work goes 
 on until the entire batch is completed. As the foreman or 
 headman passes judgment upon the batches which reach him, 
 they are removed from the table and shaken out thoroughly 
 upon flat trays, where they remain until the balance of the 
 work is completed, unless too long a period of time elapses, 
 in which case the leaves are taken to the pans for another 
 roasting, after having been fanned to induce quick cooling. 
 
 The object of the first firing is to reduce the leaves to 
 such a condition that they can be readily rolled, curled or 
 
100 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 twisted into the requisite shape which designates the kind. 
 The rolling process forces the leaves to assume those particular 
 forms which we are accustomed to see ; for example, the round 
 rolled Gunpowder and the long rolled Young Hyson. 
 
 After being allowed to cool upon the trays, the leaves, 
 which have now assumed their round and long rolled shape, 
 are, for the second time, thrown into the roasting pans, and, 
 over a slow and steady fire, are stirred rapidly in the pans by 
 the hands of the operators for an hour or more. The object 
 of this second roasting is, at once, to quickly dry out the 
 rolled leaves or tea, as it might now be called and to fix the 
 color, for, after this second roasting, all danger of fermenta- 
 tion has passed, which would cause the leaves to turn black. 
 
 The leaves have now assumed their style of make; the 
 second roasting has dried them to a dullish green color, but, 
 as they stand, the various grades of Gunpowders, Imperials, 
 Hysons, Young Hysons and Twankay are all mixed together, 
 and in order to separate the kinds, and free the dust from the 
 tea, winnowing and sieving is necessary. 
 
 After winnowing and sieving, which is done by the use 
 of sieves of various sized meshes, the tea is fired for the third 
 time, the better kinds, Imperials, Young Hysons, and Gunpow- 
 ders, often going to the pans for the fourth, fifth and sixth 
 time, and the coarser kinds, Hysons and Twankay, once more. 
 The object of the third and further firing is to make sure 
 that the color is permanently fixed at its now dull bluish- 
 green, and to aid the tea the better to stand a long ocean voy- 
 age to foreign countries. 
 
 Before sieving, the entire batch of mixed kinds is known 
 as a "chop," which signifies a contract lot. After the kinds 
 and grades have been sorted by sieving, shipped to and chested 
 at the shipping port, the whole is known as a "Standard In- 
 voice of Green Tea," and is composed of the various gradings 
 of Gunpowders, Imperials, Young Hysons, Hysons and Twan- 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 101 
 
 kay. This Standard Invoice is purchased as a whole, and at a 
 given price for the whole, the various gradings of the several 
 kinds being averaged by the purchaser for a selling cost. Tea 
 prepared in this way is known to the Chinese as " Luk-Cha" 
 that is, "green tea." 
 
 Another process of rolling the leaves in the preparation 
 of Gunpowder teas is followed by the native manufacturers 
 of Canton, and is undoubtedly of Cantonese origin. It is as 
 follows : The leaves, after the first roasting, are packed 
 tightly into cotton bags until the bags assume a spherical 
 shape about the size of a foot-ball. These bags of leaves are 
 rolled and tossed about by coolies who use their feet in the 
 process, resting their arms, the while, on cross beams in the 
 room. A prolonged tossing and rolling of the bag causes the 
 leaves within to assume the pellet shape of Gunpowder tea, 
 and, as they become more compact, the bag loosens and has 
 to be re-tied. Again the tossing and rolling is repeated until, 
 eventually, the leaves within have become perfectly globose. 
 The tea is then separated by means of sieves into the different 
 sizes of Gunpowder and, after this, it is again subjected to the 
 firing process which is final. 
 
 It will be noted from the first description of the curing 
 process, that the various green teas of commerce, viz. : Gun- 
 powder, Imperial, Young Hyson, etc., are produced from the 
 same batch of leaves, at the same time of manufacture, and 
 by the same process. The difference in the size and shape of 
 the manufactured leaf is caused by the difference in size of the 
 raw leaves, and by the curl or roll which individual leaves can 
 be made to, or do, assume during the operation ; some of them 
 coming from the rolling table in the tightly rolled pellet form 
 of Gunpowder ; others in the larger roll of Imperial, and oth- 
 ers in the twisted form of Young Hyson, etc., the various sizes 
 of the leaves producing the larger or the smalled kinds of tea. 
 
 In the matter of quality, district, climatic and daily 
 
102 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 weather conditions, age of leaf, as well as care in manufacture 
 play an important part. A chop of green teas manufactured 
 in one district, although to the eye, throughout the various 
 gradings of the chop, it may be identical with a chop from 
 another district, or even from the same district, when sub- 
 mitted to a cup test may be superior or inferior. A chop of 
 green teas, once manufactured, is what it is, and, in the pur- 
 chasing marts, cup qualities, style, color, etc., determine its 
 value. The next chop turned out by the same "hong," even 
 from leaves of identical age, may be superior or inferior to 
 the preceding chop. A little too much or too little fire, a little 
 longer or shorter time on the rolling table, a little carelessness 
 or extra care, or different weather at the time of manufacture, 
 although doing little to alter the general appearance of the 
 manufactured leaf, can do much in the matter of producing 
 superior or inferior cup qualities. Great care, however, is 
 exercised by the manufacturers in all that pertains to the pro- 
 duction of as good an article as possible, for their "chop- 
 mark" on the chests of tea is their trade-mark, and they, as 
 a matter of course, do all in their power to protect it and hold 
 their good name. The dealers at the great shipping marts, 
 whose trade is with home merchants or foreign exporters, are 
 very particular in the selection of country "chops," so that in 
 order to please, and to obtain as good a price as possible for 
 their product the "hong" owners find it to their interest to 
 make their teas as perfectly as the season's leaf will permit. 
 High-sounding and felicitous names are chosen by the city 
 dealers for their chosen parcels, and, frequently, a particular 
 parcel acquires a reputation upon the market that will cause 
 it to be eagerly sought after for each successive season, so that 
 failure upon the part of the hong owner to keep up the same 
 standard of excellence from year to year would be the means 
 of loss to him. Inferior and spurious teas are usually made 
 to order, or to suit a certain anticipated market, and it is the 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 103 
 
 continued production of such teas that has been the means of 
 causing China the loss of so much export trade. 
 
 The Chinese, as a people, are imaginative, and are par- 
 ticularly fond of opportune names, which, as a rule, are de- 
 scriptive of the object named. 
 
 The names given by them to the different kinds of tea 
 are derived, in most part, from the general appearance of the 
 leaf before or after manufacture, from the name of the place 
 or district of growth, or from a name or phrase descriptive of 
 the season of picking. 
 
 GREEN TEA CLASSIFICATION. 
 
 China green teas are known to our commerce as Gunpow- 
 der, Imperial, Young Hyson, Hyson, Hyson-Skin, and Twan- 
 Jcay. 
 
 GUNPOWDER TEA is known to the Chinese as Ma-chu, that 
 is, "hemp pearl," or as Chu-cha, "pearl tea," and it is so called 
 because of its supposed resemblance to the objects named, 
 that is, pearls. Presumably it is called "Gunpowder" by the 
 commercial world because of a fancied similarity in appear- 
 ance, more especially in the higher, "shottier" grades, to the 
 product it is named after. 
 
 IMPERIAL TEA is known to the Chinese as Ta-chu, that 
 is, "great pearl," and as Chu-lan, "pearl-flower;" happy 
 names which more correctly describe it than the name by 
 which we know it. The Imperial family and nobles of China 
 are said to be quite partial to this kind, and, for this reason, 
 it is called "Imperial" by outside nations. 
 
 YOUNG HYSON TEA is known to the Chinese as Yu-tsien, 
 which means "before the rains," and it is so called because, 
 
104 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 originally, the leaf, from which the sort is made, was picked 
 in the early Spring only, before the rains set in. Now Young 
 Hyson teas are made before and after the rains. Another 
 pretty term in use as a name for the sort is Mei-pien, "plum 
 petals." Our term "Young Hyson" is, evidently, a corrup- 
 tion of the Chinese name. 
 
 HYSON TEA is known to the Chinese as Hi-chun, mean- 
 ing "flourishing spring," and is, presumably, so called be- 
 cause of the fact that leaves plucked in the flourishing Spring, 
 that is, when the Spring season is at its height, are, naturally, 
 larger, and make up into a larger roll, in contra-distinction to 
 the smaller roll into which Young Hyson is made "before the 
 rains" in the early Spring. Our name for this kind is also a 
 corruption of the Chinese name. 
 
 HYSON SKIN TEA is known to the Chinese as Pi-cha, 
 that is, "skin-tea," and is, presumably, so called because it is 
 the poorest kind of green tea; all that is left, in fact, from 
 the other varieties after sifting; skin- tea in name as well as in 
 fact. Our name for this kind is a translation of the Chinese 
 name, Pi-cha, "skin tea," to which we have prefixed the word 
 "Hyson-" Hyson-skin. 
 
 TWANKAY TEA is known to the Chinese as Twan-kay, 
 meaning "beacon-brook," the name of a stream in the province 
 of Che-Kiang, where, it is said, the sort was originally pro- 
 duced, hence the name for the kind. The terms "Hyson- 
 skin" and "Twankay" are, however, used synonymously in the 
 United States, and are applied, at will, to designate the very 
 poorest sorts of China green teas of large, flat leaf. 
 
 The terms "Gunpowder," "Imperial," "Young Hyson," 
 "Hyson," "Hyson-skin," and "Twankay" are used only to 
 describe the style of make of the leaf after it has been manu- 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 105 
 
 factured, and these names for the several makes are qualified, 
 in the tea-trade, by the names of the tea-districts where the 
 leaf is grown. 
 
 In the tea-producing provinces of China there are numer- 
 ous tea-districts, each one of which is more or less famous as 
 a producer of high, medium, or poor class teas, and these dis- 
 tricts give their names to all of the Gunpowders, Imperials, 
 Young Hysons, and others that are grown and manufactured 
 within their borders. For example: The well-known dis- 
 trict Moyune Chinese Mo-yuen gives its name to all Gun- 
 powders, Imperials, Young Hysons, Hysons, Hyson-skins, and 
 Twankays grown in the Moyune district; hence we have 
 Moyune Gunpowders, Moyune Imperials, Moyune Young Hy- 
 sons, etc. 
 
 In addition to those of the Moyune district we have other 
 district, and otherwise named green teas, more or less known 
 to commerce. The best known kinds in the United States 
 are those called Sung-los, Hoo-chows, Hy-chows, Fy-chows, 
 Tien-kees, and others, to which may be added those known as 
 Ping-sueys, Cantons and Country Greens, the three latter sorts 
 being named for their peculiarities and not from districts. 
 Thus we have Hoo-chbw Gunpowders, Hoo-chow Imperials, 
 etc., Hy-chow Gunpowders, Hy-chow Imperials, etc., Ping- 
 suey Gunpowders, Imperials, etc., Canton and Country Green 
 Gunpowders, etc. 
 
 To the tea-man these district terms, preceding the name 
 of tea-makes, mean much. By them he is enabled to judge, 
 approximately, as to quality, for he is well aware that the 
 several districts produce teas that are far apart in point of 
 intrinsic leaf-quality, and, therefore, in commercial value. 
 Moyune teas, throughout their gradings, are, commercially 
 speaking, superior to equal gradings of Hoo-chows; Hoo- 
 chows to Hy-chows ; and so on, down the line. 
 
 Green teas, in addition to being subject to district su- 
 
106 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 periority or inferiority, are divided into grades within them- 
 selves. In the case of all Gunpowders and Imperials these 
 gradings are known as "firsts" or "No. Is;" "seconds" or 
 "No. 2s;" "thirds" or "No. 3s." A first Gunpowder is an 
 exceedingly fine rolled and regular leaf, frequently known as 
 a "pin-head;" a second is not so closely rolled; and a third 
 is usually quite loosely rolled. These gradings apply to Gun- 
 powders of the several districts, so that we have first, second, 
 and third Moyune Gunpowders; first, second, and third Hoo- 
 chows, Ping-sueys, etc. In the case of an exceedingly hand- 
 some pin-head, of any district make, the grading "extra first," 
 "extra sifted first," or "extra No. 1" is sometimes given, so 
 that we frequently hear of an "extra first Moyune Gunpow- 
 der ;" an "extra sifted first Ping-suey Gunpowder," etc. Moy- 
 une, Ping-suey, and other Imperial teas are similarly graded 
 a first, or No. 1, Imperial is a closely rolled, regularly formed 
 leaf of the kind ; a second, or No. 2, is more loosely rolled, and 
 a third, or No. 3, is quite large and loosely rolled. 
 
 In the comparison of one district Gunpowder or 
 Imperial with another in the several gradings a No. 1 
 Moyune Gunpowder will outrank a No. 1 Hoo-chow Gun- 
 powder; a No. 2 Hoo-chow will, ordinarily, be superior to a 
 No. 2 Hy-chow, and so forth. Young Hyson district teas 
 take gradings of firsts, seconds, thirds, and fourths, or No. 
 Is, No. 2s, No. 3s, and No. 4s, and are either of the large, 
 long, curly roll known as "Fong-mee," or of the small, curly 
 roll known as Sow-mee. Fourth Moyune Young Hysons, 
 sometimes called Cargo Young Hysons, are frequently foisted 
 upon unsuspecting retailers as cheap Sun-Dried Japans, and 
 are sometimes blended with other teas in order to cheapen 
 them. Hyson and Twankay teas are graded as firsts and 
 seconds No. Is and No. 2s. In reality, Twankays need 
 no grading. 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 107 
 
 The quality of these gradings as far as drink, leaf, body, 
 strength, and aroma are concerned, is qualified by the pick- 
 ing. A first picking tea will outrank one of the second pick- 
 ing; and a second picking tea is usually superior to one of 
 the third picking. The regular commercial cup test must 
 be employed to determine the quality or value of any tea. 
 
 Ping-suey, Canton, and Country Green Gunpowders, 
 Young Hysons, and Imperials are well known in this country, 
 and are preferred by many merchants on account of their 
 lower cost and better style. The use of such green teas has 
 done much to hurt the sale of those of higher drinking 
 quality, and it is unfortunate that such a state of affairs 
 should exist. 
 
 Ping-suey teas are called Mien-pan-cha, that is, "bastard 
 tea," by the Chinese; and Canton teas are known to them 
 as Tschaw-cha, that is "lie-tea." It is really a question if 
 the . former are made from the leaves of the true tea-plant, 
 the fact that the Chinese themselves call the kind "bastard" 
 teas going far to prove that they are made from the leaves 
 of some other plant. In any event it would be better for 
 merchants generally were they to handle the true green teas of 
 China to the exclusion of Ping-sueys, for they would con- 
 sult their ultimate best interests were they to do so. 
 
 Chinese green teas owe their color to the process of man- 
 ufacture, which fixes it at a color very close to that of the 
 original green of the leaf. Pans of iron are used in firing, as 
 has been stated, and not of copper, as is sometimes supposed, 
 so that the popular belief that all China green teas are arti- 
 ficially colored is by no means so in fact. Prior to the 
 "United States Tea Act" of March 2nd, 1897, which prohib- 
 ited the importation of impure teas, many "faced" teas, that 
 is, artificially colored teas, particularly Ping-sueys and Can- 
 tons, entered the country, but the rigid enforcement of the 
 
108 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 law, which the Government so wisely maintains, has ren- 
 dered the importation of such teas impossible. Sophisticated 
 Canton green teas are no longer allowed to enter the country. 
 Before the Tea Act went into effect this villainous stuff was 
 frequently met with. It was well named by the Chinese "lie- 
 tea," for it was manufactured from spurious or from exhausted 
 leaf, that is, leaf that had already been used, which had to be 
 "doctored" with some kind of clay and then colored so that it 
 would look like genuine tea. 
 
 The United States Tea Act has been a great boon to 
 the tea drinkers of the country. Under its laws standards 
 of quality have been established by the Government, below 
 which no teas can enter. At the several ports of entry ex- 
 pert tea-men in the employ of the Government are stationed, 
 and samples of all tea importations are critically examined 
 by them. The so-called "Government Standard teas" arc, 
 therefore, the lowest grades of every kind that are allowed to 
 enter. 
 
 Tea-dealers nowadays may be sure that, whatever kinds 
 and grades they are handling, they are dispensing an article 
 that is pure and perfectly fit for human consumption. 
 
 BLACK TEA. The process of manufacture which pro- 
 duces the black teas of China is very marked in its difference 
 with the process which produces the green teas of that coun- 
 try; the principal dissimilarity being in the fact that, during 
 the curing process, all leaf intended to be made into black 
 tea is allowed to oxidise, which gives to the product a black, 
 brownish-black, or reddish-black color; while oxidation or 
 fermentation as it is usually called is not permitted to take 
 place with leaf intended to be made into green tea. Cut an 
 apple in two pieces and a chemical reaction immediately sets 
 in, resulting in a few hours, if exposed to the oxygen of the 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 109 
 
 atmosphere, in a discoloration of the cut surfaces; first to a 
 reddish-brown, and, in twenty-four hours, to a brownish- 
 black. This is oxidation or fermentation, and it is this prin- 
 ciple that is applied to the leaf in producing black teas. Fer- 
 mentation is, of course, stopped before actual decay begins, 
 and its application results in the production of a tea that 
 is richer and mellower than, and of a different flavor to, the 
 green sorts. 
 
 The leaves intended to be made into black tea undergo 
 the same process of withering and pressing as those intended 
 for the green varieties. Here, however, the similarity in 
 the process ceases, and a parting in the ways, so to speak, 
 occurs. 
 
 Black tea not only owes its color to the fermentation 
 process, but its flavor and aroma are dependent upon the pro- 
 cess, in a great measure, also. Its character depends upon 
 the result of the process, hence it is of the greatest impor- 
 tance that it should be conducted with extreme care and 
 watchfulness, for to stop the fermentation prematurely, or, on 
 the other hand, to allow it to proceed too far, will, in either 
 case, materially damage the commercial value of the product. 
 The process of fermentation cannot be regulated by timing 
 it, as one would boil an egg, for the conditions of atmosphere, 
 weather and the state of the leaves are rarely identical. The 
 workman, therefore, has nothing to guide his judgment save 
 his experience, which alone will teach him to discern the 
 exact moment at which to stop the progress of nature's on- 
 ward march. Experience, therefore, is all important and, in 
 fact, is absolutely necessar} r . 
 
 It must not be inferred from the above that fermenta- 
 tion is all that is necessary in the matter of producing quality 
 in a black tea. Quality of leaf, like in other teas, is, of 
 course, the greatest factor, but high grade leaf must be care- 
 
110 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 fully prepared, otherwise its value will be materially injured. 
 
 Fermentation is attained by placing the leaves, as they 
 come from the gardens, into baskets, or on bamboo frames, 
 and then covering them with cloths. In this condition they 
 are allowed to remain for many hours, oftentimes twenty-four 
 or more; the length of time being regulated by the condition 
 of the weather. To aid nature in the process the leaves are 
 gathered up by the workmen and thrown into the air, which 
 proceeding tends to separate them. After having been tossed 
 up and down and thrown about for some time, and, at inter- 
 vals, gently beaten with the hands, the leaves become soft and 
 flabby, and in this condition they are thrown into heaps, 
 where they remain for from one to several hours. Self-gen- 
 erated heat results, nature having been assisted in the process 
 by, the foregoing proceedings, and the leaves undergo a chemi- 
 cal reaction, in which the color changes from green to brown, 
 and the fragrance peculiar to black tea is developed. 
 
 The first firing of the leaves then takes place, the process 
 being identical with that of green teas. The leaves are 
 placed in iron pans over the charcoal fire, roasted for about 
 five minutes and are then deposited upon the rolling table and 
 treated like the green teas. 
 
 After having been rolled the balls of leaves are sepa- 
 rated and then scattered sparsely over sieves and exposed to 
 the air for several hours in order to dry them. During this 
 time the workmen continually turn the leaves and separate 
 them one from the other. This airing process evaporates the 
 greater portion of the moisture which has been developed by 
 the first firing, and results in a very considerable loss of 
 weight, and of bulk. After evaporating they are subjected to 
 a second firing for from three to four minutes and are then 
 taken out of the roasting pans and rolled upon the table as 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. Ill 
 
 before. Now comes the third firing which is done in baskets 
 instead of in pans. 
 
 These baskets are made of rattan or split bamboo about 
 three feet high and are shaped something like an hour-glass, 
 wide at both ends and drawn in at the middle. A sieve is 
 dropped into the basket which is held in place by the nar- 
 rowed centre, and upon this sieve an inch deep of leaves is 
 spread. The basket is hung over the charcoal fire with one 
 of the wide ends down, and after five or six minutes of ex- 
 posure to the heat, during which time the leaves are con- 
 stantly watched and agitated with the hand, the basket is re- 
 moved from the fire and the leaves are again emptied upon 
 the rolling table where they receive their third rolling and 
 twisting. 
 
 When this rolling is finished the leaves are pulled 
 apart one from the other; spread on the basket sieve as be- 
 fore, and set over the fire for another short period ; the rolling 
 and firing being repeated, if necessary, until the correct shade 
 of color is attained and fixed. 
 
 The leaves have, by this time, assumed the required color 
 and the continued heating, rolling and twisting has given to 
 them the requisite roll, curl, or twist, so that all that re- 
 mains is to dry them perfectly by another firing, which results 
 also in bringing out the black color more thoroughly and 
 fixing it permanently. During this final firing the workman 
 works his hands through the leaves in the sieve in order to 
 allow the vapors to escape, and that the heat may permeate 
 the mass of leaves equally, and thoroughly dry the whole. 
 
 After the leaves have cooled the work of manufacture 
 is complete, and the result is the China black tea of com- 
 merce. The leaves are then spread out and carefully picked 
 over in order to remove stems, bad leaves, etc.; sifted, so 
 that the accumulated tea-dust, that has naturally broken 
 
112 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 away from the edges of the leaves during the process of man- 
 ufacture, may be taken out, and then packed for shipment to 
 the greater tea-marts of the interior, or on the coast. 
 
 BLACK TEA CLASSIFICATION. 
 
 China black teas are known to our commerce as Congous, 
 Ooloongs, Souchongs, Pekoes, Orange Pekoes, Flowery Pekoe*, 
 Pouchongs, Capers and other Scented teas. 
 
 CONGOU TEA is known to the Chinese as Kung-fu, that 
 is, "labor," or "laboriously made," and it is so called because 
 of the greater amount of labor, comparatively speaking, that 
 is expended in the production of the kind. Our word "Con- 
 gou" sometimes spelled Congo is a corruption of the Chin- 
 ese name. Congou teas are frequently called "English Break- 
 fast" or "English Breakfast Congous" names by which tliry 
 are known only in America. In England the term "English 
 Breakfast" would not be understood. In this country the use 
 of the term oftentimes leads to confusion, for Souchongs, In- 
 dias, and Ceylons might just as correctly be called English 
 Breakfast teas, and frequently are. The initials "E. B." are 
 used as an abbreviation for the words "English Breakfast;" 
 for instance: "E. B. tea," which most frequently means a 
 Congou tea, and "E. B. Congou" which describes itself. 
 
 OOLOONG TEA is known to the Chinese as Ou-lo-ong, or 
 Ou-loung, meaning "green dragon," and is so called bee 
 of the small yellowish-green leaf which intermingles with 
 that of darker hue, in greater or lesser quantity according to 
 grade. Our word "Ooloong," or "Oolong" is a corruption of 
 the Chinese word. 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 113 
 
 SOUCHONG TEA is known to the Chinese as Sian-chung, 
 meaning "little plant," or "little sort," and is so called be- 
 cause, it is said, the supply is not great. Our name for the 
 kind is also a corruption of the Chinese word. Souchong teas 
 are sometimes called E. B. Souchongs to distinguish them 
 from the so-called E. B. Congous. 
 
 PEKOE TEA is known to the Chinese as Pak-ho, meaning 
 "white hairs," and is so called because of the small white 
 hairs, or down, that grow upon the young leaves that are made 
 into the kind. Our name "Pekoe" or "Pecco" is derived from 
 the Chinese word. Chinese Pekoe teas must not be confused 
 with those of British and other makes of the same name, and 
 known as "India Pekoe," "Ceylon Pekoe," "Java Pekoe" and 
 others, for there is, indeed, no similarity. A China Pekoe 
 tea is made from the very youngest end leaf-buds, and, after 
 manufacture, the white hairs appear on the ends of the leaves, 
 and present what is known as "silver tips." British and other 
 country Pekoe teas are made from older and larger leaves, 
 usually the second grading, and have, therefore, no resem- 
 blance to the Chinese kind. China Pekoe teas are usually 
 classed as scented teas, but, like the Ooloong, it is rarely 
 scented artificially, the perfume being inherent. 
 
 ORANGE PEKOE TEA is known to the Chinese as Shang- 
 triang, meaning "most fragrant," and is so called because 
 of the fragrant orange perfume that it emits both in the dry 
 leaf and in the infusion. Orange Pekoe is artificially 
 scented ; fresh orange blossoms being used for the purpose in 
 the higher grades. The lower grades are usually of some 
 cheaper leaf, scented with the oil of orange, or with a cheaper 
 substitute. Like the China Pekoe tea, Orange Pekoe must 
 not be confused with those of British and other makes of the 
 same name. India, Ceylon, Java, and other Orange Pekoe 
 
114 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 teas are so called because of the orange colored tips that in- 
 termingle with the black leaves in greater or lesser quantity 
 according to grade, and not because of an orange flavor or per- 
 fume, which is not present, as in the case of China Orange 
 Pekoe. China Orange Pekoe tea is used exclusively for 
 blending purposes,, a small proportion imparting a delightful 
 orange flavor to the blend when the higher grades are used. 
 The lower grades are dangerous owing to the fact that the 
 essential oils, used to flavor them, are liable to become rancid, 
 and taint the blend. 
 
 FLOWERY PEKOE TEA is manufactured from youngest end 
 leaf-buds, the white hairs of which suggest that it is made 
 from the flowers of the tea-plant which is not the case. 
 Flowery Pekoe is a scented tea and is used for blending pur- 
 poses. Its use for such a purpose imparts flavor and style to 
 the blend. India, Ceylon, Java, and other Flowery Pekoe 
 while made from a similar end leaf -bud, have no artificial 
 scent, and, for this reason, must not be confuted with those of 
 China. They are sometimes silvery and sometimes golden 
 in color. 
 
 POUCHONG TEAS are known to the Chinese as Pau-chung, 
 or Pau-chong, meaning "folded sort," and are so called be- 
 cause the leaf is folded rather than rolled into shape. Pou- 
 chong teas are usually packed in paper packages, and some 
 authorities claim that they are called "folded" or "wrapped 
 sort" on this account. This kind is strongly scented and is 
 used extensively by the native Chinese both at home and in 
 America. It is to be found in most Chinese stores in this 
 country packed in paper packages of one-eighth Ib. each. 
 
 CAPER TEAS are known to the Chinese as He-chu-cha, 
 meaning "black pearl tea" and are so called because of a sup- 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 115 
 
 posed resemblance to black pearls. Gunpowder tea is called 
 chu-cha, meaning "pearl tea," and Caper tea, he-chu-cha, 
 "black pearl tea," so that the latter is a black Gunpowder. 
 
 Our word "Caper" is derived from the supposed resem- 
 blance that the kind has to the flower-buds of the caper-bush, 
 known to commerce as "capers." 
 
 The kind is artificially scented, and, while not in exten- 
 sive use in this country, it is a favorite in England, where 
 it is used for blending and for flavoring purposes. 
 
 In addition to the foregoing kinds of scented teas there 
 are many others made in China which are rarely exported. 
 For delicacy of flavor no teas approach those known in China 
 as "Mandarin Teas," highly scented black teas, which, being 
 slightly fired and rather damp when at their best for use, 
 will neither keep nor bear transportation abroad. These teas 
 are in great demand by the Mandarin and wealthy classes of 
 Chinese, and bring extremely high prices upon the market, 
 averaging between $5 and $10 per Ib. Such teas are never 
 exported. 
 
 The names given to China's black teas, viz., Congou, 
 Ooloong, and Souchong, like the names of the green make?, 
 describe the style of the make of the leaf after manufacture, 
 and these names for the several makes are qualified, in the tea- 
 trade, by the names of the tea-districts where the kinds are 
 made. 
 
 In addition to the district name the shade of color of the 
 manufactured leaves, and the individual appearance of the 
 sorts, give special names to China black teas. For example: 
 The well-known Moning Congou teas were originally so called 
 because they were produced in the black-tea districts surround- 
 ing two towns called ISTing and Wu-ning, from which words 
 the term "Moning" is said to be derived. The term "Moning," 
 
116 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 however, is now used by the trade to designate all varieties 
 of Congou teas that are of the so-called "'black leaf" kind, in 
 contradistinction to those commercially known as "Kaisow 
 Congous" or the "red leaf" kind. 
 
 The individual sorts of both Moning and Kaisow Con- 
 gous have distinguishing characteristics and distinguishing 
 names by which they are usually known to the trade; and 
 these numerous individual sorts are sub-divided into many 
 grades. Congou teas are also known as "Xorth China" and 
 "South China" Congous, and there are many tea-men who 
 prefer this system of classification. 
 
 Of the individual sorts of Moning, or black-leaf Congous, 
 those known to the trade as Ning-chow, Ly-ling, Oo-nan, 
 Oon-fa, Oo-pak, Kee-mun, Kin-tuck, Pak-lin, Pak-lum and 
 Ho-how are the better known in America, England,and l\us- 
 sia. Each of these kinds has its characteristic style of leaf. 
 color and draw, the characteristics being dependent upon tin* 
 soil, climate and water supply of the several districts in which 
 they are produced, as well as upon the care of manufacture. 
 
 Some of these varieties are much superior to others, Ninir- 
 chows, Ly-lings, Oon-fas, Kin-tucks and Kee-muns being con- 
 sidered the best varieties of Moning Congou teas. 
 
 Moning Congous include many makes and many shades 
 of color. Some of the varieties are small and well-curled in 
 leaf; others are of medium size of make, while others are bold 
 and rough of leaf. The better grades of Ning-chows and Pak- 
 lums frequently show the whitish ends called "Pekoe tips." 
 The color of leaf of the Moning varieties ranges from a gray- 
 ish-black to a silky, jetty black, a few varieties showing a 
 tinge of red. 
 
 The various gradings of the individual sorts depend upon 
 the quality of leaf, the age at picking, and upon the care be- 
 stowed in manufacture as well as upon the conditions of the 
 weather at the time of manufacture. The style of leaf, and. 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. Til 
 
 above all, the cup test, are the only means whereby the quality 
 of the several grades of any individual sort may be deter- 
 mined. 
 
 Of the individual sorts of Kaisow, or red-leaf Congou, 
 those known to the trade as Ching-wo, Seu-moo, Kcri-shan, Sar- 
 yune, Suey-kut and So-how are the better known in England 
 and America; few, if any, Kaisow teas finding a market in 
 Eussia. 
 
 Kaisow Congou teas include many bold and rough makes 
 as well as many that are small and closely twisted. The color 
 of leaf is mostly reddish-brown in hue, those known as Sar- 
 yunes being particularly red in color, comparatively speaking. 
 
 The province Fu-Kien is responsible for the production 
 of most of the Kaisow varieties, the principal market for those 
 grown in the northern districts of the province being Foo- 
 chow, and, for this reason, the teas are extensively known as 
 "Foo-chow Congous." The southern tea-districts of the pro- 
 vince Fu-Kien send their product to the sea-port Amoy. 
 
 Other Congou teas are grown in various parts of China, 
 those of the southern province of Kwang-tung being numer- 
 ous, but, usually, of low grade. The best Congou of this 
 province is the kind called Tay-shan. The leaves of this va- 
 riety are long, wiry, and of a brownish-black color. Canton 
 Congous, like Canton Gunpowders, are made, usually, from 
 exhausted leaf and "doctored" in order that they may look well 
 in the hand. Such goods are not now allowed to enter the 
 United States. 
 
 The Ooloong teas of China are grown, mainly, in the dis- 
 tricts of the province Fu-Kien, and derive their distinguishing 
 names from the two large shipping ports of that province, 
 Foo-chow and Amoy. 
 
118 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 The kinds are known to commerce as Foo-chows, Amoys, 
 Pelcoe-Ooloongs, Saryunes, Padraes, and Anfois, and these in- 
 dividual kinds are subdivided into numerous grades. 
 
 The Ooloong teas grown in the island of Formosa, adja- 
 cent to the province Fu-Kien, and, while under Chinese rule, 
 a part of that province, have increased in popularity in the 
 markets of the United States to such an extent during the last 
 twenty years or so, that fewer China Ooloongs are being ex- 
 ported each year. This may be accounted for by the persistive 
 efforts of the Chinese to foist poorer leaf upon this market in 
 spite of repeated warnings. We know that her manufacturers 
 can produce the finest of Ooloong teas, for some of the higher 
 grades are not infrequently met with in a few markets of this 
 country, and the Russians do not appear to find it difficult to 
 obtain the usual supply of Padrae-Ooloongs. While the better 
 grades of China Ooloongs do not compare with similar gradings 
 of Formosas, nor possess the particularly pleasing and inde- 
 scribable Formosa aroma and flavor, the old-time, high-grade 
 Foo-chow Ooloongs, with their rich, full-bodied, mellow in- 
 fusion, are teas not easily surpassed. Few of such teas, how- 
 ever, are to be found in our markets now, a misfortune which 
 is to be regretted, for, if we except the more aromatic Formosa, 
 no teas of the kind ever made can be compared with the old- 
 time favorite Foo-chows. 
 
 Foo-chow Ooloongs, like the green teas of China, arc 
 usually purchased in chops. These chops are divided into 
 gradings known as "firsts," "seconds," "thirds," "fourths" and 
 "fifths," each grading following in the order of quality as 
 named. 
 
 Foo-chow Ooloongs vary considerably in general appear- 
 ance; the higher grades being quite dark of leaf and well 
 made ; the medium grades are larger and more loosely twisted, 
 while the poorer grades are quite large, coarse, and irregular in 
 make. 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 119 
 
 Amoy Ooloongs comprise a number of district teas far 
 apart in general appearance and quality. The better grades 
 are of good looking leaf, quite light in color, and very differ- 
 ent in general appearance to the lower grades, which are un- 
 couth in make, and very dark in color. Being produced in 
 widely separated districts- of the province, these Ooloong teas 
 are subjected to different methods of manufacture, as well as 
 to different climatic influences, hence, the great difference in 
 the general appearance of the leaf. 
 
 China Souchong teas, although similar in general appear- 
 ance to Congou makes, are usually made from superior, that is 
 younger leaf, and, in consequence, possess superior drinking 
 qualities. In style they are not so well made, curled or twisted 
 as Congous, but in cup qualities they are usually superior, the 
 drink being considered of * more importance than a stylish 
 appearance. This class of tea is divided into several varieties 
 and the varieties into many grades. Souchongs are known to 
 the trade as "Lapsings" "Padraes" "Pekoe-Souchongs" and 
 others. 
 
 Souchong teas vary in general appearance; those known 
 as "Lapsings" or "Foo-chow Souchongs" being large of leaf, 
 well made and good looking. Padrae-Souchongs, on the other 
 hand, are smaller of leaf, blacker, and more like a Congou. 
 Pekoe- Souchongs are larger and blacker than Padraes, but not 
 so large as Lapsings. The name "Pekoe- Souchong" is given 
 to this variety because of the "pekoe" or white tips showing 
 on the leaves. 
 
 Souchong teas are not in general use in the markets of the 
 United States. Some of the Eastern markets, however, favor 
 them, and find them more satisfactory than the ordinary run 
 of Congous, particularly for blending purposes. 
 
 China Souchong teas must not be confused with British 
 made teas of the same name. In India and Ceylon the name 
 
120 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 "Souchong" is given to leaf that is by no means equal to the 
 Souchong leaf of China. India and Ceylon Souchong teas are 
 usually of the third and fourth gradings of leaf, and are in- 
 ferior to Flowery Pekoe, Orange Pekoe and Pekoe leaf. 
 
 LEAF PREPARATION. 
 
 JAPAN. The teas produced in Japan are known to the 
 outside commercial world as "Pan-Fired" or "Regular Japan," 
 "Sun-Cured" or "Sun-Dried" "Basket-Fired" and "Porcelain- 
 Fired" the latter a new name for a very old make and from 
 each of these kinds, Nibs, Fannings, Siftings and Dusts are 
 taken. 
 
 These teas, although of different shades of color, are, in 
 reality, all green teas, and, in style of make, general appearance 
 and drinking qualities, are unlike the teas of any other coun- 
 try. As has already been stated, the Japanese manufacturers 
 have repeatedly attempted to produce teas patterned after the 
 Chinese black and green sorts; such as Congous, Ooloongs, 
 Gunpowders, etc., but, so far, their efforts in this direction 
 have met with indifferent success in point of quality, caused, 
 no doubt, by the inadaptability of the leaf produced in Japan. 
 No efforts, however, are being spared to make the manufac- 
 ture of these other sorts a success, and it is very possible that, 
 with the increasing foreign demand for black teas of the differ- 
 ent kinds, success will eventually crown their efforts. 
 
 The terms used to designate the different kinds of Japan 
 teas are indicative of the methods of European manufacture, 
 and have little or nothing to do with native Japanese ideas of 
 tea-manufacture. The terms "Pan-Fired," "Basket-Fired," 
 "Sun-Dried" and "Porcelain-Fired" come to us, therefore, 
 from the firing go-downs at Yokohama and Hiogo-Kobe which 
 
MAP SHOWING THE TEA DISTRICTS OF JAPAN. 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 121 
 
 are owned and operated by American and European manufac- 
 turers, who are responsible for the naming of the kinds, and 
 the idea that these terms originated with the Japanese or are 
 translations of Japanese names for the makes, is entirely er- 
 roneous. 
 
 The native Japanese tea-manufacturers originally knew, 
 or rather adopted, but one method of tea-leaf preparation, 
 which gives a result similar to that of basket-firing, although 
 fired in a pan, and, to this day, all teas brought in from the 
 country districts, for the purpose of sale to the European man- 
 ufacturers, are prepared by the Japanese growers after their 
 own particular method. 
 
 Although, in the condition in which it is sold to the Euro- 
 peans native-leaf is thoroughly prepared for use and fit to 
 brew, it is called "raw-leaf," and, from this so-called raw-leaf, 
 the European go-down owners manufacture the various Japan 
 kinds as they are known in this country. 
 
 Originally the only idea of the Europeans was to re-fire 
 the prepared native-leaf in order that it might be better able 
 to withstand the exigencies of an ocean voyage, and arrive 
 at its destination in perfect condition for use. The possibil- 
 ities, however, of introducing new makes or styles of leaf, 
 were eventually suggested, and the result was the production 
 of the Pan-Fired and Sun-Cured makes, lately followed by 
 a new make &. this country called "Porcelain- Fired." 
 
 In addition to the above-mentioned terms which are used 
 to designate the kinds, the wholesale and importing trade is 
 accustomed to apply the name of the port at which the 
 teas are manufactured for export as a qualification of the 
 kinds. Thus the teas grown in the country districts surround- 
 ing and tributary to the manufacturing sea-port, Hiogo-Kobe, 
 are known as "Kobe Basket-Fireds," "Kobe Sun-Drieds," and 
 "Kobe Pan-Fireds;" and the teas grown in the country dis- 
 tricts tributary to the manufacturing sea-port, Yokohama, are 
 
122 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 known as "Yokohama Basket-Fireds," "Yokohama Pan- 
 Fireds," and "Yokohama Sun-Drieds." 
 
 The sea-port Nagasaki gives its name to the few teas 
 exported from the southern island, Kiushui; and the sea- 
 port Niigata names the product of the provinces of the Japan 
 Sea, although the teas of these provinces are not often ex- 
 ported. 
 
 In speaking of the twin sea-port cities Hiogo-Kobe, it i? 
 customary to use either half of the hyphened word, so that 
 we hear the word "Hiogo" or the word "Kobe" used at will 
 to designate Hiogo-Kobe leaf, the terms being synonymous as 
 far as the above use is concerned. 
 
 The interior tea-growing districts of Japan are becoming 
 much better known than formerly, and, as a result, indi- 
 vidual district teas are becoming sufficiently well known to be 
 called after their district of growth ; a system of classification 
 that is much more specific and, therefore, much more satis- 
 factory than the old one of classing all teas, grown in the 
 western districts as "Kobe teas" and all eastern grown teas 
 as "Yokohama," inasmuch as such a system tends to indi- 
 vidualize teas. 
 
 Many Japan tea-districts also have become notorious a? 
 producers of superior or of inferior leaf, as the case may be, 
 .or of leaf that possesses certain qualifications of style or of 
 drink, so that the naming of the product of each district by 
 the name of its district of growth would give a much better 
 general idea of the character of its tea than the wholesale 
 classification of many distinctive district teas under the namo 
 of Kobe or of Yokohama teas. 
 
 The best known Kobe teas are produced in the numerous 
 tea-districts of the provinces of Yamashiro, Omi, Yamato, 
 Iga, Ise, and others surrounding the Biwa Lake, but the mo?t 
 celebrated leaf is grown in Yamashiro, which province lends 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 123 
 
 its name to the product of many of the tea-districts within its 
 borders. 
 
 The Uji tea-district in Yamashiro has been, for centuries, 
 celebrated for the great superiority of its leaf, and, at home 
 and abroad, Uji teas are recognized as of the finest of Japan's 
 production. The highest ' grades of this leaf are rarely, if 
 ever, shipped abroad; the demand of wealthy natives for the 
 high-grade, shade-grown teas, which bring as high a price 
 as ten dollars a pound, allowing none for export, even if a 
 foreign market demanded the product. For the production of 
 this rare Uji leaf many acres of high-class tea-land are en- 
 closed by a frame-work of bamboo poles, over which matting 
 is stretched in order to give a perfect shade from the hot rays 
 of the sun, as well as a shelter from the winds and heavy rains 
 which are common in April and May, during which months 
 the plants are putting forth their young and tender leaf-buds. 
 Many Uji teas, however, are exported to the United States, 
 but these are merely standard grades from the unprotected 
 gardens of the district. 
 
 Of the other provincial tea-districts which are tributary 
 to Kobe little is known in this country, and although mil- 
 lions of pounds are produced annually by them, no particular 
 district among them, except those specified, has made a name 
 abroad, so that, by the trade, their combined product is known 
 as Kobe tea. Teas produced in the Yamashiro province dis- 
 tricts, on the other hand, are well known and quite popular 
 in the United States, and the name "Yamashiro/ 7 so fre- 
 quently seen printed upon tea-chest labels, is familiar in tea- 
 trade circles. 
 
 The tea-producing districts tributary to the sea-port Yoko- 
 hama are numerous, widely separated, and ever increasing. 
 The best known to American importers are those of Hachioji 
 pronounced Hach-o-gee Enshu, Kawane, Shizuoka, and 
 Suruga, to which may be added the now celebrated leaf known 
 
124 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 as Momikiri and Fujieda, and, of these, until quite recently, 
 the leaf of Hachioji is, or was, the most celebrated. 
 
 For many years this famous little district produced a 
 characteristic leaf which was admitted to be the finest of all 
 Yokohama teas ; and justly so, for, with the possible exception 
 of the finer teas of the Uji district, no leaf of Japan has, so 
 far, been able to surpass that of Hachioji. Unfortunately 
 this leaf has, of late years, declined in quantity, but other dis- 
 tricts of the same neighborhood are coming to the front with 
 leaf of extraordinary quality notably those of Kawane, 
 Enshu, Shizuoka, Fujieda, and others which bid fair to 
 gain for themselves a reputation equal to that of Hachioji. 
 
 The country districts of the province Alino, and those that 
 are tributary to Nagahama, Niigata and other cities of the 
 far interior produce teas in large quantities, but mainly for 
 home consumption. The leaf of the districts tributary to 
 these cities, and usually named after them, is not considered 
 quite suitable for manufacture into export teas, and, even 
 were this not the case, their relatively greater distances from 
 market would naturally cause a greater cost of transportation, 
 and create prohibitive original costs. 
 
 Both Kobe and Yokohama teas are distinctive and char- 
 acteristic, but it is not possible to say which are best, for each 
 class has its admirers among tea-importers and tea-men, and 
 so very much depends upon the way in which the raw-leaf 
 is made and fired. Yokohama, however, is supposed to pro- 
 duce the best Basket- Fired teas ; while many importers prefer 
 Kobe Sun-Dried and Pan-Fired teas. It is a mere matter of 
 taste, or of preference, however, for it frequently happens 
 that a Kobe tea of equal grading will style or cup better than 
 a Yokohama, and vice versa. 
 
 Nagasaki, the sea-port city of Kiushui, the most southerly 
 island of the island Empire, gives its name abroad to the tea- 
 product of that island. Nagasaki teas, although sometimes 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 125 
 
 met with in the markets of the United States, are not very 
 popular. A large quantity of the leaf is produced all over 
 the island, but the teas are mainly used for home consump- 
 tion. 
 
 The preparation of the leaf in Japan differs somewhat 
 from the process employed by the manufacturers of China, 
 although the principles involved, and the results attained are 
 virtually the same : for all preparatory methods are intended 
 to accomplish the same end; that of preserving the leaf from 
 one season to the other. 
 
 While the native Japanese method of preparation is 
 complete enough to enable the teas to keep from one season 
 to another in Japan, it is not sufficiently so to enable them 
 to bear ocean transportation, so that, in order that the leaf 
 may be hardened and preserved against dampness and change 
 of climate, the European manufacturers of Hiogo-Kobe and 
 Yokohama are compelled to heavily re-fire the native-made 
 leaf, and, during this process, advantage is taken to add style 
 in order to improve the uncouth appearance of the native 
 product. 
 
 The native method of preparation is as follows : As soon 
 after picking as possible all Japan leaf is steamed. This is 
 accomplished in the following manner and for the following 
 reasons : 
 
 A number of iron kettles or pans are enclosed in such a 
 way that the steam will be prevented from escaping. The 
 top or mouth of each pan is so arranged that a sieve may 
 be placed tightly in it, and a cover then fits securely over all. 
 The pans are half filled with cold water, and, underneath, a 
 brisk charcoal fire is started. When the water begins to boil 
 and the steam ascends, several handfuls of the green leaves 
 are placed in the sieve and the cover fitted in place. The ris- 
 
126 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ing steam permeates the batch of leaves, and, for about a min- 
 ute or less, is allowed to do so. Then the well-known odor of 
 tea arises from the pans, and the steaming process is complete. 
 
 The object of steaming the leaves is, at once, to prevent 
 oxidation, and to render them moist, soft, and pliable for the 
 subsequent firing and rolling, the process serving the same 
 purpose as the first short roasting of green teas by the Chinese. 
 
 The leaves are then taken out of the sieves, thoroughly 
 shaken in order to separate them, and are spread on matting 
 or on tables to cool. Cooling is aided by a vigorous fanning, 
 for it is important that the leaves cool quickly in order that 
 their pliancy may not be impaired as would be the case were 
 they allowed to cool naturally. After the leaves are cooled 
 they are ready for firing ; a process which must be completed 
 before the leaves lose their pliancy and become crisp, other- 
 wise they would not twist. 
 
 The native method of firing tea-leaves is different from 
 the methods employed by the European manufacturers of 
 Japan, who use either baskets or iron pans. Fire-places are 
 built up from the ground and these are covered with large 
 pieces of matting which enclose the heat on all sides. Upon 
 the top of the matting is placed an oblong shaped wooden 
 trough with a sieve-like bottom, and into this trough the 
 cooled leaves are placed. A banked charcoal fire beneath gives 
 sufficient heat to affect the leaves, which are kept in continual 
 motion by the operator. After the leaves have been sulli- 
 ciently fired they are thrown out upon a piece of matting and 
 rolled thereon by the hands of the operator until they assume 
 their necessary twist or roll. Afterwards they are winnowed 
 and sieved to separate the sif tings, dust, and refuse; then 
 packed into native wooden half-picul boxes, and are ready to 
 be hauled to market for sale. 
 
 Upon arrival at the tea-mart the native-fired leaf is pur- 
 chased by the European manufacturers, through native brok- 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 127 
 
 ers, at so much per picul 133^ Ibs. and, after delivery,, 
 each lot is graded and tested by the cupping process to deter- 
 mine its qualifications. The European expert then specifies 
 by what process each lot shall be prepared for export, being 
 governed in both the purchase of the leaf and the method of 
 manufacture by the American orders which his firm may have 
 on hand at the time of purchase. 
 
 The firing process by which the so-called "native raw- 
 leaf" is prepared for export by the European go-down owners 
 gives to each kind of Japan tea a distinguishing name; the 
 name of the process of firing, in fact. 
 
 JAPAN TEA CLASSIFICATION. 
 
 BASKET-FIRED TEAS. Basket firing is a simple opera- 
 tion, and produces, as the name implies, the teas so well 
 known to American commerce as "Basket- Fired" and "Spider- 
 Leg Japans." 
 
 The higher grades of this kind are made from young, 
 succulent leaves, which, owing to their extreme pliancy, are 
 easily twisted into the long, dark-olive-green, wiry leaf, usu- 
 ally known as "Spider-Leg." The medium grades are made 
 from leaf of older growth; are less pliable and, consequently, 
 are less tightly rolled when manufactured; while the lower 
 grades are loosely rolled, owing to their greater age and lesser 
 pliancy, and contain many large, flat, poorly made leaves of 
 a lifeless color when not artificially "faced" or colored. 
 
 Basket-fired teas, like other Japan makes, are manu- 
 factured from either first, second or third pickings; those of 
 the first crop or pickings being much superior in cupping 
 qualities to second crop teas ; and second crop to third. Second 
 crop leaf, that is, leaf picked in mid-summer, produces leaf 
 of excellent style, if the season is damp enough to give plente- 
 ous sap to the leaf, and, for this reason, is chosen, in prefer- 
 
128 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ence to first crop leaf, by those importers who depend upon 
 style of leaf alone to sell their teas. Second and third crop 
 teas cost, proportionately, less money than first crops owing 
 to their inferior drinking qualities. 
 
 Basket-fired teas are frequently known as "Uncolored 
 Japans/' in contradistinction to the "Pan-Fired" or "Regular" 
 makes, which are, as a rule, more heavily faced or colored. 
 For the same reason Sun-Dried teas are sometimes known a^ 
 "Uncolored Japans" and have, perhaps, a better right to the 
 title than the Basket-fired makes. 
 
 The baskets used in firing Basket-fired teas are made 
 of split bamboo, securely woven, open at both ends and shaped 
 like huge dice-boxes. This basket is placed over a pan full 
 of live coals, banked over with ashes, in order to prevent smoke 
 from ascending and circulating through the leaves during the 
 operation, as well as to allow a slow, steady heat. Into the top- 
 end of the dice-box shaped basket, and above the ihv. is 
 tightly fitted a round, flat bamboo sieve, into which the tea- 
 leaves are placed. The ascending heat, confined by the basket. 
 permeates the mass of leaves, which curl and twist, and, 
 shortly, become moist and pliable under its action. Each 
 basket is served by a strong native man, almost naked, who re- 
 peatedly lifts the soft, moist leaves and lets them fall a^ain, 
 until they acquire a darker shade of color. When pliable 
 enough he rubs and rolls the leaves gently between the palms 
 of his hands ; breaking up and scattering the bunches as they 
 clog together; repeating the operation over and over airaiu 
 until the mass has assumed the required dark olive-green 
 color, and the leaves are separated and have assumed the re- 
 quired twist or roll. During this process a small portion of 
 powdered plumbago is sprinkled over the mass of leaves, the 
 rubbing, rolling and heat causing it to spread evenly over the 
 leaves to which it imparts a glossy appearance. Most Basket- 
 fired teas are "assisted" in style by the use of plumbago or 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 129 
 
 other substance, but the proportion used is usually so trifling 
 that it is not considered injurious. 
 
 After firing, the leaves are emptied from the baskets and 
 allowed to cool and dry, when they become quite brittle; then 
 they are winnowed and sieved in order to take out the ac- 
 cumulated nibs, siftings and dust, which, in turn, are sieved 
 to separate them and to remove all stems, seed-capsules and 
 other refuse. The tea, nibs, siftings and dust are then con- 
 veyed to the packing-room, where they are packed into half- 
 chests, quarter-chests, boxes or packages of specified equal 
 weight, and are then ready for export. 
 
 PAN-FIRED TEAS. This make of Japan teas is frequently 
 called "Regular Japan" to distinguish it from the Sun-dried 
 kinds which are also fired in a pan. 
 
 In the manufacture of Pan-fired teas the leaves undergo 
 a treatment quite similar to that which produces teas that are 
 fired by the basket process, the difference being in the recep- 
 tacle in which the firing is done. 
 
 A series of brick-work furnaces is built in long, regular 
 rows across the go-down ; sufficient space being allowed between 
 each furnace for the operator to stand and work in. Upon the 
 top of each of these furnaces, and directly over a banked char- 
 coal fire beneath, is fixed a round iron pan, and in front of 
 this pan the operator stands. The operators employed in pan- 
 firing are usually native women and girls, for the work is 
 not so arduous as that of basket-firing. 
 
 The pans are first warmed, and, at a given signal from 
 the "comprador" as the foreman is called, and these com- 
 pradors are usually Chinamen each operator immediately 
 places her batch of leaves, usually about five pounds, into the 
 pan in front. The work is then similar to that of basket- 
 firing. The leaves, quickly becoming soft and moist, are kept 
 in constant motion by the hands; then rubbed between the 
 
130 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 palms and rolled against the smooth sides of the pan until 
 the requisite roll or twist is attained, and the color of 
 leaf is fixed. An artificial coloring matter, is sprinkled over 
 the leaves during the process in order to assist the style, but, 
 except in the case of exceptionally low grades, the quantity 
 used is not great enough to be injurious. Before the passage 
 of the United States Tea Act many low grade Pan-fired teas, 
 heavily faced with Prussian blue, gypsum or kaolin, were 
 found upon our markets, but such teas are now refused ad- 
 mittance by U. S. Government authorities. When perfectly 
 dry the tea is taken out of the pans, spread out, sifted and 
 sorted as before, and is then ready for the packing room. 
 
 SUN-DRIED TEAS. The term "Sun-dried," or "Sun- 
 cured," as applied to this make of Japan tea, is, in reality, a 
 misnomer, although it would be difficult, under the circum- 
 stances, to decide upon a better term to fit the case. To the 
 uninitiated the term might suggest that this class of tea was 
 altogether prepared by drying or curing by the aid of sun- 
 heat, but such is by no means the case. It is said that the 
 term originated with a Chicago importer, at the time when 
 the make first appeared upon the market, and, if such is the 
 case, the gentleman is to be congratulated upon his choice of 
 name. 
 
 Sun-dried teas, like all other Japan makes as we know 
 them, are made from native-prepared leaf. This native-leaf, 
 as it is brought in, is subjected to a steaming process in the 
 European go-downs, and then partially dried in the sun 
 hence the name and during this partial sun-drying the leaves 
 undergo a very slight chemical change, approaching oxidation. 
 Pan-firing, identical with the Pan-fired tea process, is then 
 used to toast the teas and apply the twist or roll, after which 
 the made teas are cooled, sifted and boxed for shipment. 
 
 Sun-dried teas, although of much more recent origin than 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 131 
 
 the other two Japan kinds, have made a steady progress in the 
 markets of the United States, superseding the other makes in 
 many sections. This class of tea is usually reliable and more 
 regular, as a whole, in drinking qualities, and is, therefore, 
 better adapted for winning and holding trade. 
 
 The kind is not infrequently known to the retail trade, 
 and to consumers, as "Uncolored Japan" or "Natural Leaf," 
 and were it not for the fact that the same terms are f requently, 
 and with as much reason, applied to Basket-fired Japans, either 
 one of these terms would be as appropriate as the terms "Sun- 
 dried" or "Sun-cured," by which the make is known to com- 
 merce. 
 
 PORCELAIN-FIRED TEAS. The name "Porcelain-fired" 
 has been given to an old-fashioned make of tea, but one which 
 is, comparatively speaking, new upon the American market, 
 where it has been known but a few years. It would, indeed, 
 be difficult to discover a good reason for the choice of such a 
 name, but it will be safe to assume that it has been adopted 
 for want of a better one to describe the make correctly. In 
 appearance the teas do not resemble porcelain, nor is there 
 anything about them to suggest the term. It would be absurd 
 to suggest that porcelain-lined pans were used for the purpose 
 of firing the teas, for, if such pans could be used, they would 
 have no different effect upon the leaf, nor could their use be 
 expected to do the work to better advantage than the regula- 
 tion iron pans. The name "Porcelain-fired," therefore, is, 
 presumably, given to the kind to distinguish it from other 
 makes, and it may as well be taken in this sense until such 
 time as a definition may be forthcoming from those who are 
 responsible for the choice. 
 
 Porcelain-fired Japan teas are prepared after native 
 methods, and, while having the general appearance of the 
 Basket-fired kinds, are, in reality, re-fired in a pan. During 
 
132 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 the process of re-firing no attempt is made to artificially color 
 the leaf, so that this class of Japan tea is the only class ex- 
 ported that is really entitled to be called "Uncolored Japan." 
 
 While approaching the Basked-fired kinds in appearance, 
 Porcelain-fired Japans are made like Sun-drieds, and in cup 
 qualities are nearer to the latter than the former kinds. Cup 
 quality is all that is expected" in a Porcelain-fired tea, and even 
 the lowest grades give good returns at the testing-table, very 
 much better returns in the cup, indeed, than the style would 
 indicate. The higher grades are made from sweet-drawing, 
 flavory leaf of the best districts, and the drink of these comes 
 nearer to the drink of good leaf, as expected in Japan, than 
 that of any other kind. It is, of course, necessary to re-fire 
 all tea-leaf destined for export trade, otherwise the teas would 
 "go back" during a long voyage in a ship's damp hold, or de- 
 teriorate rapidly after reaching their destination. Porcelain- 
 fired teas are re-fired as lightly as possible, so that the natural 
 sweetness of the high-grade leaf is not so much impaired as 
 it is in the case of other teas, but, for this reason, they should 
 be used as quickly as possible after arrival, for they cannot 
 be expected to possess the keeping qualities of higher fired 
 teas. Many importing houses are making a specialty of Por- 
 celain-fired Japans, which they usually pack in sealed pack- 
 ages of retailing size. This practice is commendable, for it 
 assists in the keeping of the teas, a result which cannot be 
 expected should the kind be exposed. 
 
 The leaf of the finer grades of Porcelain-fired teas is of 
 medium length and fairly well twisted, but, inasmuch as less 
 labor is expended upon it during the process of re-firing and 
 rolling, than is expended upon equal cost teas of the Basket- 
 fired kinds, and as no artificial coloring is used to aid appear- 
 ance, the leaf does not look quite so stylish as that of the 
 artificially assisted Basket-fired kinds. The medium grades 
 are sometimes "crappy," that is, slightly curled at the ends, 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 133 
 
 and sometimes straight in leaf, while the poorer grades are 
 open and flat, poorly twisted and irregular. In color these 
 teas resemble Sun-drieds more than Basket-fireds although, 
 on account of their longer leaf, they can the more readily be 
 passed for the latter kinds, for which they are quite frequently 
 sold. Taken as a whole, Porcelain-fired Japan -teas have, so 
 far, proved to be an eminently satisfactory sort, and where cup 
 qualities are of more importance than a stylish appearance, 
 these teas will hardly fail to please, and more particularly so 
 in countries where the water, in which they are to be infused 
 by consumers, is soft and pure. 
 
 JAPAN NIBS is a term applied to the .lumpy 
 which, during the process of manufacture, refuse to yield to 
 the required twist or curl. Nibs are obtained from all kinds 
 and grades of Japan teas, but in widely varying quantities. 
 Thus we have "Basket-fired Nibs," "Sun-dried Nibs," and 
 "Pan-fired Nibs," each of the kinds being separated by siev- 
 ing from the respective sorts after which they are named. 
 During the firing process, and when the leaves are moist, leaf 
 that contains a superabundance of sap or moisture cannot be 
 forced to take the roll or twist required, inasmuch as the sur- 
 plus sap gums up the leaf and causes it to assume irregular 
 shapes. Such leaf, after separation, is called "Nibs," and it?. 
 shape is sometimes long and thick, but, more often, lumpy 
 and round. 
 
 In grade Japan Nibs should be identical with the quality 
 of leaf being manufactured at the time that they are obtained, 
 and, in fact, the Nibs of the finer grades usually give ex- 
 cellent results in the cup, although it frequently happens that, 
 owing to the greater quantity of sap or other moisture con- 
 tained within the lumpy leaves, a much poorer quality of 
 liquor is obtained. The medium and lower grades are usu- 
 ally sold for what they are in style and cup qualities, these 
 
134 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 qualifications creating their market value. The style, or 
 rather, lack of style, is responsible for their low cost grading 
 in comparison with the regular kinds of teas from which they 
 are separated, but, inasmuch as Nibs, as well as Siftings and 
 Dusts, are looked upon by the manufacturers as so much loss 
 of weight during manufacture, their value, at regular tea 
 cost, is added to the cost of the tea from which they are taken, 
 so that if freight, packing charges, insurance and other costs 
 are obtained for them when sold, no loss is sustained. 
 
 Japan tea-nibs of the larger, lumpier kinds are frequently 
 cut up by machine in order to produce a leaf of smaller size 
 and more uniform appearance. Cut Nibs are sometimes mixed, 
 in this country and in China, with Ping-suey Gunpowders, 
 such mixing being done for the purpose of reducing costs. 
 This practice, although it cannot be classed as anything short 
 of sophistication, might well be tolerated, if not condoned, 
 for the Japan Nibs, even if of a much lesser cost than tin- 
 Gunpowder with which they are mixed and used to cheapen, 
 are, at least, tea, and, as such, are much more healthful than 
 the bastard Gunpowder which should need no cheapening. 
 
 FANNINGS, SIFTINGS, AND DUSTS are taken by the aid 
 of a series of sieves from all kinds and grades of Japan 
 teas. Fannings are the larger pieces of leaf broken off from 
 whole leaves during the process of firing and rolling, and, in 
 cup quality, if allowed to remain unmixed with the fan- 
 nings of lower grade teas, are, naturally, equal to the 
 teas from which they are obtained. Siftings are of me- 
 dium coarseness, and Dusts are the smallest particles of 
 broken tea-leaf so obtained. 
 
 At the go-downs these broken leaf teas are separated into 
 lots, according to their several sizes of leaf, at the time that 
 they are obtained from the various firings. The Siftings ob- 
 tained from an individual firing, unless it be of an exception- 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 135 
 
 ally large lot of tea, are not sufficiently great in quantity, how- 
 ever, to pack up into a merchantable number of chests, hence, 
 in order to produce a fairly large line or number of chests, a 
 collection of Siftings is made from many firings, and mixed 
 to give a stated quantity. Fannings and Dusts are treated in 
 a similar manner, and are kept separate according to size of 
 leaf. Care, however, is taken to prevent the mixture of first 
 crop broken leaf tea with that of second crop, and the Fan- 
 nings, Siftings and Dusts from the different makes of leaf are 
 also kept and packed separately. Thus we have Pan-fired, 
 Sun-dried and Basket-fired Fannings, Siftings and Dusts; 
 and of these three kinds of broken leaf teas we have first crops, 
 second crops and, sometimes, third crops. 
 
 In the case of importers placing orders with Japan manu- 
 facturers for various kinds of teas, and various gradings of 
 each kind, the broken leaf of such orders is the property of 
 the importer, inasmuch as its cost is figured in and added to 
 the cost of the whole leaf teas -from which it is obtained. In 
 such a case the collective broken leaf of the several firings is 
 separated according to size of leaf, kind, and crop, and i? 
 boxed for shipment to the owner. 
 
 The loss in weight occasioned by the taking out of Nibs, 
 Fannings, Siftings and Dusts is much greater in the cases of 
 the Sun-dried and Pan-fired kinds than it is in the case of 
 Basket-fireds. This heavier loss is caused by the greater break- 
 age of leaf in the two former methods of preparation. In a 
 cup test of Pan-fired, Sun-dried and Basket-fired Japans 
 it will be noticed that the leaves of the two Pan-fired sorts 
 are more broken than those of an average Basket-fired tea. 
 While this greater breakage of leaf does no material damage 
 to the drinking qualities of a tea provided, of course, that 
 the accruing siftings and dusts are removed it naturally 
 creates a heavier proportion of Siftings and Dust, and adds 
 to the cost of preparation. 
 
136 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 The following estimate of loss in weight by firing and 
 sifting will give an idea of the shrinkage occasioned by the 
 several processes of manufacture; the estimate on Pan-firing 
 covering both the Pan-fired and Sun-dried sorts : 
 
 GREEN LEAF. 
 
 From 100 Ibs. of green leaf the natives obtain an average 
 40 Ibs. of native-fired leaf. 
 
 BASKET-FIRING. 
 
 In basket-firing, native-leaf loses about 7 per cent, in 
 weight. 
 
 In basket-firing, native-leaf loses from 3 per cent, to 7 
 per cent, in Nibs, Sif tings, and Dust. 
 
 PAN-FIRING. 
 
 In pan-firing, native-leaf loses about 7 per cent, in weight. 
 In pan-firing, native-leaf loses from 12 per cent, to 17 
 per cent, in Nibs, Siftings and Dusts. 
 
 From the above estimate of shrinkage it will be seen that 
 the loss by breakage is about 10 per cent, greater in the case of 
 Pan-fired teas; a loss which is overcome, however, by the 
 greater value that the leaf possesses made up as a Pan-fired ; 
 a value that could not be obtained were the leaf made into a 
 Basket-fired tea. Adaptability of leaf entirely governs the 
 choice of process of manufacture, and is of such importance 
 that, as against it, cost of manufacture is never taken into 
 consideration. While all native-leaf teas can be readily made 
 into either Pan-fired, Sun-dried or Basket-fired, the style and 
 condition of the leaf makes it more suitable for manufacture 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 137 
 
 into either one or the other of the Japan makes, as the case 
 may be. Leaf that is better suited for basket-firing will, by 
 that process, make up into a tea that will be much more satis- 
 factory and valuable as a Basket-fired, than if made into one 
 of the Pan-fired sorts, and, on the other hand, native-leaf that 
 is more suitable for pan-firing will, by that process, make up 
 into a tea that will prove to be much more satisfactory and 
 valuable as one of the Pan-fired sorts, notwithstanding the 
 greater loss by breakage, than if made into a Bask'et-fired tea. 
 
 Considerations of this nature are a part of the go-down 
 owner's business, and, in his choice of process, he is governed 
 entirely by the adaptability of leaf, and his purchases from 
 natives, therefore, are controlled by the kinds or makes of teas 
 ordered by his American clients, and by the existing American 
 demand for the kinds. 
 
 During the years that a ten cents per pound duty was 
 collected on all teas by the United States Government, the 
 importation of Siftings and Dusts fell off considerably, in view 
 of the fact that importers were unable to bring such goods 
 over, pay the duty and make a profit, but, now that the duty 
 has been removed, broken-leaf teas are likely to be imported 
 and offered as freely as before. The lower grades, however, 
 which, in former years, were frequently adulterated with the 
 broken leaves and dusts of other plants, can no longer be 
 imported, because of the strict enforcement of the United 
 States Tea Act, which Act prohibits the importation of tea-leaf 
 below a certain specified standard of quality, as well as of all 
 adulterated and impure teas. 
 
 Within the last few years many native Japanese firms 
 have established firing go-downs in the interior tea-districts 
 of the country, and are firing native-leaf, for American and 
 Canadian markets, after the Kobe and Yokohama methods. 
 
 Such firms are well represented in the several American 
 
138 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 and Canadian markets and, as a result, their manufactured 
 teas are becoming well known. The teas made by these native 
 firms are distinctive as compared with those manufactured at 
 Kobe and Yokohama, and, by many importers, are preferred 
 because of their individual cupping qualities. Such teas arc 
 usually known as "Country teas," or "Country Japans" in 
 contradistinction to the city made teas of Kobe and Yoko- 
 hama. 
 
 Country Japans, throughout their gradings, have been 
 exceedingly satisfactory to buyers, so far, and, although they 
 are frequently lacking in style as compared with Kobe and 
 Yokohama teas, their excellent and characteristic drinking 
 qualities have gained for them a growing reputation. 
 
 The success achieved by British tea-manufacturers in the 
 matter of tea-preparing machinery has warranted many pro- 
 gressive go-down owners at Kobe, Yokohama and elsewhere 
 in Japan to attempt similar methods of manufacture, and p.t 
 this time there are several plants that are manufacturing teas 
 by machine. In most cases, however, these machines are a 
 trifle crude, but, it is believed that in time, machines will bo 
 produced which will do most of the work that is, at present, 
 being done by hand. 
 
 LEAF PREPARATION. 
 
 INDIA-CEYLON. The commercial teas produced by the 
 grower-manufacturers of India and Ceylon are or rather, 
 have been in the past almost entirely made into the fer- 
 mented black varieties. 
 
 Some teas of all of the green kinds, in imitation of 
 Chinese and Japanese styles, are produced, but, so far, these 
 have not ranked with those they are intended to replace. 
 
 For some years past the Anglo-Indian tea-manufacturers 
 have struggled for supremacy in the American market, and 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 139 
 
 have spent vast sums of money in advertising their black 
 sorts, only to discover that Americans are not to be easily 
 weaned from their taste for green teas, and that the climate of 
 America is not conducive to the consumption of heavy bodied 
 beverages, like that of England. At the present time the 
 manufacturers of India, and particularly of Ceylon, are much 
 exercised over the production of green teas suitable for the 
 American market, and, in view of their past success, it will 
 not be astonishing if they succeed in producing an India and 
 Ceylon green tea that will, eventually, sell as readily as the 
 Chinese and Japanese sorts in the American market. 
 
 In India there are a number of districts which produce 
 and manufacture the leaf, each of which gives to its product 
 the name by which it is known to the trade. Hence we have 
 Assams, CacUars, Sylhets, Darjeelings, Kangras, Dooars, Trav- 
 ancores and other district teas. These district teas are again 
 known by a distinguishing garden or estate name, and, as each 
 estate produces distinctive leaf, the name of the garden is 
 given to its production, so that this name may serve as a trade- 
 mark or brand. These garden names or brands are frequently 
 of local, or of fanciful Hindoo origin, although many compa- 
 nies give to their gardens names of Anglo-Saxon origin. For 
 instance, it might, possibly, happen that a company would se- 
 lect the name "Homewood" to designate its tea-estate. This 
 name "Homewood" would, therefore, be adopted by the own- 
 ers of the estate as a trade-mark or brand for the production 
 of the estate. The "Homewood" gardens might be situated 
 in the Darjeeling or in the Sylhet district, and the "Home- 
 wood" teas would, therefore, be known to the trade as Dar- 
 jeelings or Sylhets, as the case might be, but the garden name, 
 "Homewood," would designate the exact growth and manu- 
 facture. 
 
 In Ceylon the estates or plantations give their names to 
 their product, and by these estate-names, usually names of 
 
140 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 native origin, the characteristic qualities of the various pro- 
 ductions are known. 
 
 India and Ceylon teas are usually classed as Flowery Or- 
 ange-Pekoes, Orange-Pekoes, Pekoes No. 1, Broken Orange- 
 Pekoes, Pekoes No. 2, Pekoe-Souchongs, Souchongs, Broken 
 Pekoes, Broken Pekoe-Souchongs, Fannings, and Dust, and all 
 of these varieties are produced from the three leaves and end 
 leaf-bud which are plucked at one and the same time, un- 
 separated from the stem upon which they grew. 
 
 The end leaf-bud, when it is small enough, produces the 
 Flowery Orange-Pekoe, and the Orange-Pekoe when a little 
 larger. The next larger leaf upon the stem produces the 
 Pekoe No. 1, but, if it is exceptionally small and "tippy" after 
 manufacture, it might be graded as Orange- Pekoe. The other 
 two leaves, according to size, after having been broken or cut, 
 produce the remainder of the gradings known to commerce. 
 All of these varieties, from Flowery Orange- Pekoe down to the 
 lowest grading, go through the manufacturing process at the 
 same time, in fact, the leaves are not separated from the stem 
 upon which they grew until all preparation is completed, there- 
 fore these trade names or gradings do not designate a special 
 method of preparation, but specify the size or age, and, there- 
 fore, the quality of the leaf only. 
 
 All districts and estates produce the above mentioned 
 "makes," but it by no means follows that the quality of the 
 specified makes of the different districts, or estates of one 
 district, are equal. A Pekoe leaf tea, or a Souchong, grown 
 on a first class Assam or Darjeeling estate is quite likely to 
 be superior in every particular to the same gradings 
 grown on an estate of inferior district, and is very 
 likely to be superior to higher gradings of other districts. Tho 
 reason for this is that some districts are more favored by na- 
 ture in the matters of soil, climate, elevation, etc. ; hence the 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 141 
 
 superiority of their products. Cup-testing, therefore, is th2 
 one and only way to determine the quality of an India or Cey- 
 lon grading. 
 
 In India, during the earlier days of tea-manufacture, 
 Chinese methods of hand-work were followed in all stages of 
 the manufacture, but, in later years, various power-machines 
 have been invented to do the work of man, although no mate- 
 rial change has taken place in the actual process itself, or in 
 its result. 
 
 The leaves, as they are plucked, are brought to the factory 
 in the baskets, and are carefully examined and weighed in; 
 records of green weights being kept under Anglo-Saxon busi- 
 ness-like methods. 
 
 The green leaves are then spread out thinly on jute hes- 
 sian cloths called "withering-cloths" or "tea-tats" to with- 
 er; a process intended to render the leaves soft and pliable 
 without drying them up. This hessian-cloth is very coarsely 
 woven ; its individual meshes being large enough to permit of 
 the passage of a lead pencil without stretching; a coarsenesr, 
 of mesh which allows a free circulation of air ; materially aid- 
 ing the process of withering. On some estates trays and 
 shelves are used for the purpose and withering is assisted by 
 the application of blasts of hot dry-air. 
 
 The time occupied in the withering process which is 
 intended to render the leaves fit for the rolling machine de- 
 pends upon the state of the weather, but, without the aid of 
 artificial means, leaves spread out to wither one day may be 
 thoroughly withered the following day. The process demands 
 great care and watchfulness in order that the withering may 
 not proceed too far, and, for this reason, experienced and skil- 
 ful operators are employed. At the exact moment the leave?, 
 are removed from the withering cloths or trays which are 
 usually situated on the top floor of the factory and, after 
 being placed in a drying room for a time, in order to evapor- 
 
142 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ate any remaining external moisture, are brought down to the 
 bottom floor, where they are put into the rolling-machine a 
 silently-working, ingenious and effective piece of machinery 
 driven by power. 
 
 For upwards of an hour the leaves are gently pressed and 
 rolled by this machine, which action breaks open the sap-cells 
 and bruises the stems; spreading the natural oily contents of 
 both over the surface of the leaves ; thus rendering the essential 
 oils the more easily extractable by hot water at the time of 
 infusion, for these oils are subsequently fixed upon the surface 
 of th,e leaves by the firing process. During the rolling the 
 leaves assume a twist or curl which is, of course, intended in 
 order to produce the style or make. 
 
 When the rolling process is completed, the batch of 
 bruised leaves "the roll," as it is called in manufacturing 
 parlance is taken from the machine in a wet and very slimy 
 condition, and presents a mass thoroughly saturated by the 
 liberated juices of the leaves and stems; for the latter, being 
 quite as young and tender as the leaves, are filled with sap, 
 which they contribute to the whole. 
 
 The rolling process is a very important one, for upon the 
 outcome depends the quality of the made tea. The process 
 serves the same purpose as the more primitive one of the 
 Chinese manufacturers ; that of pressing the leaves in a wooden 
 trough. 
 
 The "roll" is then ready for fermentation or oxidation. 
 For this purpose the damp leaves are placed in layers of from 
 three to four inches deep upon trays, and covered with damp 
 cloths. In this state oxidation sets in very quickly, the chemi- 
 cal change being aided by the moist condition of the leaves, a* 
 well as by the dampness of the covering cloths. The success 
 of this operation is not entirely within the control of the oper- 
 ator, but depends, in quite a measure, upon the condition of 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 143 
 
 the atmosphere, and, according to the damp or dry condition 
 of the latter, takes from one to five hours. 
 
 Oxidation changes the natural green color of the leaves 
 to a copper color, and much depends upon the success of the 
 process, as in the case of China black teas, for not only is a 
 good color dependent upon the operation, but the subsequent 
 flavor and aroma of the manufactured tea depends upon its 
 success also. 
 
 The next operation is that of "firing;" a process which 
 appears to be done differently, or rather, by the aid of differ- 
 ently constructed machines in different parts of the country. 
 It would appear that, of the various applications of the same 
 system, the one using hot-air blasts is the most popular. By 
 this system firing is attained by placing the leaves upon trays 
 of wire net-work, and subjecting them to a gradual action of 
 hot-air blasts of a high temperature, which has the effect of 
 drying them thoroughly in from twenty minutes to half an 
 hour, at the end of which time they are crisp and firm and 
 ready to be separated from the stem into the several gradings 
 as specified. 
 
 The separating of the varieties or gradings is also done by 
 machine, the leaves being broken apart from the stem by it; 
 and then, by the aid of a series of graduated sieves, are sepa- 
 rated according to size. Leaves that are too large to pass 
 through the sieves are automatically dropped into a cutting 
 or "breaking machine," by which they are reduced to the regu- 
 lation size. 
 
 Tannings and Dusts are separated with the leaves, and 
 at the same time; and, coming from all the gradings of the 
 leaf, can have no especial grading. 
 
 The teas are then "bulked," that is, put into extremely 
 large air-tight chests, there to remain until the "break" or chop 
 is completed. 
 
 Before re-chesting that is packing into merchantable 
 
144 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 chests and half-chests the teas are again slightly fired in 
 order to evaporate any moisture, or any suspicion of moisture, 
 that may have gathered upon the leaves ; and then, while still 
 warm, they are securely packed by the packing machine into 
 lead-lined wooden boxes or chests; the lead lining being care- 
 fully soldered in order to exclude the air. The chests are then 
 stencilled with the grade, estate brand, weight, etc., and aro 
 ready for shipment abroad. 
 
 In later years most of the factories have adopted the use 
 of metal chests with wood covers, and, in these, no lead lining 
 is necessary. 
 
 INDIAN-CEYLOX TEA CLASSIFICATION. 
 
 In the British tea-manufacturing countries the manufac- 
 turers recognize two distinctive classes of teas, which, includ- 
 ing all teas under the heading of one or the other of these 
 classes, are known to them as "Unbroken" and "Broken" teas ; 
 and these terms, as the words imply, distinguish the unbroken, 
 or small leaf teas, from those kinds which, on account of their 
 larger size of leaf, have to be submitted to a cutting or "break- 
 ing machine," as it is called, in order that the leaves may be 
 reduced, by cutting, to a smaller and, at the same time, more 
 uniform size. 
 
 The unbroken sorts are known as Flowery Orange-Pekoe., 
 Orange-Pekoe, and Pekoe No. 1. 
 
 The broken leaf teas are known as Broken Orange-Pekoe. 
 Pekoe No. 2 f Pekoe- Souchong, Souchong, Broken Pekoe, 
 Broken Pekoe- Souchong, Fannings, and Dust. 
 
 It is usual with the trade in India as well as in England 
 and the United States to abbreviate these long names by mak- 
 ing use of the initial letters of the words. For instance, the 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 145 
 
 letters 0. P. stand for "Orange-Pekoe;" B. 0. P. for "Broken 
 Orange-Pekoe;" P. S. for "Pekoe- Souchong/' and B. P. S. 
 for "Broken Pekoe- Souchong/ 7 etc. 
 
 A process of sieving, after manufacture, separates the 
 sorts. A series of sieves of different sized meshes is used, 
 the smaller leaf passing through the series, grading the un- 
 broken teas according to size and, therefore, age, and return- 
 ing the different gradings of unbroken teas as specified above. 
 The top sieve retains all leaf too large for commercial pur- 
 poses, and it is, therefore, gathered up and put through the 
 breaking machine, after which it is passed automatically to* 
 another series of sieves which separates it into leaf of different 
 sizes, and known as the above mentioned sorts of broken teas. 
 In breaking teas a considerable quantity of fannings and dust 
 is made, which, however, finds a market. 
 
 The grading of both unbroken and broken teas is entirely 
 optional with the factory producing them, for there is no 
 trade-law governing the grading of British-made teas. Leaf 
 that one factory might consider good enough to grade a? 
 Orange-Pekoe, another might deem fit only to be graded ns 
 Pekoe No. 1; and the Flowery Orange-Pekoe of one estate 
 might be graded as Orange-Pekoe by another. In broken teas 
 the Broken Orange- Pekoe turned out by one factory might be 
 classed by another as fit only to be graded as Pekoe- Souchong, 
 so that, in the purchase of teas of British manufacture, the 
 buyer must be guided by style and cup qualities, and not by 
 the gradings stencilled upon the cases. 
 
 FLOWERY ORANGE-PEKOE F. 0. P. is obtained from the 
 very youngest end leaf-buds of the shoot if small and silver} 7 
 enough to grade as such; many of the tiny bud-leaves that 
 spring out singly upon each shoot entering into its composi- 
 tion. It is the highest grading of India teas. The word 
 "Flowery" is added to that of Orange-Pekoe to distinguish it, 
 
146 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 commercially, from the grading next below it, and not- because 
 it is made from the flowers or blossoms of the tea-plant, which 
 are never used for tea. It has a silvery appearance, and i? 
 sometimes known as "Silver-tip," the white hairs that grow 
 upon the bud-leaves producing this effect after manufacture. 
 In Ceylon the manufacturers prefer the name "Silver-tip" to 
 that of "Flowery Orange-Pekoe." 
 
 ORANGE-PEKOE. 0. P. is so called because of the small 
 orange-colored tips frequently called "golden-tips" that 
 decorate the ends of many of the leaves. The leaf is usually wi-U 
 made or curled, and, therefore, quite stylish. Orange-Pekoes 
 are made from the second youngest leaf on the shoot, proviilr.l 
 that the first youngest is small and silvery enough to furnish 
 F. 0. P. ; if not, these youngest leaves are made into 0. P., 
 and, in such a case, the 0. P. is the first grading of the "break" 
 or chop. The quality of Orange-Pekoe teas, like that of other 
 Indians and Ceylons, is dependent upon the district and gar- 
 den of growth, as well as upon the care that is exercised in IN 
 manufacture. The leaf is black, or grayish-black in color, often- 
 times quite silky in appearance, the golden tips, contrasting 
 favorably with the black leaf, giving the whole an exceed- 
 ingly handsome appearance. Some Orange-Pekoes are imu-h 
 more "tippy" than others, those having the greater quantity of 
 tips being classed higher in cost on account of the better stylo 
 the tips impart. 
 
 PEKOE TEA is, presumably, so called for want of a better 
 name, for it cannot be said that it resembles the Pekoe tea of 
 China. In its composition there is usually a small proportion 
 of yellow tips called "Pekoe tips" which fact is responsible 
 for its name. 
 
 Pekoe tea is made from the second leaf on the shoot a 
 plucked, or from the third if there happens to be a sufficiency 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 147 
 
 of end leaf-buds to make a Flowery 0. P. grading, and is, 
 therefore, the second or third youngest leaf as the case may be. 
 
 Unbroken Pekoe is usually classed as "Pekoe JSTo. 1" to 
 distinguish it from that known as "Pekoe No. 2," a leaf of 
 similar appearance made by the grading of broken leaf. 
 
 The difference in age of leaf between Pekoe N"o. 1 teas 
 and those called Orange- Pekoes is but a day or two Indian 
 and Ceylon pluckings being made once a week so that the 
 difference, as far as drinking quality is concerned, between 
 Orange- Pekoe and Pekoe, when made at the same time, is 
 not very great, the superior style of the former caused by its 
 more abundant pekoe-tips, creating much of the difference in 
 cost, and it frequently happens that a Pekoe tea will cup 
 equally as well as its Orange Pekoe. 
 
 In style Pekoe teas are usually good, the leaves being 
 black or grayish-black, well made and regular in twist. The 
 kind resembles some varieties of China Congous more than 
 any other tea. 
 
 SOUCHONG TEAS, like Pekoes, are, presumably, so called 
 for want of a better name, or it may be that the name was 
 first applied to the grade in a spirit of humorous contrariety, 
 for the Chinese meaning of the word "Souchong" is "little 
 sort," because the supply is not great; whereas the supply of 
 India and Ceylon Souchong teas is greater than that of most 
 of the other gradings. Souchong teas are made from the third 
 and fourth leaves of the shoot, which are altogether too large 
 for use as commercial tea, so that cutting or breaking becomes 
 necessary to reduce the size and render the leaves more uni- 
 form. This process creates a good appearing leaf, and, al- 
 though not so well curled as the leaves of the 0. P. and Pekoe 
 gradings, on account of greater age and lesser pliancy to 
 take the twist, it is fairly stylish, and, in some markets, is in 
 
148 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 good demand. The leaf is usually dark in color, having, in 
 some cases, a slight reddish tinge, without pekoe-tips. 
 
 The remaining gradings, all broken teas, are made after 
 the leaves have been cut and sifted; the appearance and cup- 
 ping qualities of the broken leaf, as caught by the different- 
 sized meshes of the sieves, going far to determine by what 
 name the tea shall be branded. 
 
 BROKEN ORANGE-PEKOE. B. 0. P. may show quite a 
 sprinkling of tips, or may be without them. The grading is, 
 more frequently, obtained from the younger cut leaves, al- 
 though, on the other hand, it may be made from leaves of 
 coarser quality. B. 0. P. is very useful for blending. 
 
 PEKOE-SOUCHONG. P. S. looks like a Pekoe, but shows 
 no golden tips, at least some gardens grade such a leaf by the 
 term. In reality it is composed of both Pekoe and Souchong 
 leaves, as its name implies, which have been caught by tho 
 same sieve after breaking. In such a case it may show a few 
 Pekoe tips. Some estates would grade such a leaf as Prbv 
 No. 2. 
 
 BROKEN PEKOE B. P., and BROKEN PEKOE-SOUCH<> 
 B. P. S. are leaves of very broken appearance, too much so to 
 grade them as Pekoe or Pekoe-Souchong. The appearance of 
 the broken leaves, as it approaches that of the grading it re- 
 sembles, is responsible for the gradings. 
 
 FANNINGS AND DUST are obtained during the breaking 
 and are, therefore, taken from all grades of the leaf by 
 screening. 
 
 Many India and Ceylon estates class a Congou grade 
 among the others. When used, this grading comes in under 
 
PICKING TEA LEAVES IN CEYLON. 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 149 
 
 the broken tea heading, and, in appearance, is between a Sou- 
 chong and a Pekoe Xo. 2 grading, resembling the former more 
 than the latter. It is a useful leaf in the English market 
 where so much blending is done, giving a cheap base, and 
 one that is not too characteristic, for many of the less costly 
 blends. 
 
 The drinking qualities of India and Ceylon teas vary con- 
 siderably, the conditions of soil, climate, water supply, eleva- 
 tion, etc., on the one hand, and the season of plucking, on the 
 other, having much to do with the intrinsic qualities of the 
 product. 
 
 The various gradings, as enumerated, are manufactured 
 in all of the tea-districts, and upon all of the estates, but these 
 gradings, being made from the leaves of different species of 
 the plant in some cases from the native plant ; in others from 
 the Chinese; and yet in others from the Hybrid as well as 
 being made from the leaves of plants subject to the better or 
 to the poorer climatic influences of the several widely separated 
 districts, can hardly be expected, under the circumstances, to 
 conform to one universal standard of quality in the gradings. 
 "First flush" or Spring leaf teas in both India and Ceylon, as 
 already stated, are almost invariably inferior to the pluckings 
 of the Autumn months, so that in a comparison of Indian 
 gradings, style should not be allowed to influence the judg- 
 ment, and the cupping test be resorted to in order to arrive at 
 a satisfactory determination of quality or value. 
 
 LEAF PREPARATION. 
 
 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA In so far as the manufac- 
 ture of American tea is concerned, the methods employed are, 
 in a measure, similar to those in use in the several British tea- 
 countries. 
 
150 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 The invention of machinery to do the work of manipula- 
 tion, which is done by hand in China and Japan, was the nat- 
 ural outcome of British up-to-date labor-saving methods, but, 
 although much may be said in its favor, it has yet to be dem- 
 onstrated that a machine can produce teas equal to the time- 
 honored, high-grade hand-made leaf of China and Japan. 
 The system has enormous advantages, however, advantages, 
 in the way of the production of uniform leaf at a minimum 
 labor-cost, which tea-manufacturing nations cannot afford to 
 overlook, and it is but natural that American manufacturers 
 should apply their genius in this direction, for without the aid 
 of machinery American tea would be an utter impossibility. 
 Machinery, therefore, is used in all stages of the manufacture 
 at Pinehurst, and, although the several machines have been 
 patterned after those of British make, many improvements 
 have been invented which have, already, demonstrated their 
 greater practicability. 
 
 GREEN TEA Leaf intended to be made into green tea is 
 selected according to season or time of year. In the Spring 
 green tea may be made from the leaves of any of the numerous 
 varieties of the plant, but, as the season advances, leaf is 
 chosen, for the purpose, from Darjeeling, (Indian) Chinese, 
 and Japanese plants, for it has been discovered that the leaves 
 of these varieties, being smaller, thicker, and less quick to 
 oxidize, furnish the most desirable leaf for green tea. The 
 leaves of other varieties are subject, during the Summer and 
 Autumn months, to a much more rapid oxidation, or fermen- 
 tation, a natural chemical reaction, brought about, mainly, by 
 heat, which darkens the leaf and renders it unfit for manufac- 
 ture into green tea. 
 
 It is much more expensive and difficult to manufacture 
 leaf into green tea than into black. In the manufacture of 
 the former kind there is a greater percentage of waste, caused, 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 151 
 
 chiefly, by discoloration, (oxidation) for, were these more-or- 
 less oxidised leaves allowed to pass inspection, the manufac- 
 tured tea, showing the discolored leaves, would be considered 
 inferior. Great care, in all stages of the manufacture, is abso- 
 lutely essential in order to- produce a finished green tea. The 
 slightest slip in any one of the several operations attending the 
 manufacture is quite likely to spoil the delicate flavor and ren- 
 der the entire batch subject to a lower grading and valuation, 
 if not to final rejection, so, for this reason, experienced labor 
 is employed and careful supervision exercised. 
 
 Great care has, also, to be exercised in plucking leaves 
 intended for manufacture into green tea, for the slightest 
 bruising of a leaf, during picking, causes instant fermentation 
 to set in, rendering it unfit for the purpose owing to the con- 
 sequent discoloration. 
 
 Manufacture begins as quickly as possible after the leaves 
 have been brought in from the gardens. The first process is, 
 at once, intended to kill the enzymes, (a natural ferment con- 
 tained in the cells of the leaves and stems) and so prevent 
 oxidation, and to get the leaves into a condition to roll. In 
 China and Japan this is done by roasting the leaves in open 
 pans over a slow fire, and in British tea-countries the same 
 result is attained by means of mechanical contrivances using 
 live steam. At Pinehurst hot-air drying machines are now 
 used for the purpose, it* having been discovered, during the 
 investigations, that such a method is superior to that in use 
 in Oriental tea-countries. 
 
 The hot-air machine, in addition to killing the natural 
 ferments enzymes thoroughly dries the leaves by evaporat- 
 ing all superficial moisture, at the same time rendering them 
 soft and pliable and fit to take the twist or roll which the suc- 
 ceeding process gives to them. From the hot-air machine the 
 pliable leaves are taken to the rolling machine in which they 
 are first subjected to a pressure just great enough to break the 
 
152 TEA HINTS FOt RETAILERS. 
 
 sap-cells and spread the contents chiefly essential oils and 
 theine over the surface of the leaf so that these may be the 
 more soluble in boiling water at the time of infusion. Then, 
 by a process of alternate rolling which forces the leaves to 
 assume their required twist or curl and* drying which is in- 
 tended to fix the cell-contents and prevent their loss the tea 
 is gotten into a condition for "firing." 
 
 In the "firing" process the twisted leaves are placed in 
 frames, made for the purpose, through which blasts of hot 
 air, starting at a temperature of 210 F., are passed, the tem- 
 perature being gradually decreased. This process takes sev- 
 eral hours, and results in a "toast" sufficiently great to pre- 
 serve the manufactured tea for an indefinite period. The fin- 
 ished tea is then weighed, packed immediately into one-pound 
 and half-pound cans, and boxed for shipment. 
 
 American tea, during the rolling process, docs not ren-i\v 
 the amount of labor which is expended upon teas in Oriental 
 countries. The result is that the twist or style of the leaf, 
 which it receives during the process, is not nearly so good as 
 that of most Eastern made teas. Stylish teas could be as eas- 
 ily made at Pinehurst as elsewhere, but practical experience in 
 the manufacture, and a greater scientific knowledge, has 
 proven that to twist or roll the leaves unduty, in order to pro- 
 duce style, results in great loss of flavor, and, for this reason 
 alone, stylishly made teas have, so far, been eschewed by the 
 first American manufacturer. 
 
 In the manufacture of green tea at Pinehurst no attempt 
 has been made to imitate the round or straight makes of Ori- 
 ental countries, although the green tea produced resembles the 
 straight Young Hyson leaf of China more than any other. It 
 is different, however, in style of make and in color, to any otht-r 
 tea, and it is, apparently, the intention to produce an article 
 that may be recognized the world over as an entirely new 
 make a distinctive, uncolored "American Tea." 
 
TEA FROM LEAF TO CUP. 153 
 
 BLACK TEA Leaf intended to be made into black tea has 
 first to be wilted or "withered." The leaves, as brought in 
 from the gardens, are taken to the withering loft and are 
 there spread out upon trays made for the purpose, and allowed 
 to remain exposed therein for a period of from six to fifteen 
 hours, according to the condition of the weather. Every 
 pound of made (black) tea represents over forty square feet 
 of withering space, so that in order to economize room, and 
 accommodate larger quantities of the leaf, the fixed trays are 
 supplemented by a series of traveling trays of cloth, worked by 
 a running gear. In these trays the leaf is exposed to hot-air 
 which ascends from tea-driers below until it is completely with- 
 ered and fit for the next process, that of rolling. 
 
 The rolling machine, as in the case of green tea, bruises 
 the sap-cells, spreads the contents over the surface of the 
 leaves, and gives the desired twist or curl. Green tea is dried 
 immediately after rolling to prevent discoloration by oxida- 
 tion. Black tea is taken from the rolling machine in a wet, 
 sticky condition, due to the expression of the leaf-juices, and, 
 without being dried, the "roll" as the moist batch of leaves is 
 called is broken up, spread apart upon tables, and as much 
 as possible of objectionable leaf removed. Still wet and sticky 
 for dried leaves would not oxidize so quickly or so well the 
 leaves are then spread out on clean tray-frames of cloth in 
 order to expose them to the oxidizing action of the air, and 
 they remain in this condition until sufficiently oxidized and 
 the resulting black color is thoroughly established. The 
 length of time occupied by the oxidizing process is regulated 
 by the condition of the weather and by the kind of "body" 
 required. Light or heavy bodied black teas are made so at 
 the will of the operator during the oxidizing process. 
 
 The batch of leaves is then put through the drying ma- 
 chine, and, in about twenty minutes, is thoroughly "fired." 
 During the drying, or "firing," process the leaves are turned 
 
154 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 over several times, at the same time being subjected to a tem- 
 perature of about 230 F. 
 
 A system of screening and fanning then separates the 
 leaves into the different sizes and removes the greater part of 
 the stems and objectionable leaf, but, before final packing, 
 hand-sorting is resorted to in order to remove anything ol>jV<-- 
 tionable that the screens and fans have failed to take out. 
 
 The finished tea is then packed into large air-tight cans 
 and allowed to "season." Seasoning rids tlu> tea of any 
 "herbiness." Before final packing into air-tight one-pound 
 and half-pound cans, the teas are heated for several hou 
 a temperature of about 150 F. This removes any moisture 
 that the leaf may possibly have gathered since firing, and de- 
 velops a further fragrance. 
 
 Pinehurst teas are invariably packed in pound and half- 
 pound cans, for it is claimed that in order to retain their full 
 value and fragrance they should be so kept until used. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE TEA MARTS- OF THE ORIENT. 
 
 In another chapter it has been shown that the commercial 
 tea-leaf is prepared in the different growing countries in a 
 manner which is, in cases, extremely crude and laborious, in 
 others, scientific and labor-saving, and that these several meth- 
 ods of preparation, and the results of these methods are, to 
 all intents and purposes, the same. 
 
 The object of all growers and manufacturers is, at once, 
 to produce a commercial leaf, and to put it into such a condi- 
 tion that it will retain its intrinsic qualities from one season 
 to the other, and enable that destined for a foreign market to 
 withstand the exigencies of an ocean voyage. 
 
 After these objects have been accomplished, the methods 
 employed by the different peoples in getting their product to 
 market, and selling it to foreign buyers, are as diversified as 
 the peoples are themselves. 
 
 CHINA In China, owing to the enormous stretch of 
 country covered by the tea-growing districts, and to the ex- 
 treme crudeness of the methods of transportation, the tea-trade 
 is conducted under a system which is peculiar to the conditions 
 existing ; and foreign buyers of the leaf are compelled to adapt 
 themselves to these conditions, and to accept the Chinese meth- 
 ods of doing business. 
 
 Tea is grown in sections of China over a country which, 
 in round figures, covers a territory of about one thousand 
 miles from east to ' west, and about an equal distance from 
 north to south. Railways are, practically speaking, unknown 
 in the interior ; beasts of burden are scarce, so, as already de- 
 
156 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 scribed, man-power is employed as a method of transportation 
 where river or canal boats are not obtainable. Under the cir- 
 cumstances it is difficult to imagine a system which would be 
 superior to that which is, at present, employed by the Chinese 
 in preparing their product for, and getting it to market, so 
 that until that national conservatism, which is so bitterly 
 opposed to Western ideas and innovations, can be overcome, 
 and railways and other means of rapid transportation intro- 
 duced, the present system will remain unaltered. 
 
 It has also been shown that the Chinese tea-gardens are 
 mostly little spots of land cultivated by native farmers, and 
 that the farmers, in view of the extremely slow method of 
 transportation and the consequent danger of damage to the 
 leaves during this transportation, put their product through a 
 course of semi-preparation. The semi-prepared leaves are col- 
 lected from the growers by the factors or tea-men from the 
 larger cities of the tea-districts, and, upon arrival at the re- 
 spective "hongs" in these larger local cities, are put through 
 the process of manufacture already described. It would ap- 
 pear that few, if any, growers, raise enough leaf to produce 
 what is known as a "chop" of teas, so that the owner of the 
 provincial "hong" carefully selects sufficient leaf from his 
 collection to make about 600 chests, more or less, and this he 
 calls a "chop." A Chinese chop of teas, therefore, is com- 
 posed of the leaves from several or from many gardens. 
 
 After the chop has been prepared and separated according 
 to kind and grade, it is ready for market, and is transported 
 by man-power, or by river or canal boat, to the nearest greater 
 inland mart, or to a sea-port city, if nearer, or more conven- 
 ient. 
 
 In the interior of China there are several greater tea- 
 marts which draw the millions of chests of all kinds and 
 grades of tea annually from the innumerable hongs situated 
 amid the enormous stretches of surrounding tea-country. 
 
THE TEA MARTS OF THE ORIENT. 157 
 
 From these greater marts the entire Chinese product is dis- 
 tributed,, most of it going to home markets for local consump- 
 tion, while that portion of it which is purchased for foreign 
 markets is re-shipped to the most convenient sea-port. 
 
 Very close to the center of the tea-producing country, and 
 situated upon the banks of the great Yang-tse-kiang River, 
 are the cities on Han-kow, Kiu-kiang, Han-yang, and Wu- 
 chang, the combined population of which was estimated by 
 the Abbe Hue in 1845 at about eight millions. These are 
 China's greatest and most famous inland tea-marts, and to one 
 of them the innumerable hong owners of the tributary dis- 
 tricts ship their product. 
 
 Han-kow during the first crop tea-season, which lasts 
 about six weeks, is busy indeed. Here the foreign exporters 
 assemble ; buyers for export to England, Russia, America and 
 other countries. Here the European and American tea-testers 
 ply their art in the interest of employers, bargaining with the 
 great Chinese brokers and merchants for this chop of teas and 
 for that. During the high tea-season the tea-tester is supreme, 
 for he is the only go-between recognized. To him the Chi- 
 nese brokers submit their samples, and with him, after testing, 
 the bargaining is done until a price is agreed upon. All day 
 long, during the six weeks' sale of first crop teas, these testers 
 are at work, sampling, bargaining and buying in the interest of 
 their employers, rigidly observing the laws of temperance 
 throughout, for their keenest senses and faculties must ever be 
 on the alert; and whenever a tester is seen indulging in any 
 refreshment stronger than soda or mineral- water it is a sure 
 sign that the great tea-season is declining, and that little choice 
 tea is being brought in from the country. 
 
 Most of these tea-testers are Englishmen and Americans, 
 and all are remarkably expert at their trade despite the fact 
 that, during the season, their work is done under the very high- 
 est pressure. Russian tea firms, strange as it may appear, 
 
4 
 
 158 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 invariably employ English or American testers, and this, it is 
 said, is for a reason not very flattering to the Russian char- 
 acter. 
 
 Hundreds of thousands of chests of tea are purchased annu- 
 ally by foreign exporting firms during the six weeks of the 
 season, and, after purchase, the teas are delivered by the Chi- 
 nese broker in chests, bamboo baskets or in thick paper bags, 
 from which it is dumped into great bins at one of the go- 
 downs or factories, where it is subjected to another firing for 
 the purpose of dissipating any moisture which may have accu- 
 mulated during transportation from the hongs or during 
 storage while awaiting a sale. 
 
 After it has been purchased and re-fired it is carefully 
 packed, and shipped by junk on the river to Shanghai, some 
 GOO miles to the eastward, where, if necessary, it is subjected 
 to another firing in order to evaporate any moisture it may 
 have collected in transit, as well as to enable it to withstand a 
 long sea- voyage; after which it is carefully packed into the 
 lead-lined chests we receive it in, and is ready for sale by the 
 exporting firm to the agent of the foreign importer and to load 
 into the ocean-going steam-ships for transportation abroad. 
 
 The history of a tea-season at Han-kow is the history of 
 all other tea-marts. Shanghai, Foo-chow, Amoy, Canton, 
 Wen-chow and other sea-port marts receive teas from near-by 
 interior hongs in addition to an enormous bulk from the 
 greater inland marts. 
 
 Both inland and sea-port marts have many re-firing estab- 
 lishments in which all teas destined for foreign shipment an- 
 fired again before final chesting. 
 
 At the sea-port cities of China, European and American 
 tea-exporting firms and brokers have offices established, well 
 appointed in every way, and it is to these that the tea-buyer 
 for foreign importers usually goes to do his trading. These 
 exporting firms can usually supply the demand of any Euro- 
 
THE TEA MARTS OF THE ORIENT. 159 
 
 pean or American tea-importing house, and if not, they have 
 the great inland tea-marts to draw upon where their buying 
 agents are established. It is immaterial to the foreign buyer 
 whether the broker or exporting firm owns the lines of teas he 
 selects or is merely acting for a Chinese owner, and, in either 
 case, he purchases if the price and other considerations suit 
 him. 
 
 After the trade has been completed, the exporting firm re- 
 ceives the importer's instructions as to labels, brands, style of 
 packing, etc., and invoices the goods at the agreed price, plus 
 whatever costs that may have accrued. 
 
 The American and European buying agent usually, 
 although not always, purchases a chop of teas in its entirety, 
 comprising the various lines or gradings, at so many taels per 
 picul for the chop. This, of course, is paying an equal price 
 for all of the kinds and grades which constitute the chop, so 
 that grading for a cost becomes necessary, either at the port 
 of shipment or at the destination of the tea. In this grading 
 for cost all the qualities of the tea are taken into consideration ; 
 style, liquor, body, flavor, aroma, strength, etc., and an aver- 
 aged cost for each separate kind and grade is arrived at, to 
 which has to be added the freight, duties, re-firing charges, 
 leading, chests, labor of packing, matting, rattaning, labeling, 
 commissions, etc., in order to arrive at a laid-down cost at 
 destination. 
 
 A Chinese tael at the present time, although varying in 
 value according to the price of silver, equals about fifty cents, 
 American; and a picul is exactly 133 ^ Ibs. avoirdupois. 
 
 The established exporting firms of Chinese sea-ports fre- 
 quently act as buying agents for, or will sell directly to foreign 
 importing houses who do not send a buyer to China to act for 
 them. These exporting firms are reputable, as a rule, and 
 can be relied upon to do the very best they can for a customer 
 who intrusts them with orders by mail or cable. After the 
 
160 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 rush of the early purchasing and exporting season is over, a 
 large quantity of unsold teas, whole and broken chops, remains 
 upon their hands, or in possession of Chinese owners, so that, 
 throughout the year, quotations by circular-letter are regularly 
 mailed to foreign clients and prospective buyers; the circulars 
 usually giving local exporting quotations and other statistics 
 of interest to an importer. 
 
 Payments for purchases are usually made by importers in 
 the form of drafts or letters of credit upon London banks at ! 
 months sight, which are readily discountable at any of the 
 Oriental banks. 
 
 Each shipping-port of China ships to foreign countric- 
 the kinds of teas that are grown and made in districts which 
 are naturally tributary to it. 
 
 From Shanghai, North China teas are shipped, which 
 include Monings, or black-leaf Congous, Gunpowders, Young 
 Hysons, Imperials, Hysons and Twankays of the different 
 kinds and grades. 
 
 From Foo-chow, South China teas are usually shipped, 
 including Kaisows, or red-leaf Congous, Souchongs, China 
 Ooloongs, Flowery Pekoes and Scented Orange Peko 
 
 From Canton, which city has the reputation of manufac- 
 turing and shipping most of China's adulterated teas, 
 shipped Canton Greens, comprising Gunpowders, Imperials 
 and others; coarse black sorts, Scented Capers, Scented 
 Orange-Pekoes and "new-make" Congous. 
 
 From Han-kow teas intended for overland transportation 
 to Russia are shipped, including the very highest and finest 
 grades of Ning-chow, Ly-Ling and Kintuck Congous; Brick 
 tea of the higher grades for Russia, and the coarser Brick and 
 Tablet sorts for Mongolia and other Russian Asiatic countries. 
 
 Within the last ten years or so the shipping port of Wen- 
 chow has been coming rapidly to the front and has succeeded 
 in gaining a considerable amount of the business which had 
 
THE TEA MARTS OP THE ORIENT. 161 
 
 hitherto fallen to the lot of Foo-chow and Amoy. It is said 
 that the sorts which arrive from the interior to the west of 
 Wen-chow are of excellent quality, and that labor and fuel 
 there are cheap. 
 
 Prior to the Chinese-Japanese war of 1894 the port of 
 Amoy handled the bulk of Ooloongs from the neighboring 
 island of Formosa, in addition to some of the China Ooloongs 
 raised in the Province Fu-Kien, of which Amoy is a sea-port, 
 but since that war, the island of Formosa having become a 
 Japanese possession, Formosa teas are handled at the island 
 sea-port Tam-Sui, so that, in consequence, the business of 
 Amoy, as a shipping port, has fallen off considerably. 
 
 JAPAN In Japan the tea-trade is carried on, up to a cer- 
 tain point, almost exactly as in China. The native farmers 
 grow and prepare the leaves ; middlemen collect them and send 
 them in in quantity to the most convenient sea-port, where the}' 
 are purchased by the commission men, who own and operate 
 the firing go-downs. These go-downs, as has been already 
 stated, are owned by Europeans and Americans, although, in 
 recent years, many native-owned plants have been established, 
 and, under the fostering care of the Japanese Government, 
 business is done by the native owners directly with American 
 importing houses. Tea-firing go-downs are frequently exten- 
 sive establishments, employing many hundreds of operators; 
 their size and capacity being known by the number of "firing- 
 pans" in operation; a go-down operating 500 pans or more 
 being not uncommon. 
 
 Before purchasing from the native middlemen the owners 
 of the go-downs are fully prepared with a knowledge of the 
 kind of leaf required to fill their commissioned orders from 
 America, so that the selection is a simple matter if they under- 
 stand their business, which is usually the case. 
 
 Teas are brought in from the outlying districts to the 
 
162 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 shipping ports in a state which permits of further manipula- 
 tion. The condition of the prepared leaf as it is brought in 
 is similar to that as used by native tea-drinkers, and although 
 it is usually referred to by both commission men and 
 importers as "raw-leaf" it is really not so in fact. Its appear- 
 ance is exactly that of the kind we know as "Basket-Fired," 
 and it is tested in the cup by the experts of the go-down owners 
 in the same manner as we test it in America. It is prepared 
 in the country districts to give it the appearance described, but 
 in order that it may stand a sea-voyage and possess good ! 
 ing qualities in the country of its destination, it must undergo 
 a higher firing, and to do this, in accordance with the orders of 
 customers, is the business of the go-down owners. 
 
 The business of the latter with the American importers is 
 done chiefly on a commissioned basis, so that in the purchase 
 of the so-called "raw leaf" they do it on behalf, and for the 
 account of, their clients. 
 
 While the filling of previously obtained orders is the bulk 
 of their business, many commission men purchase leaf on 
 speculation; fire and make it into whatever kind they deem 
 desirable, and depend upon future orders or, in default of 
 these, consign it to their American representatives for disposi- 
 tion as occasion permits. Thousands of chests are annually 
 consigned and held in storage at the different ports of entry m 
 America and Canada on what is know as "joint account ;" that 
 is, where an American importing house joins financial forces 
 with the Japan exporting house and owns an equal or part 
 share in the consigned teas. Before the end of the season 
 these teas are usually worked off to the lesser importers of the 
 country who may have run short of certain grades, or have 
 not imported in quantity sufficiently great to meet their re- 
 quirements. 
 
 In order to obtain business many of the go-down owners 
 or commission men, as they are more frequently called, send 
 
THE TEA MARTS OF THE ORIENT. 163 
 
 their traveling men yearly to see their regular customers in 
 America and take their orders for the succeeding year's 
 growth; incidentally obtaining as many new customers as pos- 
 sible. The competition for the trade of the American and 
 Canadian importers is very, keen, so that these representatives 
 must necessarily be men of ability and have a thorough knowl- 
 edge of the business. 
 
 On the other hand many large American tea-importers 
 send their buyers to Japan before the opening of the tea-sea- 
 son there, in order that they may be on the spot to purchase 
 and superintend the manufacture of their purchases. These 
 buyers frequently go on to China for the same purpose, and 
 the Pacific steamships leaving San Francisco, and other Coast 
 ports, in March and April of each year carry many of our best 
 known tea-men to the Orient. 
 
 In dealing with these commission houses American im- 
 porters are in possession of every advantage which is possible to 
 obtain. Teas can be made exactly to their order in point of 
 style, color, fire, etc. ; and chests, boxes, packages and tins can 
 be gotten up to suit them in every respect. If an importer is 
 not quite satisfied with the past season's makes, he can issue 
 instructions to his commission house to fire higher or lower as 
 the case may require ; to produce teas of better style or of bet- 
 ter cup qualities ; to match a given sample or standard in color, 
 in style, or in cup, and the commission house will follow 
 instructions carefully and produce goods accordingly. These 
 advantages are simply the outcome of the establishment of 
 business houses in Japan, whose ideas of trade are identical 
 with our own ; and of the native method of preparing the green 
 leaf which permits of a further manipulation . 
 
 Yokohama and Hiogo-Kobe are the great Japanese ship- 
 ping ports, and it is in these two cities that the firing go-downs 
 are mainly established. 
 
 During the tea-season, which opens in the latter part of 
 
164 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 April or the first of May each year, and lasts until the end of 
 the second or third crop picking, in July or August, these two 
 cities are run under very high pressure, for the go-downs are 
 compelled to work to their fullest capacity in order to turn out 
 their orders for America and Canada. 
 
 So that the commission houses may be enabled to purchase 
 native-leaf to the best advantage, American orders for teas 
 must be in their hands before the leaf begins to come in from 
 the country districts. For this reason the work of obtaining 
 orders in America is done during the earlier months of the 
 year; and in April, before the season opens in Japan, every 
 commission house knows just what its orders for the several 
 pickings are. Then, with a knowledge of the requirements of 
 its American clients the commission house selects nuti\v- 
 leaf as it is offered for sale by native brokers, and purchases 
 that which will make up to the best advantage in filling or 
 The native brokers are prepared to make immediate deliveries 
 to the go-downs, and, with the arrival of the first native-teas, 
 the season opens, from which time, until the latest picked leaf 
 is delivered, but little rest is expected in any of the depart- 
 ments of the go-down. 
 
 As quickly as the teas are fired, "musters," or samples, of 
 each individual line are mailed or expressed to the American 
 purchasers, so that the quality of the goods may be known 
 more speedily than if the chests were waited for. 
 
 An American importer's order for Japan teas usually in- 
 cludes the several kinds and many grades of each kind as well 
 as teas of the several pickings. Steam-ships leave Japan at 
 frequent intervals during the tea-season so that teas can be 
 shipped as quickly as they are manufactured and boxed; and 
 this convenience in the matter of shipments enables the com- 
 mission houses to forward the several kinds and grades in the 
 order as they are made. First crop teas, therefore, generally 
 
THE TEA MARTS OF THE ORIENT. 165 
 
 reach America in June or early July and the poorer grades and 
 later picked teas in August and September. 
 
 In placing his order with the Japan house the American 
 importer prepares for the payment of the several invoices by 
 forwarding a letter of credit, usually on some London bank. 
 This letter of credit is issued by a responsible American bank 
 having London connections and its face value is great enough 
 to cover the value of the various shipments of tea, and, upon 
 receipt, the Japan house deposits it with a bank there. As 
 each shipment in connection with the order is made, the com- 
 mission house draws against the letter of credit for the amount 
 of the invoice, attaching the original bill of lading to the draft. 
 The Japan bank cashes the draft and forwards it to London for 
 collection. By this means each shipment of teas is made a 
 separate transaction; and has a separate invoice showing the 
 completed transaction; the entire transaction being closed 
 when the last shipment is made and drawn for. The London 
 bank settles with the American bank that issued the letter of 
 credit, and the American bank with the importer. Thus the 
 financial papers connected with an importation of Japan teas 
 travel around the world. 
 
 As soon as an order for a line of tea has been manufac- 
 tured and packed the invoice is made out and mailed to the 
 importer, so that it may be on hand, for cost-figuring purposes, 
 before or, at least, as soon as the tea itself. Japanese invoices 
 are usually made out in Japanese currency Yens and Sens, 
 Japanese Dollars and Cents. These invoices show the number 
 of chests in the line, the style of packing, the quantity of 
 native-leaf purchased to make the teas, the price per picul 
 133 YZ Ibs. paid for the native-leaf, and the shrinkage in 
 firing, siftings and dust. To the amount so charged, the 
 firing, packing, matting, insurance and other charges are 
 added, and the total, in Japanese currency, is converted into 
 English sterling, showing the amount drawn for on Lon- 
 
166 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 don against the letter of credit; the rate of exchange be- 
 tween Japanese coin and English gold being specified and 
 in accordance with the current rate of exchange. The Ameri- 
 can importer with these figures before him is enabled to con- 
 vert the English sterling into American gold values and arrive 
 at his costs. 
 
 The freight rate on teas is usually pre-arranged; a 
 through rate, including steamer and rail from Japan common 
 points to the several American ports of entry being made, and 
 is paid at the destination of the teas. 
 
 In Japan the governmental system of monetary coinage 
 is decimal. Coins are known as "Yens" and "Sens" "Dol- 
 lars" and "Cents." Although gold yens have been coined they 
 are not in general circulation. A Japanese silver yen is the 
 same size as an American silver dollar, and is worth, approx- 
 imately, $0.498, American gold. The subsidiary coins, "sens," 
 are related to the yen in the same ratio as cents are to dol- 
 lars in America 100 sens equal 1 yen. Europeans and Amer- 
 icans in the tea-trade in Japan speak of the Japanese yen as a 
 dollar. Teas are purchased from natives by the picul at so 
 many yens (dollars) per picul, therefore teas costing Y40.50 
 per picul are known as 40^ dollar teas; teas costing Y38.25 
 per picul as 38*4 dollar teas, and so on according to the value 
 per picul. This system of valuation is spoken of, and gener- 
 ally known, as the "dollar-cost" of teas. 
 
 In placing an importation order for teas, limits as to the 
 price to be paid per picul are frequently given at the dollar- 
 cost by American importers ; which means that the commission 
 house is limited in purchasing raw-leaf to so many yens (dol- 
 lars) per picul. The following is an example of a Japanese 
 tea-invoice showing an entire transaction. The figures have 
 been obtained from an actual invoice, but the name of the im- 
 porter is, for obvious reasons, fictitious: 
 
THE TEA MARTS OF THE ORIENT. 167 
 
 JAPANESE TEA INVOICE. 
 
 150 PACKAGES TEA. 
 
 8. 8. "Tacoma" to Tacoma and rail to Chicago. 
 
 Order Jones, Smith & Co. 
 rj. s.-i 
 
 L C. J No. 95. 25 H-C. Ea. 80 Ibs. zooo Ibs. Pels. 17.79 at Y 40.50 720.49 
 
 u u 96. 50 H-C. " 84 " 4200 " " 37.37 " Y 38.2.5 1429.40 
 
 " " 97. 75 H-C. " 80 " 6000 " " 53.38 " Y H-oo 1868.30 
 
 S. C. 150 H-C. 12,200 Ibs. Pels. 108.54 4018.19 
 
 Loss in weight; Firing, 7.05 per cent, Siftings, 7.97 per cent = 15.03 per cent. 
 CHARGES: 
 
 Firing, packing and boxes ___at 5.00 542.70 
 
 Face matting .. " 4 c 6.00 
 
 Matting, marking and rattaning " 30 c 45.00 
 
 Fire Insurance on Y 4611.89 " y z per cent 23.06 
 
 Storage at 8 c Y 12. Shipping at 5 c Y 7.50 " 19.50 
 
 Interest on 4018 for 15 days. " 10 per cent 16.51 
 
 Consular fee _. 5.00 
 
 G$22i.25 Freight payable in Chicago at \y z c per Ib 
 
 Marine insurance covered in America 
 
 Musters and petties Y 20. Telegrams Y 5 25.00 
 
 Inspecting, I per cent on 4018 40.18 722.97 
 
 4741.16 
 
 Buying commission _.at 2^ per cent Y 118.53 
 
 Bill brokerage __" y s 6.08 124.61 
 
 ,503.1.0 at 2.o x * 4865.77 
 E. & O. E. HIOGO, June 8, 1901. 
 
 This invoice shows, first, that 150 packages of tea have 
 been shipped by the steamship "Tacoma" to Tacoma; thence 
 by rail to Chicago, and that the teas left Hiogo, Japan, on 
 June 8th, 1901. 
 
 The brands of the teas are J. S. over C. in a block, Nos.' 
 95, 96 and 97 respectively. The letters "S. C/' signify that 
 the teas are Sun-Cured. Three grades are specified, viz. : 
 25 half-chests of No. 95, 80 Ibs. each making 2,000 Ibs. net, 
 obtained from 17.79 piculs of native-leaf, which cost 40% 
 yens per picul, therefore, a 40% dollar tea; 50 half-chests 
 of No. 96, 84 Ibs. each, making 4,200 Ibs. net, obtained from 
 37.37 piculs of native-leaf, which cost 38^ yens per picul; 
 a 38% dollar tea, and 75 half-chests of No. 97, 80 Ibs. each, 
 
168 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 making 6,000 Ibs. net, obtained from 53.38 piculs of native- 
 leaf, which cost 35 yens per picul; a 35 dollar tea. The 
 total cost of the native-leaf shows as Y4018.19. The yen 
 sign "Y" is used as we use our dollar sign "$.*" 
 
 Then follows specifications of the loss in weight in firing 
 and siftings, totalling 15.03 per cent. 
 
 The charges for firing, or manufacturing the native-leaf, 
 packing, interest, etc., are itemized and charged for at speci- 
 fied rates; for instance: The first charge for firing, packing 
 and boxes is made on the total number of piculs purchased 
 viz. : 108.54 piculs at Y5.00 per picul, equals Y542.70. 
 
 The letter "G" before the dollar sign preceding the sum 
 $221.25, signifies that this sum for freight, which is payable 
 in Chicago, is in American gold dollars G. $221.25 in con- 
 tradistinction to the silver value of the Japanese dollars or 
 yens at which the rest of the invoice is figured. The interest 
 and inspecting charges are figured on the original value of 
 the raw-leaf and not on its value after manufacture. The 
 buying commission of 2% per cent, is charged on the value 
 of the manufactured tea, and is supposed to cover a profit on 
 the labor of manufacture, boxing, etc., in addition to the 
 buying commission. The bill brokerage, % per cent, covers 
 the charges of the bank, the discounting of the draft on 
 London, and naturally is charged against the total invoice 
 amount; the amount drawn for Y4865.77 is the total 
 amount of the invoice, which figured in English gold at an 
 exchange of 2 shillings and 13-16 pence 2|0| 13-16 the 
 current rate of exchange, gives a sterling value of 503.1.0. 
 The letters "E and 0. E." mean "Errors and Omissions Ex- 
 cepted." 
 
 In figuring his laid-down American costs the importer 
 must charge a correct proportion of the various charges 
 against the three separate grades of tea, plus a correct pro- 
 portion of the freight paid at destination. The exchange rate 
 
THE TEA MARTS OF THE ORIENT. 169 
 
 of English sterling into American gold varies and must be 
 figured at current rates of exchange. 
 
 Many importers of America prefer to do a direct busi- 
 ness with Japan, agreeing to pay the commission houses so 
 much per lb., American, . for their teas, delivered. This 
 simpler method of doing business, as far as the importer is 
 concerned, appears to be gaining ground of late years, al- 
 though there are many of our importers who cling to the 
 method detailed. 
 
 In any case it is a pleasure to do business with these up- 
 to-date business men of Yokohama and Kobe, European, 
 American and Japanese, who, fully appreciating American 
 conditions, strive to meet them. In China we are content to 
 take the best we can get; in Japan the manufacturers do all 
 they can to give us just what we want, and they generally 
 succeed. Such is the difference in Japanese and Chinese 
 methods as far as purchasing tea is concerned. 
 
 INDIA-CEYLON. In India and Ceylon conditions exist 
 which are up-to-date in every particular in the matter of busi- 
 ness methods. The growers are British and naturally do 
 their trading under established British business rules, and, 
 although these are somewhat different from American meth- 
 ods, they are easily understood by our importers. 
 
 India and Ceylon teas are grown, manufactured, and 
 packed for shipment upon the plantations. 
 
 After having been stencilled with the garden name or 
 other brand, and with the grading of the tea within, the 
 cases are transferred by rail to Calcutta in India and to 
 Colombo in Ceylon, where the goods are offered in lots for 
 sale at public auction. This is the British system of doing 
 the business, and it must not be imagined that, because the 
 teas are sold at auction, the owners are forced to a sale in 
 order to realize. Competition for the product of known es- 
 
170 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 tates keeps the prices at figures that are usually remunerative 
 to the corporation growers, but, in any event, limits are usu- 
 ally placed upon each lot, below which price the auctioneer 
 will not sell the teas. In the great auction-rooms of the tea- 
 markets sample chests are usually opened and the teas dis- 
 played for several days prior to the date of sale, so that buyers, 
 brokers and others interested may have the opportunity of 
 sampling any of the lots before making their offers, and are, 
 by this means, placed in a position, before the sale date, to 
 know just which lots to offer on in accordance with the orders 
 they may have from England, the Colonies, Russia, America, 
 France and other countries. 
 
 Auction sales usually occur once a week, and monthly cir- 
 culars are mailed to tea-importers throughout the world, 
 which circulars give statistics of the month's sales, conditions 
 of the market, exportations and other data of interest. 
 
 Very many thousands of chests are offered and sold at 
 these weekly auctions, and the buyers, after the transaction 
 is completed, ship the teas to all parts of the world. 
 
 The auction system is an old one, and the conservative 
 Briton clings to it, as he does to many other old-fashioned 
 ways of doing things, notwithstanding that, under such a 
 system, it would appear to be easy for buyers or brokers to 
 combine in order to rule prices. In the London tea-market 
 in Mincing Lane teas are bought and sold under the same sys- 
 tem. Here some three million chests of tea, containing up- 
 wards of 300 million Ibs., annually change hands, and most 
 of this enormous business is "spot," that is, settled for, im- 
 mediately after the transaction, by cash or acceptance. 
 
 In these great auction rooms sample chests of all cargoes 
 are exhibited before sale, and the teas are usually sold "stored 
 in the bonded ware-houses at the docks," although some lots 
 are sold "to arrive." In the auction rooms scenes of boisterous 
 commercial strife, particularly when market prices are ad- 
 
THE TEA MARTS OF THE ORIENT. 171 
 
 vancing or declining, are quite common, reminding one of the 
 scenes in the New York stock market or in Chicago's wheat pit. 
 
 It is, of course, quite possible for American importers 
 to deal directly with India and Ceylon houses, and import 
 their teas from the manufacturing concerns, and many im- 
 porters are known to have direct dealings with the gardens. 
 The majority of Indian and Ceylon teas, however, are con- 
 signed to American markets by owners or speculators, and 
 sold to American wholesalers from sample. 
 
 American wholesalers usually favor teas grown on a cer- 
 tain estate, and of a certain month's plucking, and known, for 
 instance, as "September" or "October teas." This is done 
 for the reason that the pluckings of the gardens vary with 
 the months quite materially both in style and cup qualities, 
 and past experience with the teas proves that a certain month's 
 pluckings from a certain garden give the better satisfaction. 
 
 The following extract from a Ceylon monthly circular 
 report will give some idea of the tea- trade of Ceylon with the 
 countries of the world. The report shows that the total ex- 
 port of Ceylon black and green teas for the year 1902 was 
 close to 149 million Ibs. as against a total of about 146 ^i 
 million Ibs. in 1901 ; and when it is taken into consideration 
 that the export of Indian teas for similar periods was greater 
 than that of Ceylon, an estimate of the enormity of this 
 British- Colonial industry may be had. 
 
172 
 
 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 EXPORT OF CEYLON TEA 
 
 As per Colombo Chamber of Commerce 
 Returns : 
 
 
 
 BLACK 
 
 TEA 
 
 
 
 1901 Ibs. 
 
 1901 Ibs. 
 
 To 
 
 United Kingdom 
 
 ... 102,899,489 
 
 105,497, 5J9 
 
 u 
 
 Austria. 
 
 58.592 
 
 50,958 
 
 44 
 
 Belgium. 
 
 9,, 076 
 
 17,781 
 
 44 
 
 France 
 
 2,, ,110 
 
 ,17,866 
 
 " 
 
 Germany 
 
 661,818 
 
 586,104 
 
 44 
 
 Holland 
 
 5,064 
 
 19,041 
 
 44 
 
 Italy. 
 
 20, ,07 
 
 i, ,924 
 
 " 
 
 Russia 
 
 --- ,599,95J 
 
 9,609,7,4 
 
 44 
 
 Spain 
 
 ,,19, 
 
 250 
 
 ti 
 
 Sweden 
 
 90,107 
 
 65,104 
 
 n 
 
 Turkey 
 
 40,66, 
 
 40,978 
 
 44 
 
 India 
 
 870,140 
 
 1,121,989 
 
 44 
 
 Australia 
 
 ... 18,718,794 
 
 10,6,8,108 
 
 44 
 
 America 
 
 5,048,137 
 
 ,,704,,, 5 
 
 u 
 
 Africa 
 
 564,178 
 
 ,05,7,0 
 
 44 
 
 China . 
 
 4,66,,ooS 
 
 2,682, ,,4 
 
 44 
 
 Singapore . ... 
 
 218,16, 
 
 147,560 
 
 44 
 
 Mauritius 
 
 71,659 
 
 55,J76 
 
 it 
 
 Tor 
 
 Malta 
 al exoort from lit Ian 
 
 in,6,6 
 
 ***** 
 
 GKKBN TEA 
 
 1902 Ibs. 
 
 644,441 
 
 to ,1 Dec. 1901 146,194,597 
 
 145,188,144 
 
 117,115 
 
 29,110 
 1,968,456 
 
 1,100 
 
 16,410 
 
 1,796,844 
 
 1901 Ibs. 
 
 44,161 
 
 16,114 
 
 1,976 
 
 797,796 
 
 1,110,774 
 
PART II. 
 
 TEA PROBLEMS. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 HOW TO TEST TEAS. 
 
 The expert tea-tester, or tea-taster as he is frequently 
 called, has so long enjoyed his unique position in the com- 
 mercial world and his avocation has always appeared to the 
 layman to be so far beyond the reach of ordinary mankind 
 that he, as a professional man, has become, so to speak, com- 
 mercially hallowed. 
 
 There are few professions or commercial occupations that 
 require such exacting qualifications as that of tea-test inir, 
 and there are fewer still that demand at the hands of those 
 following them a more dexterous application of natural or in- 
 born faculties. Few men, indeed, in these days of deteriorat- 
 ing natural senses are physically qualified to become expert 
 in teas, or are sufficiently well endowed by nature to be able 
 to make a success as tea-experts, and it is not at all surprisiiiir. 
 therefore, that those who are naturally qualified to, and have, 
 by personal effort, become expert tea-men should be the re- 
 cipients of that commercial homage which is paid to them. 
 
 To become expert in tea-testing remarkably acute natural 
 senses are absolutely essential ; senses that, originally perfect, 
 have not been weakened by abuse, disuse or disease; senses 
 that are capable of culture in the highest degree, and that 
 may be depended upon to serve their owner under any and 
 under all circumstances. The senses of smell, taste, sight 
 and touch are the stock-in-trade of the professional tea-ex- 
 pert, and these, added to the years of practical experience 
 necessary to successfully qualify for the position, gain for 
 him a high place in the commerical world; a right goodly 
 
HOW TO TEST TEAS. 175 
 
 income, and a knowledge that his decision is very close to law 
 in the tea-circles surrounding him. 
 
 Time was when the public tea-experts of the United 
 States, like their brethren of Great Britain of today, were 
 absolute masters of the tea-situation, and it was to such men 
 that wholesalers were wont to apply for professional opinion 
 and advice ; but in this country, with its modern methods and 
 advancing business ideas, these have gradually passed away 
 and their places have been ably filled by the tea-buyers of spe- 
 cialty and wholesale grocery houses, and by the tea-brokers of 
 the larger cities, who, as a rule, are both very capable of grad- 
 ing teas and of placing an exact commercial valuation upon 
 them. 
 
 In view of the fact that the art of tea-testing is known 
 to be a difficult one to master, few retail merchants ever at- 
 tempt it, believing that, inasmuch as long apprenticeship to 
 the trade, and unusual qualifications are indispensable, it 
 would be useless for them to make the effort. 
 
 Expert knowledge and experience are, of course, neces- 
 sary to the man who makes tea-testing a business or profes- 
 sion, for such knowledge added to experience is absolutely 
 essential in order to grade teas accurately and to place a valu- 
 ation upon an Oriental invoice to the cent or fraction of a 
 cent per lb., but for a retail merchant to gain a knowledge, 
 of the art sufficiently great to enable him to test the few 
 kinds and grades of teas that are in use in his own particular 
 market, and to place himself in that position where he can 
 protect himself in the matters of grades and values, is far 
 from being so difficult a matter as is usually believed. It is, 
 in fact, so simple and inexpensive, so interesting and educat- 
 ing withal, that it is really strange that so few retail mer- 
 chants undertake to make such a knowledge a part of their 
 business education. 
 
 The following attempt at a description of a tea-test has 
 
176 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 been written for the purpose of aiding those retailers who 
 desire to gain a better knowledge of teas generally, and who 
 wish to become fairly conversant with the art of testing, but 
 it must be fully understood, by those who would progress, 
 that practice will do much more than any written directions 
 to bring about perfection. 
 
 Faulty though it may be, the modus operandi will, at 
 least, serve to create a foundation upon which a knowledge 
 of the art may be built; a knowledge which every retail dealer 
 would serve his own best interest to possess ; for not only would 
 such a knowledge assist him in making and saving dollars, 
 but it would be a means of aiding the cause of better teas, 
 and of giving an impetus to the consumption of the beverage ; 
 a beverage which is, without doubt, the most health-giving 
 and generous known to the human family. 
 
 The utensils necessary for testing teas are inexpensive, 
 easily procured, and take up no valuable space in the store 
 room. 
 
 A tea-kettle, an even-balance scale, a five cent silver 
 coin, a half-dozen porcelain testing-cups or triers, a silver or 
 silver-plated tea-spoon, a finger-bowl, a half-dozen trays or 
 sample-pans and an ordinary table would constitute an outfit 
 good enough for all practical purposes, and with these, and a 
 little patience, a little experimenting and practice, the re- 
 tailer will quickly realise that he can test teas sufficiently 
 well for all his business requirements. 
 
 The thin, white porcelain tea-cups or triers and the sam- 
 ple-trays or pans can be procured for a small sum from any 
 wholesale grocer or tea-specialty house; the balance of the 
 articles specified are, more than likely, at hand. After hav- 
 ing procured the necessary utensils a start is ready to be made, 
 but, before making it, it will be well to take into consideration 
 the following important suggestions and remember them. 
 
 Light plays an important part in tea-testing, and should 
 
HOW TO TEST TEAS. 177 
 
 always be taken into consideration. A place for testing 
 should be chosen where the light is steady and true, 
 and will equally surround each cup under examination; for 
 in comparing teas, or in matching one tea with another, each 
 cup must have equal light to bear upon it, otherwise the col- 
 ors of the liquors cannot be successfully compared. Direct 
 sunlight must be avoided, as well as artificial lights of all 
 kinds, for teas cannot be examined in the cup, or in the leaf, 
 for that matter, except in good broad day-light. 
 
 The tea-kettle must be perfectly clean and free from odor 
 of any kind. A new kettle, if used, should be boiled out sev- 
 eral times before using, and perfect sweetness ensured. 
 
 The scale must be true; any kind of an even-balance 
 scale will do, large or small, provided that it will weigh 
 accurately such a small amount of tea-leaves as is represented 
 by the weight of a silver half-dime. 
 
 The tea-cups, or triers, should be washed perfectly clean 
 and wiped until dry with a clean, sweet cloth that is, a cloth 
 which has no odor of muslin. It is well to thoroughly rinse 
 the cups in hot water and dry them immediately after use, 
 for if the infusion is allowed to stand in them for a few 
 hours a deposit of coloring matter will result which will in- 
 delibly stain the brilliant whiteness of the porcelain. 
 
 The tea-spoon should be treated in the same manner as 
 the cups so that it will be perfectly clean, odorless, and dry. 
 Silver or plated spoons are very liable to discoloration, there- 
 fore they should be well rinsed and dried immediately after 
 use. 
 
 The silver five-cent piece may be of either United States 
 or Canadian currency ; and the sample-pans or trays should be 
 large enough to show a good sized surface of the samples; 
 similar pans, in fact, to those which are ordinarily used in 
 wholesale houses for exhibiting samples of teas and coffees. 
 
 These careful preparations and precautions against odor 
 
178 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 and impurity may appear to be somewhat punctilious, but 
 when it is fully realized how very delicate the tea-leaf is. 
 and how easy it is for the operator to mistake some foiriirn 
 odor for an imperfection in the infusion under examination, 
 the reason for them will be more fully understood; besides 
 these are the precautions taken by tea-experts generally, and 
 it is best to make a beginning in the regulation way. 
 
 It is customary for experts to use distilled water when 
 drawing teas, or a water that is known to be soft and free 
 from chemicals, minerals or impurities. Such water is es- 
 sential to the expert in order that he may be able to draw 
 the several intrinsic qualities from the leaf, and so place a 
 commercial valuation upon it; a valuation based upon each 
 and every one of the qualities exhibited in the draw. It is 
 a well known fact, however, among tea-men that diftVivnt 
 waters have different effects upon teas. Young, flavory, high- 
 grade leaf of any kind or make of green or black tea will yield 
 its full fragrance, flavor and strength when infused in pure, 
 soft water; while the same leaf, if infused or drawn in hard 
 water, will, most likely, fail to exhibit the qualities discovered 
 by the soft-water infusion. This is owing to the action upon 
 the leaves of such chemicals or minerals as may be held in 
 solution in the hard water; which action either destroys the 
 sensitive qualities of the leaf or abuses them to such an extent 
 that they become unrecognizable. Highly-fired teas, or teas 
 of the rougher, harsher sorts, give better results in hard 
 water, for they are better able, on account of their higher fire 
 or rougher characteristics, to withstand the action of chemi- 
 cals, or minerals. 
 
 Writers upon the subject of testing teas usually insist 
 upon advising the use of distilled or perfectly pure water for 
 the purpose. While such a method will invariably discover 
 the intrinsic qualities of a tea, and prove up a good or a poor 
 tea to better advantage, it will not guide a retailer in the 
 
HOW TO TEST TEAS. 179 
 
 choice of a tea that will be perfectly suitable to the water of 
 his district. The better plan for him to adopt, therefore, is 
 to test his teas in water similar to, or exactly like, that in 
 which the beverage will be made by his customers. 
 
 This, upon its face, may not appear to be good advice, 
 but when it is realized that the retailer's only interest in the 
 test is to secure teas that will give the best of satisfaction to 
 his trade, it will appear that to test them in the same kind 
 of water that will eventually be used by consumers in mak- 
 ing the beverage will give him a better idea of their suita- 
 bility, for if the teas draw well in the test when district water 
 is used, they will drink well also. 
 
 The point has now been reached, we will say, when the 
 actual testing begins, and in order to facilitate the explana- 
 tion it will be supposed that the merchant desires to match up 
 a Japan tea which he has in stock and wishes to replace as 
 nearly as possible. It will be best to examine two samples 
 only at a time for the reason that, until the novice has gained 
 some experience in the art, he will find that some little time 
 will have to be spent over the first two cups, and, during 
 the time so expended, the third or remaining cups will have 
 grown cold, and much of the aroma of the liquor and of the 
 leaves have escaped. 
 
 The first part of the operation is to fill the kettle with 
 fresh water, as specified, and place it upon the stove to boil. 
 This will, of course, take a little time, but the interval may 
 be occupied to advantage by a careful examination of the 
 two samples of dry tea-leaves which are to be tested. This 
 may have been done previously but it will be well to occupy 
 the spare time in comparing the samples again, for the re- 
 newed examination will freshen the memory and materially 
 aid the judgment which will be passed, later on, when the 
 liquors are before the tester and his nose is over the cups. 
 
 In making an examination of the "style/' or general ap- 
 
180 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 pearance of the samples, spread the leaves over as large a 
 surface as possible in the sample-trays. It will be well, before 
 doing this, to write the brand or mark of each sample upon 
 a small piece of paper ; place the papers so marked face down- 
 wards in the bottom of the trays and cover them up with the 
 tea-leaves represented by the papers. This will serve to dis- 
 tinguish one sample from the other after the final judgment 
 has been passed, as well as to prevent the rendering of a 
 biased decision, which might occur were either of the teas 
 known to the tester. This having been done, note carefully 
 how the samples compare one with the other. See if the leaves 
 are about equal in size and are equally well rolled, twisted or 
 curled. Ascertain if there is any difference in the color or 
 shade of the leaves, or if one of them looks fresher to the eye 
 than the other. Take up a quantity of the leaves in the 
 hand, gently press them, and note if one is more springy or 
 more flexible than the other. A new tea will give under 
 gentle compression and return without crumbling or break- 
 ing up in the hand. An old tea will break up and show con- 
 siderable dust. Shake the pans and gently spread the leaves 
 apart with the fingers and observe if one sample contains more 
 tea-dust than the other, or more sticks or stalks. Reject a 
 dusty tea at once, for it has either been "filled" with dust 
 or siftings to cheapen it, or its quality is so poor that it lias 
 not been considered profitable to take the dust out before 
 shipment from the Orient. Make a mental note regarding 
 the styles or general appearance of the two teas as a whole; 
 perhaps they may be equally good, or one may be a trifle 
 poorer than the other in this respect. If the tea which is to 
 match the retailer's stock is undeniably inferior in style it 
 will be better to pass it at the beginning, for, although style 
 is by no means an indication of drinking qualities, many con- 
 sumers look for stylish teas, and it is not difficult to procure 
 
HOW TO TEST TEAS. 181 
 
 samples of teas which will closely match the style of the stock 
 tea. 
 
 In the examination of teas,, side by side, the eye very 
 quickly becomes educated and, after a short period of ex- 
 perimenting and practice, -the retailer will discover that he 
 can readily choose the better styled tea from the poorer, even 
 when the two are closely matched. 
 
 Style having been passed upon, place the two trays con- 
 taining the samples on the table, and, as a further proof in 
 the test, should the teas be known, endeavor to place them 
 so that one sample cannot be told from the other ; the papers 
 under the leaves, which specify the brand of each, will pre- 
 vent eventual confusion. 
 
 Place the drawing cups in front of the trays, close to 
 the edge of the table. Weigh out as many of the leaves as 
 it takes to exactly balance the five-cent silver-piece on the 
 scale, and put that quantity of each sample into the cup 
 which is opposite to it, being particularly careful, during 
 this part of the operation, not to get the samples mixed in 
 the cups; in other words, arrange each sample so that the 
 leaves in each cup will surely represent the teas which are in 
 the trays opposite each cup. 
 
 By this time the water will be boiling, and to ensure the 
 best results, it should be used about one minute after the 
 steam comes from the spout of the kettle; briskly boiling, in 
 fact. If water from the kettle which has just commenced to 
 throw off steam is used the tea-leaves will float, and this will 
 prove that the water is not actually boiling. In high altitudes 
 this will be especially noticed. 
 
 The water having reached the proper boiling point, the 
 kettle is ready to be taken off the stove, and, in the act of re- 
 moving it, a portion of the water should be hastily poured 
 through the spout into some handy receptacle in order to 
 clear it of any impurities or scum which may have lodged 
 
182 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 there; but no time must be lost in doing this. Now pour the 
 boiling water gently over the leaves in the first cup until it 
 is about half full ; then do the same with the second cup ; com- 
 ing back quickly to the first cup and filling it up with the 
 water almost to the brim, and immediately afterwards doing 
 the same with the second cup. Put the kettle quickly away 
 and take a seat directly in front of the cups in such a position 
 as will not prevent the light from striking the cups equally 
 and evenly, and, as soon as seated, skim off with the spoon 
 any stems or scum which may be floating upon the surface 
 of the liquor. Now watch the leaves slowly unfolding at the 
 bottom of the cups "the agony of the leaves," as some one 
 has put it and inhale the rising steam from first one and 
 then the other. How quickly the essential oil of the leaves 
 yields up its fragrance to the influence of the hot water, and 
 how grateful is the aroma as it rises to the nostrils with the 
 escaping steam. 
 
 As the steam arises form a mental judgment with regard 
 to the merits of the aroma of both, and carry the result in 
 mind. There is almost sure to be a difference in the flavors. 
 and one of them will, most likely, impress the operator as 
 being the more pleasing to the sense of smell. The leaves 
 are, as yet, a little too hot to smell comfortably, as but a few 
 moments have passed since the boiling water was poured on. 
 Now move the leaves very gently with the teaspoon and note 
 the difference in the color of the liquor after this is done. 
 From the bottom of the cups a darker shade will likely arise. 
 The liquor of one of the samples may be of a darker shade of 
 color than the other. In the case of most light-liquoring teas 
 this will be against it, for a darker shade of color must not 
 be mistaken for greater body or strength. 
 
 A half-minute, or so, has passed and the leaves are now 
 cool enough to smell. Take up with the spoon as many of 
 the leaves as it will conveniently hold, pressing them gently 
 
HOW TO TEST TEAS. 183 
 
 against the side of the cup with the spoon in order to assist 
 them into it; then tilt the spoon and allow the liquor to run 
 out of it into the cup again, and quickly apply the spoonful 
 of leaves to the nostrils; then inhale the aroma, and note, as 
 this is done, and as far as possible, whatever characteristics 
 it may possess. The aroma arising from the leaves may be 
 flavory, freshly delicate, toasty or otherwise pleasing to the 
 sense of smell, or it may be harsh, insipid, characterless, fla- 
 vorless, flat, metallic, stale, or in some way unpleasant. Put the 
 spoonful of leaves into the cup again and rinse the spoon in 
 the liquor of the cup from which the leaves have been taken 
 so as to prevent the transfer of the flavor from one cup to 
 the other. For this purpose experts usually have a finger- 
 bowl filled with hot water conveniently placed so that the 
 spoon may be readily rinsed. Now repeat the operation with 
 the leaves of the second cup and continue to do so with first 
 one cup and then the other until there can be no question in 
 the mind as to the merits of either sample. A difference in 
 odor and flavor will surely be noticed unless the two samples 
 are a perfect match which is not often the case. 
 
 Which sample is the sweeter; the more flavory; the 
 pleasanter to the sense of smell ? If the teas are quite unevenly 
 matched, the better of the two will surely prove itself to the 
 beginner by its superiority of flavor and aroma, even if he is 
 unaware of the reasons for it, or is unable to define the supe- 
 riority in technical terms. It is not to be expected that he can 
 pronounce one of the teas to be old crop and the other new; 
 nor can he assert that one is first crop or pickings, and the 
 other second, or third ; but all this, and much more, will come 
 to him with time and practice. Enough for the present that 
 he can distinguish a difference between the two teas and 
 specify the one which is the better of the two in so far as 
 flavor goes. Practice will bring skill, for the sense of smell 
 is quite easily trained to work of the kind. 
 
184 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 In the test before us the liquor is, as yet, too hot to taste, 
 but now is the time to examine it. 
 
 The color of a liquor is all important. To the experi- 
 enced eye of the expert it reveals much that is necessary in 
 a determination of values. The various shades of color ex- 
 hibited indicate, approximately, at least, the age of the leaf 
 when plucked from the shrub and the length of time that has 
 elapsed since it was manufactured into commercial leaf. In 
 other words, the expert reads, to a certain extent, the life 
 history of the leaf in the color or shade of its liquor. It tells 
 him, as much as other demonstrations, whether the leaf was 
 young, medium aged or old upon the bushes at the time of 
 picking; whether it is of first, second or third pickings, or 
 whether it is new crop, that is, the latest crop, or a year or 
 more old as far as crop is concerned. While liquor-color de- 
 terminations are always subject to qualification by past and 
 future considerations in the cup and otherwise, it will be seen 
 that the color of the infusion is an important factor in a cup- 
 test, and it should, therefore, be carefully examined and con- 
 sidered before judgment is passed. 
 
 The lighter the liquor of light-liquoring teas, the younger 
 the leaf and the better the tea, as a rule, although in a test for 
 the purpose of matching a tea that has given satisfaction it 
 is not good policy to over-match, that is, to select a tea that 
 is younger and, therefore, of lighter colored liquor, even if 
 such a tea can be purchased at an equal price, for consumers 
 will surely notice the difference and will be very apt to dis- 
 credit good intentions; besides such a tea may be lacking in 
 other qualities possessed by the stock tea. It is always best, 
 therefore, in matching up a tea that has given perfect satis- 
 faction, to select one that shows equal qualities all around- 
 such a tea is a match ; a "dead match," in trade parlance. 
 
 A clear, greenish-yellow or greenish-golden color, bright 
 and lustrous to the bottom of the cup, denotes a young early- 
 
HOW TO TEST TEAS. 185 
 
 picked Japan leaf without that excess of tannin which age 
 brings; while, to go to extremes, a dull, lifeless, dark or 
 brownish-yellow color, lacking in brightness or lustre, de- 
 notes an old or a low-grade Japan leaf. 
 
 Now note the difference in the color of the liquors before 
 us; one is, perhaps, the brighter and the lighter of the two; 
 there is a life, a lustre, a pleasing brightness about one of 
 them, difficult to describe in words, but easily identified by the 
 eye. The other is also of good color, but not quite so light or 
 bright, a trifling difference, perhaps, but yet a difference suf- 
 ficiently great to enable the novice to distinguish between the 
 two. As the liquor gradually cools, both are likely to darken, 
 for the hot water is extracting the tannin from the stalks 
 and veins of the leaves and a darker shade will, in conse- 
 quence, become noticeable. One of the samples is "standing 
 up" that is, holding its original light color better than the 
 other, and this fact proves that it is the younger and, there- 
 fore, the better leaf of the two. The poorer of the two will 
 darken more quickly, proving that it was older when picked 
 from the tea-shrub, and, therefore, inferior. Which one of 
 the two under examination has the poorer liquor? 
 
 The liquor is cooling fast and to taste it before too much 
 tannin has been extracted is now the object. Tea-tasters 
 never swallow the liquor, for it is claimed that to do so will 
 injure the sense of taste for the time being. They allow the 
 liquid to rest upon the palate; rolling it around in the mouth 
 in the same manner as the wine connoisseur tastes wine ; and, 
 after having arrived at their determination, they eject it from 
 the mouth into a tea-cuspidor; a tall, wide-mouthed utensil 
 especially made for the purpose, which they place upon the 
 floor in such a position that its mouth will come up directly 
 between the knees. The object of tasting the liquor is to de- 
 termine the. drinking qualities of the tea, that is the flavor, 
 body, pungency and strength, and to qualify the recent smell- 
 
186 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ing examination by taste. The body of the liquor is really 
 its thickness in the sense that ordinary water is thin, and to 
 add some ingredient to it which it will take up and hold in 
 solution will thicken it. The appearance, or color, of the 
 liquor cannot justify an opinion as to body or strength. A 
 very high-grade Japan, Moyune Gunpowder or Young Hyson 
 has a remarkably light-colored liquor, so much so, indeed, that 
 it would naturally suggest a lack of body and strength. This, 
 however, is far from being the case, for the small, young and 
 tender leaves of a high-grade tea have not the percentage of 
 tannin coloring matter in their veins and stalks which older 
 leaves possess, but they possess the strength of sap as well as 
 all the other virtues of the tea-leaf in their youngest and, 
 therefore, in their highest degree. Extremely light-colored 
 liquor, therefore, must not be taken as evidence of a lack of 
 other cup qualities, and for this reason the liquor must be 
 tasted. On the other hand, to go to extremes, a heavy-look- 
 ing, dark-colored liquor, in the same kind of teas, must not 
 be taken as evidence of body and strength. Any old crop tea, 
 or low-grade leaf, will draw poorly, that is, darkly and thickly, 
 for the excess of tannin in the thicker veins and stalks of an 
 older leaf will be quickly extracted by the hot water, but, for 
 all that, its thickness and heaviness is not the body and 
 strength that comes from the sap of the leaf, as the acrid taste 
 will prove. 
 
 To return to the two cups before us. Take up a teaspoon- 
 ful of the liquor of the first cup ; see that it is not too hot to 
 take into the mouth comfortably, for to scald the mouth 
 will greatly interfere, for the time being, with the sense of 
 taste, and, therefore, with the test. Then take the spoonful 
 as a whole into the mouth by drawing it with a quick inward 
 breath between the lips; roll the liquid around with the 
 tongue, allowing it to come in continuous contact with the pal- 
 ate. While doing this make a mental note of its strength ; note, 
 
HOW TO TEST TEAS. 187 
 
 if possible, if it possesses a roundness or fullness, so to speak ; a 
 smoothness, a piquancy or pungency. Note, on the other 
 hand, if its taste is harsh, metallic, insipid, grassy, fishy, 
 smoky, acrid, puckery or in any way unnatural or distasteful. 
 Eject the first spoonful and try it again ; confirm the first im- 
 pression if possible, and, should there be a doubt, try another 
 spoonful. An impression either favorable or unfavorable 
 should have been formed by this time. Now do likewise with 
 the second cup; eject the first spoonful and try again. Has 
 it the strength, the body, the roundness or as good a flavor as 
 the first cup ? Is it as pleasing ? Does it appear to taste en- 
 tirely different? Is it "toastier" or less "toasty"? Has it 
 more "brassiness ?" Does it appear to come out of the test with 
 superior or inferior qualities taken as a whole? Try another 
 spoonful of each if undecided, for, perhaps, it is difficult to 
 find much difference; this will confirm the original impres- 
 sion ; if not, try again and again until an opinion is positively 
 formed. 
 
 "Toasty," that is, highly "fired" teas will show up in 
 the cup to better advantage that is, taste better in hard, 
 harsh water, than low-fired, delicate flavored teas, for the 
 hardness of the water will kill, in a great measure, the flavor 
 of a very delicate tea. Pure, soft water will, on the other 
 hand, bring out the full flavor of a delicate tea, and it must 
 be remembered that the test is being made to choose a tea 
 suitable to the water of the district. Select, therefore, a 
 highly-toasted tea for a hard water, and a low-fired, finely- 
 flavored tea for a soft water country. 
 
 The beginner has, by this time, formed an opinion of 
 the merits of the two teas by the smell, the color of the liquor, 
 and the taste, and he has concluded, to his satisfaction, which 
 is the better tea of the two as far as he has gone. He should 
 now be able to tell whether one tea is close enough to the 
 other in every particular to warrant a decision that one tea 
 
188 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 is a good match for the other; or he has come to the conclu- 
 sion that there is too much difference between the two teas 
 in one essential qualification, or in two, or in all. In the 
 one case the teas will match; in the other they will not. 
 
 'A very good way for the beginner to do is to forward a 
 sample of the tea he wishes to match to several wholesalers, 
 with the request that they forward to him samples of a match 
 for it, or for a grade higher or lower. With these he can 
 experiment to his heart's content, and can prove his own 
 progression in the art of tea-testing. He will have, in the 
 samples so obtained, the opinions of several tea-experts to 
 guide him in the test, which will be of great benefit and ad- 
 vantage. This piece of advice is, of course, confidential. 
 
 The examination of the two teas has not yet been com- 
 pleted; there yet remains an inspection of the leaf, that is, 
 of the leaf which has been unfolded in the infusion. Take 
 a spoonful out of the first cup and spread them out; note their 
 size, form, uniformity and color. The leaves of a high-grade 
 tea are quite small and a great many of them are unbroken. 
 Of course it cannot be expected that the unbroken leaves will 
 be of equal size; such a thing would be a physical impossi- 
 bility, but they will be, in a high-grade tea, perfectly formed 
 and fairly uniform in size. The color should be natural, or 
 very close to natural, and the tiny veins should show up to 
 advantage. The broken leaves should prove to be the greater 
 portion of a whole leaf, and both broken and whole leaves 
 should show perfect corrugations or serrations at the edges. 
 
 On the other hand, to go to extremes again, the low-grade 
 leaf is quite large in size, quite dark in color, suggesting a 
 rank growth; ragged, broken and quite irregular instead of 
 uniform in size, so that the size of the infused leaf will give 
 a fair estimate of the age of the leaf at the time that it was 
 picked, while its condition and its liquor-color will give a fair 
 
HOW TO TEST TEAS. 189 
 
 estimate of the time which has elapsed since it was picked and 
 fired. 
 
 Now take a spoonful out of the second cup and spread 
 them out. Which sample has the smaller leaf; the brighter 
 leaf-color; which the least . quantity of stemmy, stalky or 
 broken leaves ? Which of the two shows up in this last test to 
 the better advantage ? Which, after having taken everything 
 into consideration, gives evidence of being the younger leaf; 
 the better tea ? 
 
 The test is now complete, and the operator may look to 
 see which tea is his own, and which the one intended as a 
 match; the slips of paper hidden beneath the dry tea-leaves 
 in the sample-pans will tell. Now, does the stranger sample 
 match? Is it superior or inferior? If either, the process 
 must be gone through again with some other sample, for a 
 match has not been secured. 
 
 It is always best to match up a stock tea as closely as 
 possible, for, strange as it may appear, and as already inti- 
 mated, there are many consumers who, having acquired a taste 
 for a certain tea, will accuse the dealer of giving inferior qual- 
 ity if he changes his grade for the better. 
 
 The time occupied in making the above test is very much 
 shorter than will, naturally, be supposed and, in the event 
 of it becoming necessary to go over the process again, the 
 dealer may rest assured that his time will not be wasted, for, 
 with each test, good experience will be gained; knowledge 
 will be acquired; a deeper interest will be awakened; and 
 proof will be forthcoming that the operator's senses of smell, 
 taste, sight and touch can be put to commercial use and to his 
 personal advantage. The interest in testing, and in teas, will 
 grow, and with it will come practice; practice will surely de- 
 velop the acuteness of the four senses involved, and beget 
 good judgment. 
 
 Tea-testing is, at first, interesting; becomes fascinating, 
 
190 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 and is decidedly profitable. It permits the retail merchant 
 to protect himself fully in point of grades and values; it 
 assists him in the selection of teas that will prove to be suit- 
 able to the water of his district; and it places him in that 
 position where he can keep his stock uniform and suitable at 
 all times. 
 
 It has the advantage, also, of occupying spare time to a 
 profitable purpose, and of providing a recreation, without loss 
 of time, in a pleasurable duty. 
 
 Tea-testing is only unhealthy when the operator is con- 
 fined to the table at all times. Experts, who make a living 
 at the profession, feel the effects of over-absorption and con- 
 finement, but there is absolutely nothing injurious in a daily 
 test of an hour or so. 
 
 The real worth of a tea- test by the cupping process rests 
 in the ease with which the value of, and the difference between 
 two or more teas of the same kind may be determined. 
 
 For the purpose of arriving at an estimate of valu> 
 well as of discovering the differences that may exist between 
 teas, it is, of course, necessary to draw teas of the same kin/I 
 against one another, so that the test may have the opportunity 
 of showing up the differences in individuality and in the qual- 
 ifications of teas of the same kind. For such purposes it would 
 be useless to draw teas of different kinds one against the 
 other; a China green, for instance, against a China black: a 
 Gunpowder against an Indian; a Congou against a Japan; 
 for the difference in the general characteristics of teas of 
 different makes is so great that no comparison of commercial 
 values can be made in this way. 
 
 To draw teas of different kinds against each other, how- 
 ever, would tend to teach the novice the difference in liquor- 
 color, body, strength, aroma, taste, and leaf that exists be- 
 tween teas of opposing character, and, in possession of such a 
 knowledge, he would be in a position to describe the varying 
 
HOW TO TEST TEAS. 191 
 
 characteristics of the different kinds of teas with more exact- 
 ness. 
 
 The question "which is the best kind of tea to drink?" 
 is frequently put to tea-dealers. The answer to such a ques- 
 tion could hardly be any other than one that would suggest 
 the advisability of judging by individual liking or taste, but, 
 in order to correctly describe the difference between an Oo- 
 loong and a Congou, a Gunpowder and a Japan, it is necessary 
 to know the difference, and be able to describe it. In the 
 ordinary course of tea-testing such differences are eventually 
 learned, but, while experiments of the kind are never made for 
 the purpose of securing a determination of values, a few tests 
 of this nature may be advocated for the reasons given above. 
 
 The foregoing description of a tea-test has related, as 
 originally stated, to light-liquoring Japan teas. In testing 
 the China green and black sorts, Ooloongs, Ceylons, Indias, 
 and others, the same procedure is necessary, but a judgment 
 in all cases is qualified by the separate characteristics of the 
 kinds. The varied characteristics of the numerous kinds and 
 innumerable grades of teas will hardly permit of accurate 
 individual descriptions or of minute comparisons, for, even 
 were an attempt of this kind made, but little good would be 
 accomplished, inasmuch as the qualifications of teas vary, in 
 a measure, with each succeeding season. Hard and fast rules, 
 therefore, cannot be established for guidance in the matter 
 of a judgment of qualities and values. The beginner, after 
 having mastered the general principles of tea-testing, will 
 quickly realize that the value of a tea depends more upon 
 its drinking qualities than upon its appearance or style. Prac- 
 tice with the different kinds of teas will soon teach him to 
 distinguish differences in drinking qualities as well as in 
 styles, and, this end accomplished, the rest becomes a mere 
 matter of experience, which cannot be obtained from a printed 
 page. 
 
192 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 The retailer's object in learning to test teas is self-pro- 
 tection in that he may know for himself that the drinking 
 qualities and appearance of his chosen teas are just what he 
 wishes them to be. In his test he has matched the goods to 
 his own satisfaction, yet he will find it difficult to state wheth- 
 er his Congou is a Ning-chow or a Foo-chow; his Gunpowder 
 a Moyune or a Hoo-chow ; his Japan a Kobe or a Yokohama. 
 Such distinctions in the classification of individual kinds aiv, 
 however, important, for a Ping-suey Gunpowder cannot be 
 expected to match a Moyune; or a Paklum Congon to match 
 a Xing-chow, etc. Experience with the different district tea- 
 or classes of individual kinds, alone will teach the differences, 
 and in his inexperience, or until experience has been acquired, 
 it will be for the beginner's best interest to find out by in- 
 quiry the exact classification of the different kinds of teas he 
 is using, so that, when requesting samples from wholesale- 
 houses for the purpose of testing and matching with a view 
 to practice or to purchase, he may be able to exactly specify 
 the district or distinguishing names of the teas desired. 
 
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 "m^mmm^ 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 
 
 To purchase teas intelligently, that is, to know at the 
 time of purchase that the value is there, and that the goods 
 are just what they should be, is one of the many difficulties 
 connected with the tea-business with which the inexperienced 
 retail dealer has to contend. 
 
 Few retailers have the time or opportunity to make a 
 study of teas, or to analyze the various tea-problems that 
 come before them from time to time in a business way, and, 
 owing to the consequent lack of knowledge, are in no position 
 to protect themselves in the matters of grade, suitability and 
 value when purchasing. Few are able to examine a tea, as it 
 should be examined in order to form an opinion of its merits, 
 and fewer still are capable of putting a sample to the several 
 commercial tests, and of passing judgment upon it, or upon 
 its suitability as a match for the grade they have been using 
 and wish to replace. Grades that are, in reality, far apart in 
 value look very much alike to the inexperienced eye, and to 
 purchase from a judgment of the style, or general appearance 
 of the dry leaf, is more than likely to lead to serious conse- 
 quences, for it is the cup, or drinking, qualities that go 
 the furthest in a determination of the value, or of the suita- 
 bility of a tea. 
 
 The variety of kinds, and the greater variety of grades 
 of each kind, into which the green leaf is made; the lack of 
 general knowledge as to production and the various processes 
 of manufacture; the great difficulty of placing an exact, or 
 true, value upon the commercial leaf ; and the want of knowl- 
 edge as to cup-testing are all important factors which com- 
 
194 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 bine to make tea a most difficult article to purchase, and, for 
 these reasons, the dealer will be prepared to admit that the 
 flavory leaf is one of the most difficult articles to purchase 
 intelligently of all the long list of goods carried in a modern 
 grocery stock. 
 
 A merchant can readily judge between a good cigar and 
 a poor one by examination, or by smoking; he may also ex- 
 amine and taste a sample of canned fruit, or vegetables, and 
 form a very fair estimate of the worth of either ; he can easily 
 test a sample of vinegar, or try the butter which is offered to 
 him, and arrive at a satisfactory conclusion with regard to the 
 value of these goods; in fact, he is able to judge, with some 
 degree of accuracy, as to the quality and value of nearly every 
 article he carries. In addition to his own experience and 
 knowledge he can consult the numerous trade journals and 
 reports which are regularly published and keep himself care- 
 fully posted as to the ups and downs of any article that is 
 subject to market fluctuations, or is regulated, in price, by 
 season, or by the law of supply and demand, and, by so do- 
 ing, he is prepared, before buying, with a good knowledge as 
 to the market values of staple, fancy or proprietary goods. 
 
 But in the purchase of tea it is all very different; for, 
 without personal experience and knowledge, he has nothing 
 upon which he can depend to aid him in his judgment; no 
 guide that will even assist him in making a determination; 
 therefore there is nothing left to him until knowledge is ac- 
 quired, but to rely upon the experience, and, of more im- 
 portance yet, upon the integrity of the seller. It is true that 
 he will find tea quotations in many of the trade journals, but 
 these quotations are, because of the actual impossibility to 
 make them otherwise, very indefinite, and, therefore, prac- 
 tically valueless, if not misleading. 
 
 Trade journal tea-price lists usually quote Oriental grad- 
 ings, and with these the retailer is not familiar. These grad- 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 195 
 
 ings are known as "Fancy" "Extra Choicest" "Choicest" 
 "Choice" "Finest" "Fine" "Good Medium" "Medium'' 
 "Good Common" "Common" and others, but where the line 
 is to be drawn between a "choicest" grade and a "choice ;" or 
 between a "good medium" and a "medium" is most difficult 
 for the retailer to determine. Even if he could be guided by 
 these quotations, the gradings will not advise him as to cup 
 qualities, for the "choice" grade of one importer is not at all 
 likely to match the "choice" grade of another importer in the 
 cup, even if it does match fairly well in style, for all importers 
 do not purchase from the same tea-growing districts, or from 
 the same manufacturing firms in Japan, /or exporters in 
 China and elsewhere. In the Orient, where the grading of 
 the manufactured leaf is made, these terms, which are in- 
 tended to define the gradings, are understood; in fact they 
 are terms used by Oriental commission houses and exporters 
 in making their quotations to importers in the various coun- 
 tries where teas are sold. To make use of these terms to the 
 retailer is, therefore, useless, for, even if understood, they are 
 no guide to one who wishes to purchase teas intelligently. 
 
 The many and varied difficulties in the way of purchas- 
 ing teas with an accurate knowledge of what is being done, 
 have long been recognized by the retail trade, and the prac- 
 tice of relying upon the seller's judgment, or upon his brands, 
 has resulted ; a practice which, although it may be advantage- 
 ous in many ways, can hardly be called a business proposition, 
 and inasmuch, therefore, as the practice has become so gen- 
 eral, and the unbusiness-like nature of it fully recognized, an 
 analysis of the position of the retailer in his connection with, 
 and dependence upon, the wholesaler, will, no doubt, be in- 
 teresting. 
 
 For the sake of argument, but more particularly for the 
 purpose of analyzing the retailer's position in the premises, 
 we will assume that he, as a buyer, knows very little about 
 
196 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 teas, or about tea-values; we will concede that he is in no 
 position to protect himself, and that he is forced, by the ex- 
 igencies of the case, to place himself absolutely in the hands 
 of the seller. We will acknowledge, also, that the purchase 
 of his regular tea-supply is a matter of simple confidence in 
 the wholesaler's ability and willingness to act fairly and in- 
 telligently in the transaction; to ship a suitable grade of 
 goods, and give an even value for the price charged. 
 
 Looking at such a situation from a strictly business 
 standpoint we must admit that it is a poor one for any in- 
 telligent buyer to be placed in, but it is, in reality, the posi- 
 tion in which many thousands of retailers find themselves, 
 and one in which they are likely to continue to find themselves 
 until ample study of the subject has been made, and that 
 knowledge and experience gained which is sufficient to pro- 
 tect, where protection is needed. 
 
 In the tea-trade there are two recognized competitive 
 classes of wholesalers, both of which are continuously striving, 
 one with the other, for the trade of the retailer; and it is 
 the custom of each, in the furtherance of individual interests, 
 to present arguments such as are likely to be conclusive, or, 
 at least, sound enough to influence the judgment of the dealer, 
 and gain his order. 
 
 The arguments and claims set forth by these opposing 
 classes, are, in each case, strong, well-advised, and calculated 
 to bring results. Each is thoroughly convinced that his claims 
 for recognition by the dealer are more worthy of considera- 
 tion than those of his business rival; the claims of both bear 
 the imprint of truth; are reasonable and sound from a busi- 
 ness standpoint, as far as they go, and it is, therefore, a 
 difficult matter for the dealer to judge between them. 
 
 In order to canvass the matter thoroughly and arrive, 
 if possible, at a satisfactory conclusion in so far as the indi- 
 vidual interests of the retailer are concerned, it will be neces- 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 197 
 
 /' 
 
 sary to quote, and then to examine, these claims and argu- 
 ments at length, at the same time, giving to each class the 
 consideration to which it is entitled. 
 
 In this connection, and" before an analysis of the claims 
 and arguments of both Wholesale Grocer and Tea- Specialty 
 House is attempted, it will be well to enter a protest against 
 the habit a great many retailers have of purchasing tea from 
 the first salesman who happens to come along. Such a habit 
 cannot be too strongly condemned, not for the reason that 
 the retailer is apt to suffer in point of value, but for the 
 reason that promiscuous buying will do more than anything 
 else to ruin a retail tea-trade, for teas should be, at all times, 
 as nearly alike as possible; an impossibility where indiscrimi- 
 nate or hap-hazard buying is done, therefore, if the retailer 
 is not in a position to know exactly what he is doing, it is to 
 his best interest to confine himself, when purchasing teas, to 
 some one importer. 
 
 THE WHOLESALE GROCER'S CLAIMS FOR 
 RECOGNITION. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 1. The Wholesale Grocer claims that, 
 being on an equal footing with the Specialty House in the 
 tea-producing markets of the Orient, he is able to import his 
 teas at an equal laid-in cost, and is, therefore, at no disad- 
 vantage in this respect. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 2. The Wholesale Grocer claims that 
 he has a decided advantage over the Specialty House which 
 ships to the retailer from a long distance, owing to the fact 
 that the freight on teas by steamship and rail from Oriental 
 shipping points is about equal to all ports of entry through- 
 out the United States; therefore the retailer, who purchases 
 teas from far-away home markets,, has a heavy rate of local 
 
198 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 freight to pay, even if laid-down prices are made; against a 
 trifling rate from his natural, that is, his home jobbing 
 market. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 3. The Wholesale Grocer claims that, 
 although he may not carry so extensive a stock, or so great a 
 variety of grades, as some Specialty houses do, he, at least, 
 carries a stock and variety of grades sufficiently large and ex- 
 tensive to supply the full needs of any, or all, of the retail 
 houses tributary to the jobbing point at which he is located. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 4. The Wholesale Grocer claims that 
 selling expenses, that is, the salaries and traveling expenses 
 of salesmen, are a part of the cost, and, as such, must be 
 added to the laid-in cost of the goods he sells ; and, that inas- 
 much as his salesmen have a much greater variety of goods 
 to offer and sell, their individual sales must, necessarily, l>e 
 much greater in dollars and cents than the individual sales 
 of the salesmen of the Specialty house; hence his percentage 
 of selling cost to be added to the laid-in cost of teas is much 
 less than that of the Specialty house, and he is, therefore, 
 able to figure that much closer in making his selling prices. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 5. The Wholesale Grocer claims to have 
 an advantage over his business rival in the fact that he is 
 near to, and, at all times, in close touch with his customer; 
 that he has made, and is always making, or ready to make, an 
 especial study of his customer's requirements; that he is in 
 a better position to judge as to the kinds, grades and qualities 
 most suitable to the demands of the consumers within his 
 business jurisdiction; and that he is able, and always ready 
 and willing to advise and assist the retailer in the selection of 
 teas which will prove to be satisfactory. 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 199 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 6. The Wholesale Grocer claims that it 
 is never his intention to over-stock, or over-load, a customer 
 with teas, as many Specialty houses attempt to do, for, being 
 in frequent and close touch with the retailer, and with the 
 community in which the business is done, he is in a first 
 class position to realize the financial conditions prevailing at 
 all times, and does not wish to see a patron weighted down 
 with an unnecessarily large stock under any conditions. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 7. The Wholesale Grocer claims that, 
 although indirectly, it is certainly to the retailer's best inter- 
 est to purchase teas from him, for the reason that to do so will 
 keep the trade and its profits at home, instead of sending both 
 to some far-away point; and that this profit, being circulated 
 at home, benefits the home community at large, the retailer 
 included. 
 
 THE SPECIALTY TEA HOUSE'S CLAIMS FOR 
 RECOGNITION. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 1. On the other hand the Specialty Tea 
 Jobber claims that inasmuch as he goes to the Oriental pur- 
 chasing markets with a much larger order than that of the 
 Wholesale Grocer, he is in a position to command lower pur- 
 chasing figures and, in consequence, is able to quote lower 
 prices, on equal grades, to the retailer. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 2. The Specialty Jobber claims that 
 he is "first hands," that is, that he buys his teas directly in 
 the Oriental markets, and sells them directly to the retailer, 
 so that, by purchasing from him, the retailer saves the "mid- 
 dle man's" profit; that is, the profit of the Wholesale Grocer. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 3. The Specialty Jobber claims that his 
 
200 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 stock is larger, and is composed of a greater variety of grades 
 than that of the Wholesale Grocer, and, in consequence, he 
 is able to show a stronger line for the retailer to select from, 
 and to supply all of his demands to a much better advantage. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 4. The Specialty Jobber claims that he 
 makes a greater specialty of teas than the Wholesale Grocer; 
 that his knowledge of the trade is greater ; and that his stock 
 is selected to better advantage. For these reasons he claims 
 to be in a superior position, and can go before the retailer with 
 a greater knowledge of his requirements, and fill his orders 
 with goods that are better calculated to please in point of 
 quality, suitability, uniformity, and price. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 5. The Specialty Jobber claims that his 
 salesmen are, upon the average, better educated in the line; 
 are much better posted upon the subject of teas generally 
 than the salesmen of the Wholesale Grocer; and are, there- 
 fore, in a position to talk more intelligently upon the subject 
 with the retailer; are more able to match up teas or samples, 
 and supply him with grades more suitable to his requirements. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 6. The Specialty Jobber claims that 
 the Wholesale Grocer is compelled to get a large profit on his 
 line of teas in order to "average up" the small margin of 
 profit which he makes on staple groceries; while he, on the 
 other hand, having nothing but teas, or teas, coffees, and 
 spices to sell, is not placed in such a position, and, having no 
 small profit goods to "average up" upon, he can the better af- 
 ford to sell teas at a smaller margin of profit. 
 
 These are a few of the stronger claims and arguments 
 which are frequently advanced by the opposing classes of tea- 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 201 
 
 wholesalers when attempting to influence the judgment of the 
 retailer in an endeavor to win his favor and secure his trade. 
 It must, however, be fully understood that the wording, as 
 used above, is simply illustrative of the positions assumed by 
 each class, and that the arguments, when offered, are not at 
 all likely, for obvious reasons, to be expressed in identical 
 language. The import,, however, of the several claims will be 
 found to be identical with that expressed above, so that, for 
 the sake of an analysis of the claims, it may safely be taken 
 for granted that the above wording correctly indicates, at 
 least, the positions assumed by both Wholesale Grocer and 
 Specialty Jobber. 
 
 In whatever form, or in whatever language they may be 
 put before the retailer, it must be admitted that such claims 
 for recognition, when advanced by the bright representatives 
 of the respective classes, are not easy to verify or deny, and, 
 although the retailer, in his position of buyer, is frequently 
 favored with both sides of the question, he finds it, after all, 
 extremely difficult to choose between them, and arrive at a 
 satisfactory solution of the problem, and so the representatives 
 of each class continue to obtain a proportion of the trade. In 
 view of this it may be interesting as well as profitable to at- 
 tempt to analyze the arguments of each, an<J, in order to do so 
 with greater ease, it will be well to quote the arguments again 
 in their order. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 1. The Wholesale Grocer claims that, 
 being on an equal footing with the Specialty House in the tea- 
 purchasing markets of the Orient, he is able to import his teas 
 at an equal laid-in cost, and is, therefore, at no disadvantage 
 in this respect. 
 
 This claim of the Wholesale Grocer would appear to be 
 altogether a matter of circumstance. If he is in a position to 
 
202 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 go to the Oriental tea-markets with as large an order as that 
 of his business rival, he can command, at least, equal prices, 
 for the commission men of Japan, and the exporters of China, 
 India and Ceylon are no respecters of trade-classes. If, on 
 the other hand, his order is for small quantities of varied 
 kinds and grades of Japan teas, or for the choice, or for 
 broken lots of Chinese chops, he can hardly expect to make 
 good his claim, although much will depend upon the ability 
 and general knowledge of his tea-department manager. 
 
 It is not a very difficult matter for a tea-buyer in this 
 country to purchase suitable teas in the several Oriental mar- 
 kets. It is true that the conditions which exist in the different 
 producing countries create different methods of doing business, 
 but so many facilities for buying teas to advantage are offered 
 by the European and American manufacturers of Japan ; ex- 
 porters of China, and grower-manufacturers of India and 
 Ceylon, with whom the business is done, that few American 
 importers, whether Wholesale Grocers or Specialty Houses, are 
 wanting in knowledge or opportunity in this respect. 
 
 In Japan there are a number of European, American 
 and Japanese firms whose sole business is to take care of 
 their American clients. These firms are prepared to purchase 
 native-leaf for the account of American importers, upon a 
 commission basis, or otherwise, and are prepared, also, to 
 manufacture the leaf into any desired make and style of com- 
 mercial tea, and pack the finished product into chests, or 
 packages, of any size or weight. 
 
 American orders placed with Japan houses are usually 
 accompanied by standards, or samples, of the various makes 
 and grades to be matched; and by limits of price per lb., or 
 per picul 133^ Ibs. these limits being the maximum 
 figures which the purchaser is willing to pay for each kind 
 and grade in order to secure as close a match for his stand- 
 ards as the coming season will permit. Limits of price are 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 203 
 
 made in accordance with the knowledge the purchaser has of 
 the conditions existing in Japan at the time that the order 
 is placed, and are very necessary to the Japan house, but, 
 inasmuch as orders for new crop teas are usually placed in 
 Japan before the crop is ready to be picked, conditions may 
 arise which will advance anticipated costs, in which case the 
 purchaser is notified by cable so that he may have the oppor- 
 tunity of increasing his limits accordingly. The matter is 
 then left entirely to the service of the Japan house; teas to 
 match the purchaser's standards of quality to the best ad- 
 vantage are selected by it from the incoming volume of na- 
 tive-leaf, and at costs at, or as much below the limits as pos- 
 sible. The Japan house then manipulates the native-leaf and 
 produces a tea exactly in accordance with the purchaser's in- 
 structions as regards make, style, finish, color, fire, etc.; 
 packs the finished product into chests, boxes, or packages as 
 required by the purchaser and forwards the goods by steamer, 
 together with invoice showing prices paid for the native-leaf; 
 the firing, boxing, matting, labeling, rattaning, export duty, 
 marine insurance, purchasing commissions and other sundry 
 charges added. 
 
 The majority of Japan exporting commission houses own 
 and operate separate "go-downs" or tea-firing and -preparing 
 establishments, and the product of each is usually so very 
 characteristic that it is an easy matter for tea-men in this 
 country to distinguish the make or "fire" of one "go-down" 
 from that of another. American tea-importers are usually 
 familiar with the characteristic make, fire and style of teas 
 turjied out by the several Japan houses ; are capable of judg- 
 ing in the matters of quality, suitability and value; and are 
 informed as to the general reputation which each house bears, 
 so that it is a simple matter for them to place their business 
 where, experience teaches, it will be taken care of in the 
 matters of quality, uniformity and price. 
 
204 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 Japan commission houses are mainly well established; 
 have the reputation of understanding their business, and of 
 being perfectly reliable in every way. It is to their very best 
 interest to do everything in their power for their customer's 
 benefit, for not only have they the business of succeeding years 
 to take into consideration, but they are well aware of the fact 
 that the importer will have every opportunity of matching up 
 the teas shipped with those of other "firers," and be able to 
 check them up in point of quality and cost, so that it is not 
 unreasonable to expect that Wholesale Grocers and Special tv 
 Houses fare equally well at their hands. 
 
 In the purchase of native-leaf, however, an element of 
 chance occurs, and it is a chance which has to be taken 
 equally by the Wholesale Grocer and the Specialty Jobber. 
 This chance occurs at the time at which the Japan house 
 makes the purchase of raw-leaf for the account of its Ameri- 
 can customer. By purchasing a few days earlier, or a few 
 days later, from the incoming volume of tea-leaf owned by 
 natives, a saving in cost, or the reverse, may occur, for it is 
 not easy to catch the market at its bottom figure, or to ob- 
 tain the lowest rate of monetary exchange; but the Japan 
 buyers are expert, and are apt to do all possible in this, as 
 in other respects, for their customers. For these reasons it is 
 possible for one house to own its imported stock at a lower 
 cost than another, but both Wholesale Grocer and Specialty 
 Jobber have to, and do, take equal chances in this respect. 
 
 In China, teas are usually purchased in "chops/' or in 
 smaller lots, through European, or American exporting firms 
 established at the treaty ports of that country. American 
 importers of both classes have equal rights in Chinese mar- 
 kets; the exporters are actuated by a desire to please, so that 
 future trade may come their way; competition among ex- 
 porters established in China for the trade of the American 
 importer is strong enough to prevent serious overcharges, and, 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 205 
 
 for these reasons, the buyer for the Wholesale Grocer has an 
 equal chance to purchase at bed-rock figures with the buyer 
 for the Specialty Jobber. 
 
 A small order for Japan tea cannot be purchased, fired, 
 and prepared as cheaply as a large order, and a choice of, or 
 a selection of lines from a chop of China teas, cannot be pur- 
 chased at a price equal to that of the cost grading of the same 
 teas were the entire chop taken, so that the size of the order, 
 in either case, makes some difference in the matter of cost. 
 
 Wholesale Grocers, however, owing to the lesser variety 
 of grades in use in their selling districts, are usually in a po- 
 sition to purchase heavily of a few particular grades, that is, 
 of grades suitable to the requirements of their districts, and 
 the size of such orders, as well as the lesser difficulty ex- 
 perienced by the Oriental house in filling them, is usually 
 great enough to place Wholesale Grocers upon an equality in 
 the purchasing markets with their trade rivals, whose orders, 
 although larger in quantity, are much more varied and, con- 
 sequently, more difficult to execute. 
 
 The Wholesale Grocer, therefore, having equal rights 
 in the Oriental markets, and being in a position to purchase 
 certain grades in quantities large enough to command equal 
 prices, is, as he claims, upon an equal footing with the Spe- 
 cialty Jobber, and, for this reason, it cannot be truthfully 
 claimed by either class that it has an advantage over the other 
 in the tea-purchasing markets abroad. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 2. The Wholesale Grocer claims that he' 
 has a decided advantage over the Specialty house which ships 
 to the retailer from a long distance, owing to the fact that 
 the freight on teas by steamship and rail from Oriental ship- 
 ping points is about equal to all ports of entry throughout 
 the United States; therefore the retailer, who purchases teas 
 from far-away home markets, has a heavy rate of local freight 
 
206 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS, 
 
 i 
 
 to pay, even if laid-down prices are made; against a trifling 
 rate from his natural, that is, his home jobbing market. 
 
 This argument of the Wholesale Grocer is a strong one, 
 but obtains only as against the Specialty Jobber whose ship- 
 ping point is at a distance. 
 
 The freight rate on teas from Oriental ports, steamer and 
 rail, to any port of entry within the United States, or Canada, 
 is remarkably low, so low, indeed, that it is an expense which 
 can hardly be taken into account as against the heavy long dis- 
 tance local first-class railroad freight rates ruling in this 
 country. Instances have been known where the steamer and 
 rail freight charges from the Orient to any port of entry with- 
 in the United States have amounted to less than one cent per Ib. 
 gross, and where, also, the rate on through bill-of-lading was 
 about equal at San Francisco, Tacoma, Missouri River points, 
 Chicago, St. Louis, and New York. These low freight rates 
 are caused by a heavy steamship competition for the carrying 
 trade of teas to this country, and by an equal desire upon the 
 part of transcontinental railways for the business, so it can 
 be safely stated, that teas, under usual circumstances, lay 
 down at New York, or at any interior jobbing point, at about 
 the same cost of freight as they do on the Pacific Coast. 
 
 Sea-board cities on all coasts have a slight advantage 
 over inland cities in the matter of freight rates when con- 
 signments of teas are shipped by tramp ocean-going steam- 
 ers, or sailing vessels whose owners have no connection with 
 the railway companies, for the rates of freight charged by 
 such carriers are lower than those charged by the regular 
 steamship lines. It is not often, however, that anything but 
 the lowest grades of teas are entrusted to such uncertain ar- 
 rivals, for the great desire of all importers to be in the market 
 early with new teas overcomes the desire to make this slight 
 saving in freight. 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 207 
 
 The claim of the Wholesale Grocer that his freight cost 
 is equal to the freight cost of his competitor at a far-away 
 point is substantiated by the facts in the case, and the claim 
 that the retailer who purchases from a far-away home mar- 
 ket has a heavy local rate of freight to pay against a trifling 
 rate from his natural market is also substantiated by facts, 
 for, although laid-down prices may be made by the far-away 
 Specialty house, it is quite likely that the freight or, at least, 
 a part of it has been added to the invoice cost of the goods. 
 It cannot, however, be stated that the Wholesale Grocer does 
 not take the benefit of this important advantage in his favor, 
 for it would only be a legitimate business proposition to do 
 so. The keen competition for the trade of the retailer, how- 
 ever, would appear to justify the conclusion that such is not 
 always the case, but whether he takes the benefit of the ad- 
 vantage, or not, does not alter the fact that he has the advan- 
 tage, and may use it for the benefit of his customer, or not, as 
 he pleases. As already intimated, the Wholesale Grocer has 
 no advantage in the matter of freight rates from the Orient 
 over a Specialty Jobber, located at, or near, the Wholesale 
 Grocer's shipping point, for, in such a case, freight rates 
 would be equal to the retailer's railway station. 
 
 It certainly appears strange that the facts relating to 
 freight rates from Oriental points to America are not more 
 generally understood, and it appears stranger yet that so many 
 retailers insist upon purchasing teas from a distance, when, 
 under ordinary circumstances, equal invoice prices and equal 
 values could be obtained from Wholesale Grocers or Specialty 
 Jobbers near at hand, and the saving of heavy local freights 
 made. In this connection it may be said that it would be of 
 great benefit to all concerned were comparisons of values to 
 be made, for if the trade of a state can be held within the 
 confines of that state, great mutual benefit would result. 
 
208 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 3. The Wholesale Grocer claims that, 
 although he may not carry so extensive a stock, or so great a 
 variety of grades, as some Specialty houses do, he, at least, 
 carries a stock and variety of grades sufficiently large and ex- 
 tensive to supply the full needs of any or all of the retail 
 houses tributary to the jobbing point at which he is located. 
 
 This claim of the Wholesale Grocer is a simple statement 
 of facts, and is used only as a proof that it is not necessary for 
 him to carry a large variety of grades when such are unsuitable 
 to his working territory. The trade of a community usually 
 runs evenly enough to enable a Wholesale Grocer to make his 
 purchases in sufficient variety to meet all of the requirements 
 of any portion of his territory. The argument is used to offset 
 the claim made by the Specialty Jobber that he carries a 
 greater variety of grades for the retailer to choose from, and 
 that his line is stronger than that of the Wholesale Grocer. 
 Inasmuch, however, as the retailer can find as great a variety 
 of the grades in use in his territory in the Wholesale Grocer's 
 stock as he can in that of the Specialty Jobber, it would appear 
 that the claim is well taken, for it would be absurd for the 
 Wholesale Grocer to carry a stock of unsuitable or unsalable 
 kinds and grades merely for the sake of strength that such a 
 procedure would show. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 4 The Wholesale Grocer claims that sell- 
 ing expenses, that is, the salaries and traveling expenses of 
 salesmen, are a part of the cost, and, as such, must be added 
 to the laid-in cost of the goods he sells; and, that, inasmuch 
 as his salesmen have a much greater variety of goods to offer 
 and sell, their individual sales must, necessarily, be much 
 greater in dollars and cents than the individual sales of the 
 salesmen of the Specialty house; hence his percentage of sell- 
 ing cost to be added to the laid-in cost of teas is much less than 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 209 
 
 that of the Specialty house, and he is, therefore, able to figure 
 that much closer in making his selling prices. 
 
 This argument of the Wholesale Grocer is, presumably, 
 the one mostly used by his salesmen, as, upon its face, it would 
 appear to be the most effective one. The expenses incurred in 
 selling goods, that is, the salaries and traveling expenses of 
 salesmen, must necessarily especially in a wholesale business 
 be added to the laid-in cost ; in fact, selling expenses are as 
 much a part and parcel of the cost as freight is. It is really 
 immaterial to which ledger account a wholesaler charges sell- 
 ing expenses, for, whether charged to Expense account, Trav- 
 elers' account, or any other account, they will ultimately ap- 
 pear upon the debit side of the separate merchandise account 
 to which they belong, and the fact remains that these unavoid- 
 able expenses are a part of the cost. 
 
 The Wholesale Grocer's claim that his percentage of sell- 
 ing cost is much less than that of the Specialty Jobber is a 
 reasonable one, and, in fact, is one that must be admitted, for 
 having so many lines to sell, his sales must necessarily average 
 a much heavier amount in dollars and cents than those of the 
 Specialty house, and, for this reason, his selling cost is very 
 materially less. 
 
 Such being the case it naturally follows that, in the event 
 of teas being of an originally equal laid-in cost, the lesser sell- 
 ing cost to be added by the Wholesale Grocer io the laid-in 
 cost, makes him the owner of his tea-stock at a less cost than 
 that of the Specialty Jobber's, so that the claim of the Whole- 
 sale Grocer, in this respect, is entirely justified by facts. The 
 question still remains, however, as to whether the original costs 
 are equal, and, if so, whether the Wholesale Grocer is willing, 
 or not, to give the benefit of the lower cost to the retailer. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 5 The Wholesale Grocer claims to have 
 
210 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 an advantage over his business rival in the fact that he is 
 to, and. at all times, in close touch with his customer; that he 
 has made, and is always making, or ready to make, an especial 
 study of his customer's requirements; that he is in a better 
 position to judge as to the kinds, grades, and qualities most 
 suitable to the demands of the consumers within his 6?/> 
 jurisdiction; and that he is able, and always ready and willing, 
 to advise and assist the retailer in the selection of teas wh ich 
 will prove to be satisfactory. 
 
 This argument of the Wholesale Grocer is, beyond doubt, 
 a feasible one, and, to the retailer, it means, perhaps, a great 
 deal more than is usually believed. 
 
 Most Wholesale Grocers have the personal and financial 
 welfare of their customers very much at heart ; it stands to rea- 
 son that they should; for, outside of purely personal motiv-'s. 
 the retailer's success in his business means the wholesaler's suc- 
 cess, and it is, therefore, reasonable to believe that a stud} of 
 the existing relations are, at all times, made by the Wholesale 
 Grocer. That he, owing to his close proximity to the retailer, 
 and to the consumers of the retailer's district, is in a first de- 
 position to find out what kinds, grades, and qualities are most 
 suitable to the water, and other existing conditions, is beyond 
 question, and it is not reasonable to suppose that an up-to-date 
 Wholesale Grocer will fail in such an important part of his 
 business. That the advice and able assistance of a Wholesale 
 Grocer can always be obtained is a foregone conclusion. It is 
 to his own personal interest to do so, for he has the future trade 
 of his customer to consider, and not on teas alone, but on the 
 thousand and one other grocery articles which he carries, and 
 it must, therefore, stand to reason that he will not be likely to 
 jeopardize his standing with a customer by a failure to advise 
 and assist in any way that will be to that customer's best in- 
 terest. 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 211 
 
 On the other hand the Specialty Jobber is actuated in a 
 similar manner. He, also,, has future trade to consider, and 
 it is certainly to his interest to take as great a care of his cus- 
 tomer as he possibly can. Now comes the question as to which 
 class of seller has the greater self-interest in the welfare of the 
 retailer, and in the retailer's future trade? The Wholesale 
 Grocer with his large line, or the Specialty -Jobber with his 
 specialties? It is certainly not unreasonable to believe that 
 the Wholesale Grocer's interest is the greater, and that his 
 reasons for doing the best he can in the above respects for his 
 customer are stronger than those of the Specialty Jobber. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 6 The Wholesale Grocer claims that it is 
 never his intention to over-stock, or over-load, a customer with 
 teas, as many Specialty houses attempt to do, for being in fre- 
 quent and close touch with the retailer, and with the com- 
 munity in which the business is done, he is in a first class posi- 
 tion to realize the financial conditions prevailing at all times, 
 and does not wish to see a patron weighted down with an un- 
 necessarily large stock under any conditions. 
 
 This claim of the Wholesale Grocer, although frequently 
 made, is, at least, open to question. The fact remains, how- 
 ever, that, were he to have his own way about the matter, and 
 were the competition of Specialty Jobbers less keen, he would 
 much prefer to sell teas in small quantities, and at more fre- 
 quent intervals, for he fully realizes the danger of deterioration 
 when large quantities are purchased by the retailer, with the 
 consequent damage to his brand and to his reputation 
 as a tea-house. To sell in quantity, however, ap- 
 pears to be the aim of both classes, and as long as one of them 
 will push quantity sales, the other must. Lower prices are un- 
 doubtedly secured by the retailer in purchasing in larger quan- 
 tities, but it is really a question if an advantage is to be gained 
 
212 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 by heavy buying at lower costs, for there is deterioration, fall- 
 ing markets, interest, insurance and other charges to be figured 
 against the lesser cost. 
 
 Both Wholesale Grocers and Specialty Jobbers fully real- 
 ize this, but each is actuated by the fear that the other will fill 
 a customer up with a stock sufficiently large to last for many 
 months, and, in self protection, does his best to prevent such a 
 possibility, and so quantity sales are pushed by both classes, 
 although both would prefer, were it possible, to sell in smaller 
 quantity and more frequently. 
 
 Financial reasons out of the question, it is to the retailer's 
 best interests to purchase frequently and in small quantity, for 
 teas will keep to a much better advantage in the well appointed 
 store-rooms and warehouses of the wholesalers. The Whole- 
 sale Grocer fully realizes this, and the expression of his will- 
 ingness never to over-stock a customer is influenced by the 
 above reason as well as by financial reasons, and, were it not 
 for the fear of his competitor, it is safe to assert that he would 
 advocate smaller and more frequent tea-purchases. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 7. The Wholesale Grocer claims that, 
 although indirectly, it is certainly to the 'retailer's best interest 
 to purchase teas from him, for the reason that to do so will 
 keep the trade and its profits at home, instead of sending both 
 to some far-away point; and this profit, being circulated at 
 home, benefits the home community at large, the retailer in- 
 cluded. 
 
 This claim of the Wholesale Grocer is a sound one, and 
 good as far as it goes, for, in the event of a dealer confining his 
 purchases to his local market, the profits of the trade are, nec- 
 essarily, kept in circulation at home and the retailer indirectly 
 obtains the benefit. 
 
 It is certainly true that if trading were confined more 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 213 
 
 strictly to home markets, vast benefit would be derived by home 
 communities, and a much greater general prosperity ensue. 
 So long, however, as the retailer exercises his undoubted right 
 to purchase away from home," and to send the profits resulting 
 from the trade to build up some far-away community, just so 
 long will he find it so difficult to succeed, and as soon as re- 
 tailers learn to patronize home industry and home institutions, 
 trade depressions will become less frequent ; prosperity become 
 more general, and a happier condition of men's affairs exist. 
 
 The arguments and claims put forth by the exclusive Tea 
 Importer, or the Tea, Coffee and Spice House, are as well wor- 
 thy of the retailers' consideration as those of the Wholesale 
 Grocer, and a quotation of these arguments and claims, with 
 a discussion of their merits will now be attempted. , 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 1 The Specialty Tea Jobber claims that 
 inasmuch as he goes to the Oriental purchasing markets with a 
 much larger order than that of the Wholesale Grocer, he is in 
 a position to command lower purchasing figures, and, in conse- 
 quence, is able to quote lower prices, on equal grades, to the 
 retailer. 
 
 This claim of the Specialty Jobber is a very reasonable one, 
 and is, in fact, one of the strongest put forth. 
 
 There are, in this country, a number of Specialty houses 
 whose Oriental tea-orders are, undoubtedly, much heavier than 
 those of the vast majority of Wholesale Grocers. Such houses 
 import large quantities of all kinds and grades of teas, so that 
 they may be able to accommodate buyers in the large stretch of 
 country in which they do business; and, for this reason, it is 
 only right to presume that they are in a position to command 
 
214 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 the lowest possible purchasing prices, and own their teas at a 
 less original cost than the average Wholesale Grocer owns his. 
 On the other hand it must be said in justice to the Whole- 
 sale Grocer that his order to the Orient, being confined to fewer 
 grades, might, therefore, be as heavy as that of the Specialty 
 Jobber on any one of the grades which the Wholesale Grocer 
 carries, and, in such a case, there would not be much of an 
 advantage in cost for one or the other. The Wholesale Gro- 
 cer's order is usually for fewer grades than that of the Spe- 
 cialty Jobber, but upon these few grades his order is heavy 
 enough to enable the Oriental exporter, or manufacturer, to 
 purchase for him at the bottom market prices, and, where this 
 is the case, the Specialty Jobber has no advantage. The fact 
 that many large Specialty Jobbers carry a much heavier stock 
 than most Wholesale Grocers, does not, necessarily, prove that 
 their imports of particular grades are heavier. The Specialty 
 Jobber covers a much larger territory than the Wholesale Gro- 
 cer, and his imports must, in consequence, be heavier in order 
 to accommodate the varied demands of a varied trade, but the 
 fact that his total imports are greater does not prove that he 
 imports a greater quantity of the same particular grades im- 
 ported by the Wholesale Grocer, hence there is every reason to 
 believe that the Specialty Jobber has no real advantage over the 
 Wholesale Grocer in. the matter of Eastern costs. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 2 The Specialty Jobber claims that he 
 is "first hands'' that is, that he buys his teas directly in the 
 Oriental markets, and sells them directly to the retailer, so 
 that, by purchasing from him, the retailer saves the "middle 
 man's" profit, that is, the profit of the Wholesale Grocer. 
 
 This claim of the Specialty Jobber is good as far as it 
 goes. It is perfectly true that he is "first hands," but is not 
 the Wholesale Grocer equal with him in this respect ? Whole- 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 215 
 
 sale Grocers import the greater portion of their tea-stocks di- 
 rectly from the Orient, and sell directly to the retailer, hence 
 they are "first hands" equally with the Specialty Jobber. 
 There are indeed many lines of goods carried by a Wholesale 
 Grocer which he sells as a "middle man;" for instance, the 
 goods of manufacturers who do not sell to retailers, and, for 
 this reason, he is usually looked upon as a "middle man," but 
 in the matter of teas it would be very unfair to class him as 
 such. It frequently happens that a Wholesale Grocer will run 
 out of stock of some grade, or grades, of tea during a season, 
 and be compelled to replenish his stock in this country by pur- 
 chase, but this fact cannot rightfully be made to prove that 
 he is simply a "middle man," if so, the Specialty Jobber can 
 just as rightfully be called a "middle man," for he is just as 
 frequently called upon to replenish his stock by purchase in 
 this country as the Wholesale Grocer. 
 
 ARGUMENT Xo. 3 The Specialty Jobber claims that his 
 stock is larger, and is composed of a greater variety of grades 
 than that of the Wholesale Grocer, and, in consequence, he is 
 able to show a stronger line for the retailer to select from, and 
 to supply all of his demands to a much better advantage. 
 
 This claim of the Specialty Jobber is one of the strongest 
 put forth by his representatives. As a rule he has the larger 
 variety to offer to the retailer, and this fact may in some de- 
 gree, and most probably does, influence the retailer's judgment 
 in the matter of buying, but it by no means follows that be- 
 cause of a larger stock and greater variety, lower prices, or bet- 
 ter values, can be offered. On the other hand, it is hardly un- 
 reasonable to suppose that this larger stock and greater variety 
 adds to the cost of the stock-in-trade of the Specialty house, by 
 reason of increased expense in the matters of interest on capital 
 invested, insurance, taxes, warehouse charges, etc. It fre- 
 
216 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 quently happens, however, that a retailer can choose his stock 
 of teas to better advantage from the greater variety of grades 
 offered to him by a Specialty house and, for this reason, and in 
 such a case, the position of the Specialty Jobber in his claim is 
 unassailable. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 4 The Specialty Jobber claims that he 
 makes a greater specialty of teas than the Wholesale Grocer; 
 that his knowledge of the trade is greater; and that his stock 
 is selected to better advantage. For these reasons he claims 
 to be in a superior position, and can go before the retailer with 
 a greater kmndcdge of his requirements, and fill his orders 
 with goods that are better calculated to please in point of qual- 
 ity, suitability, uniformity, and price. 
 
 This claim of the Specialty Jobber is particularly strong, 
 and is the one that appeals the most forcibly to the dealer, and 
 especially, to those dealers who think more of giving general 
 and continued satisfaction to consumers than they do of ob- 
 taining greater profit ; and such a claim, when used by the able 
 representative of the Specialty house, does more to win and to 
 hold trade for him than all of the other claims combined. To 
 it, and to its faithful accomplishment in every particular, the 
 continued success and rapid growth of Specialty houses is di- 
 rectly attributable, for there are few such houses that do not 
 fully realize the great importance of living up to the letter of 
 such a claim, and doing everything possible to make it good. 
 
 This claim, however, while made in perfect faith, is, as 
 far as the retailer's interest goes, open to question, and, for 
 the reasons that follow, it will be seen that, as a matter of guid- 
 ance to the retailer in purchasing teas, it is altogether a matter 
 of circumstance. 
 
 It is true that the Specialty Jobber makes a greater spe- 
 cialty of teas, and is, otherwise, in a better position to do) all 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 217 
 
 that he claims than many Wholesale Grocers, for, inasmuch as 
 he devotes his entire energies to the one, or to limited lines, 
 his efforts, and greater knowledge of the business, give him a 
 much better chance of success in satisfying a retailer than those 
 Wholesale Grocers can expect to have who make but a sec- 
 ondary consideration of teas, or allow their tea-business to run 
 as it will. 
 
 There are, however, a large number of Wholesale Grocers 
 who make just as great a specialty of teas as any Specialty 
 house; whose knowledge, purchasing capacity, and position as 
 a tea-house is, at least, equal, and who are just as capable, in 
 every way, of giving satisfaction to the retailer in point of 
 quality, suitability, uniformity and price, for, notwithstanding 
 the fact that such Wholesale Grocers handle so many other 
 lines, it stands to reason that, if they pay as much attention 
 to the tea-business as Specialty houses do, they can command 
 and give equal conveniences in every respect. Wholesale Gro- 
 cers of this class are up-to-date in the tea-business, for each 
 has its especially appointed and separate tea-department, orig- 
 inally organized for the furtherance and better equipment of 
 this particular branch of the business, and placed under the 
 guiding hand of an expert and experienced tea-man. Such a 
 department places the Wholesale Grocer upon a par, in every 
 way, with the Specialty house that solicits retail trade, and 
 gives him equal facilities to handle the retailer's business in a 
 satisfactory manner, for it cannot be said that the tea-man oi 
 the Specialty house is the superior of the tea-man of the 
 Wholesale Grocer or vice versa. 
 
 It will be seen from the above that the Wholesale Grocer, 
 who cares to do so, can place himself in a position of equality 
 with any Specialty Jobber, and that the Specialty Jobber's 
 claim to superiority in the foregoing respect is, as has been 
 stated, a matter of circumstance alone. 
 
 Specialty houses have an undoubted advantage over those 
 
218 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 Wholesale Grocers who have no special tea-department, or who 
 employ no experienced tea-men, for it rarely happens that a 
 general buyer a buyer who purchases everything is as well 
 posted in the tea-business as a man who has served a life time 
 at the trade, but the fact still remains that there are a large 
 number of Wholesale Grocers in this country who have placed 
 themselves in a position of equality with Specialty houses in 
 every respect, and that the claim of the Specialty Jobber i- 
 good only as against such Wholesale Grocers who make no 
 attempt to bring their tea-department up-to-date in every par- 
 ticular. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 5 The Specialty Jobber claims that his 
 salesmen are, upon the average, better educated in the line: 
 are much better posted upon the subject of teas generally than 
 the salesmen of the Wholesale Grocer; and are, therefore, in a 
 position to talk more intelligently upon the subject with the 
 retailer; are more able to match up teas or samples, and sup- 
 ply him with grades more suitable to his requirement*. 
 
 In this claim of the Specialty Jobber we have a strong 
 one again, and one that naturally carries considerable weight 
 when presented to a retailer. 
 
 Specialty tea-houses, whenever possible, employ salesmen 
 who have had some experience in the tea-business, and, wh^n 
 such men are not obtainable, an education, great enough to en- 
 able the inexperienced man to talk teas intelligently, is usually 
 given before permitting him to take the road, for it is of r 
 nized importance that a tea-salesman should be sufficiently well 
 posted in the line to be able to guide those retailers who are 
 unequal to the task of selecting suitable teas for themselves. 
 
 The fact that a Specialty tea-salesman is in the exclusive 
 tea-business gives him certain natural advantages over the gen- 
 eral Grocery salesman, which advantages he is by no means 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 219 
 
 slow to improve, but it cannot be claimed, with any degree of 
 justice, that such advantages are the results of a higher tea- 
 education, or that they, necessarily, enable the men possessing 
 them to become, without study or experience, better posted in 
 teas generally than the average grocery salesman. As a gen- 
 eral rule the specialty tea-salesman has the reputation of being 
 thoroughly conversant with his business, whether he is so or 
 not, and of understanding it better than the average grocery 
 salesman, for, owing to the single fact that he is what he is 
 a specialty salesman retailers, almost generally, give him 
 the credit of possessing superior ability as a tea-man ; and this 
 natural advantage, when aided by a great zeal in pushing 
 goods ; by a greater amount of time in which to do so ; and by 
 the application of such well-studied stock arguments as he 
 possesses, carries with it the impression of a still greater 
 knowledge, and gains for him a consideration at the hands of 
 the retailer which he would be extremely foolish not to apply. 
 
 Such reputations, however, are easily obtained, and, ow- 
 ing to the lack of knowledge exhibited by the average retailer 
 upon the subject of teas, are easily held, but it by no means 
 follows that reputations of such a kind are gained by visible 
 evidences of a real tea-knowledge or education. 
 
 In spite of the fact that there are a great number of his 
 salesmen whose reputations for knowledge rest solely upon 
 the positions they occupy, the claim of the Specialty Jobber 
 is entitled to credence in a certain degree, for there are, in- 
 deed, many tea-specialty salesmen who are tea-men in every 
 sense of the word; men whose long experience upon the road 
 and at the tea-table, has given them a reputation which they 
 richly deserve, but such men are in the minority, and are 
 likely so to remain, for the simple reason that few men possess 
 the natural qualifications necessary to become really expert 
 in teas, and that those who are fortunate enough to possess 
 
220 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 such qualifications are usually able to find an employment 
 superior to that of traveling. 
 
 A specialty tea-salesman has greater opportunities to be- 
 come more quickly educated in the business than the general 
 line salesman, for having nothing with which to occupy his 
 mind in a business way, other than the limited line of goods 
 he carries, he has more leisure in which to study, if he cares 
 to apply himself. There is no question but that many avail 
 themselves of the opportunities presented for gaining knowl- 
 edge, and so train themselves in trade terms, in qualities, in 
 values, etc., and, by this means, strive to uphold the general 
 reputation which their positions give to them. The impetus 
 to become more proficient in .the line, however, cannot be said 
 to be greater in the case of the specialty salesman than that 
 which impels the grocery salesman to study teas, in fact it i? 
 really a question if it is as great, for many specialty men are 
 prone to depend upon the reputation already gained, especially 
 when they find that a slight knowledge added to their reputa- 
 tion is all that is necessary for them to possess in order to suc- 
 ceed in selling teas enough to make their services profitable. 
 On the other hand the grocery salesman is not backward, as a 
 rule, in a study of teas. The fact that teas are difficult to 
 sell, and are much more acceptable as sales to the employing 
 house than many other staples, creates within him a lasting 
 desire to excel, and, in consequence, he is usually willing to 
 exert himself in an effort to become more and more proficient, 
 and, in doing so, he generally succeeds in obtaining a knowl- 
 edge great enough for all practical purposes. In his effort to 
 improve his knowledge of teas he is aided by the tea-depart- 
 ment man, who, as a rule, is not only capable of imparting 
 sufficient knowledge, but applies himself earnestly in the ef- 
 fort to do so, and, as a result, it usually happens that the 
 salesman, who has been a few years upon the road for an up- 
 to-date Wholesale Grocer, acquires a knowledge of teas equal 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 221 
 
 to that of the majority of specialty salesmen, and great enough 
 to guide him in making sales that will prove to be entirely 
 satisfactory to the most exacting retailer. 
 
 The claim of the Specialty Jobber as a whole that his 
 salesmen are better educated in the line, and much better 
 posted upon the subject of teas generally than the salesmen of 
 the Wholesale Grocer therefore, is open to serious question, 
 for it is, indeed, more fancied than real, and is a just one 
 only in the case of those of his salesmen who have been edu- 
 cated in the store, and have had a sufficient experience in 
 testing, and in matching, at the tea-table; proficiency at 
 which being the only real test of a tea-man's ability. In 
 the case of salesmen who have gained their knowledge by word 
 of mouth, and their experience upon the road, no advantage 
 of consequence, one way or the other, as far as actual tea- 
 knowledge is concerned, is visible, for, in both cases, the sales- 
 men of each class have acquired their knowledge in the same 
 school, and have had equal facilities, as well as possessing 
 equal faculties, for absorption. 
 
 The only actual advantages, therefore, which the average 
 specialty tea-salesman appears to have, are to be found in the 
 reputation as a tea-man which he is fortunate enough to ac- 
 quire as the result of his position, and in the abundance of 
 time at his disposal for the acquisition of real tea-knowledge, 
 if he chooses to apply himself. Notwithstanding these ad- 
 vantages, however, and in spite of all that may be said, or 
 believed to the contrary, it is difficult to perceive wherein the 
 average tea-specialty salesman is, or has the power to become, 
 the superior of the average grocery salesman in actual tea- 
 knowledge, and, for the same reason, it is equally as difficult 
 to believe that one is in a better position to supply the retailer 
 with more suitable goods than the other. 
 
 ARGUMENT No. 6. The Specialty Jobber claims that the 
 
222 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 Wholesale Grocer is compelled to get a large profit on his line, 
 of teas in order to "average up" the small margin of pro fib 
 which he makes on staple groceries; while he, on the othcf 
 hand, having nothing but teas, or teas, coffees and spices to 
 sell, is not placed in such a position, and having no small 
 profit goods to "average up" upon, he can the better afford to 
 sell teas at a smaller margin of profit. 
 
 In this claim of the Specialty Jobber we have one that is 
 not easy to verify, or to refute. It certainly is a difficult mat- 
 ter to determine whether, or not, the Wholesale Grocer expects, 
 or attempts, to make a larger percentage of profit on his tea 
 sales than is proper and just in order to "average up" on the 
 small margins of profit made on so many lines of staple gro- 
 ceries. The Wholesale Grocer, however, has the same end in 
 view as the Specialty house, that is to make as good a profit 
 showing at the end of the year as possible, and, in order to 
 show this profit, sales must be made, and must be kept up, so 
 that, even were the temptation offered to charge unreasonably 
 high prices on teas, it would be extremely inadvisable, as a 
 business proposition, to do so, for it is not at all likely that such 
 a proceeding could be kept up; a fact which every reasoning 
 Wholesale Grocer appreciates. 
 
 Every tea-wholesaler expects a fairly good margin of 
 profit on teas, and the fact that there are so many exclusive 
 tea, and tea, coffee and spice houses, in business is the best 
 proof that such goods are more profitable than other grocery 
 lines. It is right that there should be a good profit in teas 
 as far as the Wholesale Grocer is concerned, for without them, 
 and a few other fancy goods, wholesale dealers in groceries 
 would find it difficult to exist, a fact which retailers must ap- 
 preciate for they are placed in exactly the same position them- 
 selves. Therefore, if the profit on his tea sales helps tin? 
 Wholesale Grocer to "average up" on the small margins of 
 
WHERE TO BUY TEAS. 223 
 
 profit made on staples, there is no one better entitled to it 
 than he, and certainly not those who refuse to handle staples 
 because of the small profits shown. To contend, however, that 
 the profit made by the Wholesale Grocer on teas is excessive, 
 or greater than it should be on this account, is hardly reason- 
 able, for it would appear to be extremely unlikely that such 
 an attempt would be made by any responsible Wholesale Gro- 
 cer in view of the fact that he has competition to meet, and 
 that he has as great an interest in proving himself to be as 
 reasonable in his prices as his exclusive competitor. 
 
 A recapitulation of the above arguments, or a further 
 analysis of their individual merits, would appear to be un- 
 necessary, for it will be seen that the advantage of general 
 position is decidedly with the Wholesale Grocer. In all prob- 
 ability some of the larger Specialty houses purchase their teas 
 to better advantage in the matters of laid-in cost and variety, 
 but the evident advantage which the Wholesale Grocer has in 
 much lower selling expenses to be added to laid-in costs will, 
 at least, equalize the original advantages in favor of the Spe- 
 cialty house. 
 
 Admitting then, as we are forced to do, that the starting 
 points of both classes, as far as original costs are concerned, 
 are equal, it necessarily follows that the Wholesale Grocer's po- 
 sition as a wholesale dealer in teas, notwithstanding pre-con- 
 ceived opinions, is as strong, to begin with, as that of the 
 Specialty Jobber. His subsequent position to figure as closely 
 as the exclusive house, and his ability to give goods that arc 
 as satisfactory in point of quality and value, no one can rea- 
 sonably question, for trade rivalry, if nothing else, compels him 
 to exert himself fully in these respects. The fact, then, that 
 local first-class freight rates are, in most cases, strongly in his 
 favor gives him an advantage which the retailer cannot afford 
 
224 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 to overlook, and, this advantage, added to his unequalled fa- 
 cilities for prompt attention; his greater reasons for care in 
 the handling of trade ; his stronger financial grounds for pru- 
 dence in the matter of overcrowding sales, and his general 
 interest in the welfare of his trade and in the community sur- 
 rounding it should, at least, count materially in his favor, for 
 these are considerations which the Specialty Jobber will iiiul 
 difficult to overcome. Therefore, in viewing the situation from 
 the standpoint of cost; of business advantage and of businr. 
 policy, we can hardly fail to come to the conclusion that th" 
 ivt;iiler will consult his own best interests by purchasing his 
 tea supplies from the house that sells him sugar his Whole- 
 sale Grocer. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 IS IT WISE TO PLACE AN IMPORTATION ORDER? 
 
 It goes without saying that competition for the order oj 1 
 the retail merchant is as great in the Wholesale Tea trade as it 
 is in any other commercial line. This competition naturally 
 stimulates the inventive faculties of the wholesaler to a great 
 activity and, as a result, many ingenious ideas, some entirely 
 new, others old, but clothed in new garments, are constantly 
 being presented to the retailer as a means whereby his order 
 may be secured and his future trade controlled. 
 
 Possibly the most important of the trade-winning ideas 
 which have, of late years, been brought to light, adopted and 
 prosecuted by the Wholesale Tea trade almost generally, is that 
 which is known as the "Import" or "Contract Order System ;" 
 and, although it is now quite a few years since the idea was 
 originated, it not only continues to hold its own as a favorite 
 means whereby trade may be secured and held, but it appears 
 to become a more and more important part of the Wholesaler'? 
 business, and is, in fact, likely to gain ground and be pushed 
 with renewed activity each year. 
 
 The very fact that the Importation Order business is 
 pushed with so much zeal by the Wholesaler, goes to prove 
 that it is a trade-winning and, therefore, a profitable idea, 
 and, for this reason, it will be wise as well as profitable to ex- 
 amine the pros and cons of the question propounded at the 
 head of this chapter, viz. : "Is it wise to place an Importation 
 order r 
 
 In order to arrive at a satisfactory solution, and to probe 
 the subject to its bottom, it becomes necessary to examine ifc 
 from the standpoints of both Wholesaler and Retailer. 
 
226 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 It is generally understood that, when accepting a tea-iin- 
 portation order from the retail merchant, the Wholesa ID- 
 undertakes to purchase in the Oriental markets, on behalf of, 
 and for the account of the retailer, a given quantity of one., 
 or of several kinds or grades of tea, at a stated, or at a limited 
 price for each grade, delivered at some designated distributing 
 point in the United States. Each chest of tea so imported is 
 to bear upon its label, or facing, the name and address of the 
 retailer, together with his chosen brand or brands. When 
 small packages, boxes or tins are to be imported, each package, 
 box or tin is to bear a chosen brand together with the retailer's 
 name as the importer of the tea covered by the label of the 
 package, box or tin. 
 
 In taking this class of order the Wholesaler usually ex- 
 hibits samples of the growth of the preceding season, \vhi< -h 
 are accepted as standards of the coming season's growth, and 
 it is understood and agreed that the samples, or standard*, 
 chosen by the retailer are to be matched in style, color and 
 cup qualities as closely as the conditions of the coming se 
 will permit. The goods are to be shipped to the retailer upon 
 arrival at the port of entry, or at given dates and in gi\vr. 
 quantities, throughout the year in accordance with the terms 
 of the contract; which contract, embodying the details of the 
 transaction, is usually made in duplicate, signed by both seller 
 and purchaser, each party to the transaction retaining a copv. 
 
 As already intimated, the motive which originally sug- 
 gested the Import Order System was the anxiety of the Whole- 
 saler to secure the entire, or, at least, as great a portion as 
 possible of the yearly business of the retailer, and steal a 
 march, so to speak, upon competition. 
 
 The traveling representative of the Wholesaler is in- 
 structed to find out, as nearly as possible, how many packages 
 of tea the retailer uses during the year, and, as it is usually 
 presumed that the trade of each retailer increases yearly, his 
 
IS IT WISE TO PLACE AN IMPORTATION ORDER. 227 
 
 instructions are to judiciously arrive at the percentage of this 
 increase, and solicit an import order for the yearly business, 
 prospective increase included. With such an order on file, the 
 trade of the retailer is secured for the year. Competition can- 
 not affect it, for, inasmuch as the order, or contract, is signed, 
 the buyer is legally, as well as morally, bound to accept the teas 
 at contract prices. 
 
 The aggressive Wholesaler usually attempts to open the 
 Import order campaign very early in each year, although a fair 
 amount of missionary work is done by salesmen at all seasons. 
 During the months of January, February, March and April the 
 work of securing Import orders is vigorously prosecuted, for 
 every Wholesaler knows from experience that he must work 
 hard for his share of this kind of business, otherwise his Sum- 
 mer and Autumn deliveries are likely to fall very short of 
 what they should be ; and for this reason, if for no other, many 
 Wholesalers are forced, frequently against their better judg- 
 ment, to adopt the system. 
 
 The position taken by the Wholesaler in placing before 
 the retailer the advantages to be derived from placing an im- 
 port order, is naturally made a strong one, and it is a most 
 difficult matter for the retailer, who possesses a limited knowl- 
 edge of the subject, to view the matter from any other stand- 
 point than that which is presented to him. It may, therefore, 
 be useful to carefully examine the position of the retailer in 
 connection with the arguments put forth by the Wholesaler, 
 and, in so doing, attempt to arrive at a satisfactory solution of 
 the question. In order to do this it will be necessary to take 
 the arguments which are advanced in support of the system, 
 and examine each one from the standpoint of the retailer. 
 
 FIRST. The retailer is impressed with the idea that the 
 labels , or facings, of the chests will fc ear his brand and name, 
 and each label will specify that he is the direct importer of the 
 
228 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 teas contained within each package, or that the goods have 
 been especially imported for him. 
 
 Such an argument is, of course, a strong one in th- 
 of the retailer placing his order for teas packed in small pack- 
 ages, such as quarter-pound, half-pound or pound paper pack- 
 ages or tins, or in five-pound or ten-pound boxes or tins, for, in 
 such a case, his brand is circulated in the homes of the resi- 
 dents of the town and district in which he does business, and 
 he, therefore, becomes known as the importer of that particular 
 brand, and of the package which bears his name. There can 
 be no doubt whatever about the value of such an advertisement, 
 provided, of course, that the tea enclosed in the boxes, pack- 
 ages of tins is of a quality sufficiently good to create and hoi -1 
 a steady demand for it. 
 
 On the other hand it is most difficult to discern wheivin 
 a retailer can derive an advantage, or an advertisement, from 
 the fact that his brands and name are printed upon the fac- 
 ings of a chest of lulk tea. The majority of retailers have, 
 as a store fixture, a canister, or box, especially made for con- 
 venience in retailing teas, and into this canister a portion of 
 the contents of a chest is placed, while the chest, containing 
 the remainder of the tea, is stored away under the counter, or 
 in some more convenient out-of-the-way place, to be, in duo 
 season, brought to light for the purpose of re-filling the tea- 
 canister ; after which the empty chest with its attached label 
 is relegated to the wood pile or to the stove. How can it Im- 
 possible, in such a case, or under such conditions, that the 
 facing, or brand, upon the chest has done good to the retailer? 
 And how can it be possible for any one to contend that such 
 an advertisement is of value, or worthy of a moment's con- 
 sideration ? 
 
 There are, on the other hand, some retailers who recognize 
 that, under the above conditions, not much advertising value 
 
IS IT WISE TO PLACE AN IMPORTATION ORDER. 229 
 
 is to be obtained from private brands placed upon chests of 
 bulk tea, but, in order to make the most of it, will endeavor 
 to create an impression upon the public by exposing a number 
 of chests of their branded tea in show windows; while others, 
 for the same reason, will stack up a number of the chests in 
 some conveniently prominent part of their store. 
 
 The first of these methods cannot be too severely con- 
 demned for the reason that the contents of the chests, while 
 in the window, are in great danger of serious damage, if not 
 of entire ruin, for the action of the sun's heat, made stronger 
 by the concentrating action of the window-glass, will not only 
 draw out the strength and sweetness of the tea-leaves, but will 
 damage their flavor and aroma also. Nor is this the only in- 
 jury which is likely to occur. The labels, those beautifully 
 designed, highly-colored works of art for which the Chinese 
 and, particularly, the Japanese are commercially famous, are 
 more than likely to suffer, for the exposure to light and heat 
 will destroy the colors and leave the label a damaged looking 
 object, its colors faded and drawn and presenting an ugly, 
 washed-out appearance which will totally destroy any chance 
 it may have had of being a good advertisement. 
 
 The latter of these methods, that of stacking up the 
 chests in a convenient part of the store, is much the safer plan, 
 provided, always, that the part of the store selected for the 
 exhibition^ cool, of an even temperature, and free from ex- 
 cessive daylight, or the direct rays of the sun. 
 
 From the above it will be seen that the advantages to be 
 derived from private labels, or brands, are much more imagin- 
 ary than real, except, as already stated, in the case of teas 
 packed in small packages which go intact into the homes of 
 consumers ; nevertheless the wholesaler places a great amount 
 of weight upon the idea of printing labels in the name of the 
 retailer, and has made of it a victorious argument in favor of 
 the svstem, for he realizes that the idea touches the retailer 
 
230 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 in a tender spot, by appealing to his sense of vanity, and this 
 is, in many cases, liable to over-rule better judgment. It is 
 gratifying to see his name and brand handsomely engraved 
 in colors upon packages of goods which have been grown, man- 
 ufactured and packed in a distant and distinctly foreign coun- 
 try. It is gratifying, also, to be known as a direct importer 
 from China and Japan, as the labels state, but can it be truth- 
 fully said that such an advertisement, or gratification, has re- 
 paid its cost, or compensated the retailer for the risk involved ? 
 
 SECOND. The retailer is impressed with the idea that, 
 by having his teas packed under his own private brand an,t 
 label, he will be placed in a position to prohibit the possibility 
 of his competitor in business underselling him. 
 
 Here we have an argument which, upon its face, is very 
 plausible, but it is, in fact, one which will not bear investiga- 
 tion. 
 
 In districts where small package teas are sold, that is, teas 
 packed in retailing quantities, and branded so as to be recog- 
 nisable by consumers, this argument carries great weight, and 
 justly so, but in districts where bulk teas are mainly used, 
 such a possibility is extremely improbable. The cutting of 
 prices is mostly indulged in on package goods, or on goods of 
 any kind which may be identified, and could easily happen 
 where two or more retailers are handling the same brand of 
 package teas, but, in the case of bulk- teas, where so many 
 grades, blends or mixtures are in use, it is not at all likely 
 that one retailer would, or could, claim that he is selling the 
 same tea that his competitor sells at so much per pound less. 
 
 THIRD. The retailer is impressed with the statement that 
 he will receive teas for his trade which will be uniform in qual- 
 ity throughout the year. 
 
IS IT WISE TO PLACE AN IMPORTATION ORDER. 231 
 
 Here we have another strong argument in favor of the 
 system of placing import orders, and one which is perfectly 
 true as far as the statement goes, but it is an argument which 
 will hardly influence the thinking merchant. 
 
 It is a well known fact that every wholesale dealer in teas 
 places a yearly importation order for a sufficiency of the va- 
 rious kinds and grades of teas to supply his trade from one sea- 
 son to the next. These teas are packed under brands, or under 
 brands and numbers, which designate the grades, and, in plac- 
 ing the yearly order, the wholesaler is more than careful to 
 protect his chosen brands, and to match his regular standards 
 of grade from year to year as closely as each succeeding season 
 will permit. Does it not, therefore, stand to very good reason 
 that any retailer can obtain, from the same wholesaler who is so 
 anxious to secure his import order, the same uniform grade of 
 tea all the year round, and purchase the goods in quantities to 
 suit his requirements from time to time throughout the year ? 
 Would the retailer, when such is the case, be benefited by, or 
 justified in contracting for, and receiving, a year's supply of 
 tea, when he can purchase an uniform grade from month to 
 month and from the same source? 
 
 FOURTH. The retailer is impressed with the idea tho,t 
 once his order for a year's supply of tea is booked, there will 
 be no further use for the representative of the selling house 
 to visit him until the next year., and that the expense of peri- 
 odical, or frequent., visits during the year will thereby be 
 avoided and the goods can, therefore, be sold at correspond- 
 ingly lower rates. 
 
 This is not a usual argument, but it is sometimes used 
 with effect. It is one which obtains only in the case of the 
 exclusive tea wholesaler. 
 
 In the case of towns having but one store this argument 
 
232 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 carries some weight, but, where there are two or more retailer* 
 in the town, it loses its value, for the reason that the travel- 
 ing man will continue to make his periodical visits in order 
 to sell his goods to the merchants of the town who have not 
 placed an import order. 
 
 FIFTH. The retailer is impressed with the statement 
 that, in the event of the conclusion of an import order con- 
 tract sufficiently large to cover the year's requirements, a Ion < r 
 price per pound will be made on all grades in consideration of 
 the size of the order. 
 
 This is, by far, the strongest argument which is advanced 
 by the wholesaler, and it is one which, naturally, carries ;i 
 considerable force with it. It carries weight because it is not 
 only reasonable but is in the nature of a business-like proposi- 
 tion. It is very true that a wholesaler is placed in a position 
 to make lower rates when an order in quantity is given, and 
 the reasons which he advances for being able to do so are be- 
 yond question. He saves much expense in the matter of insur- 
 ance, taxes, interest, drayage and in other minor items, which, 
 in the course of a year, amount to a considerable sum in the 
 aggregate, and there is no good reason why his customer should 
 not, at least, participate in the saving. 
 
 As has already been stated this argument is the strongest 
 in use in the furtherance of the importation order system, and 
 it is, therefore, the one which every retailer should examine 
 carefully from his own standpoint. That there is a saving 
 to the wholesaler in the items mentioned is true; that the 
 wholesaler will invoice the teas at from 5 per cent, to 15 per 
 cent, below the ordinary selling price is also true, but, even at 
 this, or at a lower cost yet, does the retailer really make 
 the saving? True his goods will be invoiced to him at 
 a price showing the saving, and he will undoubtedly own 
 
IS IT WISE TO PLACE AN IMPORTATION ORDER. 233 
 
 the goods at invoice date at the reduced price, but, in 
 the very act of having purchased so heavily to make 
 the saving, has he not placed himself in exactly the same po- 
 sition as the wholesaler would be in were he to carry the 
 goods? Has he not placed the burden of expense upon his 
 own shoulders? Will he not, with the large stock on hand, 
 have to bear the expense of additional insurance, taxes, inter- 
 est, etc., which the wholesaler has escaped by the transaction ? 
 And should not these additional expenses be added to the 
 original cost of the goods? It certainly would appear to be 
 good merchandising to figure it in this way. 
 
 These are, at least, considerations well worthy of the care- 
 ful thought of the retailer; and while it may be urged that 
 the expenses of carrying additional stock in a small city are 
 not so heavy, proportionately, as in a larger city, and in the 
 aggregate may not amount to the sum of a 5 per cent, to 
 15 per cent, saving on invoice value, still the danger of 
 fire, in case of under-insurance, or of damage or deterioration, 
 should be taken into consideration in this connection. 
 
 Having investigated the five strongest arguments which 
 are used by the wholesale trade to foster the importation order 
 system, and having examined them from the standpoints of 
 both wholesaler and retailer, it will now be additionally advan- 
 tageous to analyze the question from the standpoint of a sound 
 business policy. 
 
 FIRST. When a retailer places an import order, he, in 
 most cases, makes the order sufficiently large to cover his re- 
 quirements for a year. In doing this, he is taking several un- 
 necessary chances of loss, and it is absurd to urge that the 
 benefits accruing will more than counter-balance the risks 
 involved. 
 
 To begin with he is very likely to order more goods than 
 he can sell during the year, and it is useless to argue that this 
 is unlikely, for the thinking merchant will have in mind at 
 
234 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 the time of entering into the contract, that one of the main 
 arguments in favor of the system is that one which suggests 
 that his teas will be of one uniform grade throughout the year. 
 Again it is price that he is after, and the greater the quantity 
 the lesser the price is likely to be. Now, with these thought* 
 in mind, the retailer is more than likely to over- rather than 
 under-buy, for he will naturally be looking for the lowest 
 price as well as be in fear of running out of stock before the 
 arrival of the succeeding year's goods. 
 
 In such an event the retailer has placed himself in a poor 
 position indeed, for when the end of the season arrives and 
 new-crop teas are in the market, he finds himself compelled 
 to dispose of his surplus stock of old crop goods, while his 
 competitors are putting out new goods which, with their fresh- 
 ness and superior flavor, are likely to win trade away from 
 him. Then comes the usual result of such a condition of 
 affairs ; the old teas cannot be put on one side, for they are not 
 gaining in value with age, so they must be pushed off. Re- 
 duced selling prices are placed upon them, and the saving in 
 original cost is again cut into. 
 
 SECOND. A contract for a year's supply of tea at a given 
 price places the retailer in such a position that he cannot take 
 advantage of any "snap" which might be offered to him, or of 
 any natural reduction in the market prices of teas. It might 
 be urged, in opposition to this, that teas might advance in 
 price during the season instead of declining. True, but the 
 probabilities are very much more in favor of a decline, if any- 
 thing, especially towards the end of the season, for the reason 
 that the wholesalers are likely to crowd sales at that particular 
 time, so as to have as clean a stock as possible at the beginning 
 of the succeeding season, and the effect of this general effort 
 to clean up stock on the part of the wholesalers is usually, and 
 quite naturally, a reduction in price. No wholesaler desires 
 to be "caught long" on old crop teas at the beginning of a new 
 
IS IT WISE TO PLACE AN IMPORTATION ORDER. 235 
 
 tea-season, for old crop goods, in competition with new, are, 
 irrespective of laid-in cost, much inferior in intrinsic value, 
 so that a large stock of "carried over" goods means a consider- 
 able loss in dollars and cents as well as in prestige to the 
 wholesaler; hence considerably lower prices in the effort to 
 clean up. The retailer who has placed an importation order 
 will find himself in exactly the same position if "caught long'' 
 at the end of the season, and he will, as already stated, find 
 himself in no position to take up any advantageous offer which 
 might come along. 
 
 THIRD. The retailer who places an importation order 
 for a year's stock at contract price, does so without a personal 
 knowledge of facts and figures to guide him in the matter of 
 values. He knows, of course, the cost of the, various grades he 
 has been using, but he is in no position to estimate the values 
 which conditions will place upon similar grades for the coming 
 season, therefore, if he places such an order, he must, perforce, 
 rely upon the integrity of the seller. Granted that there are 
 few wholesalers, in these days of strong competition, who 
 would attempt to take advantage of a retailer's want of knowl- 
 edge, still, under such circumstances, it would appear to be 
 a safer business policy to await the arrival of new goods before 
 purchasing, and not to take chances upon the grade, or value, 
 of an article which is still unproduced by nature, or is upon 
 the bushes in the gardens of Japan, China, and India at the 
 time of entering into the contract. How is it possible for a 
 retailer to measure the Oriental market ? Is he in a position to 
 obtain accurate personal information as to the conditions ex- 
 isting, or ruling, in the tea-producing countries ? Can he fore- 
 see the chances of a large crop with its attendant lower prices, 
 or of a short crop with its higher prices, or can he measure the 
 effect which favorable rains, or unfavorable droughts will have 
 upon the forthcoming crops? What retailer is in a position 
 to judge as to the effect upon prices which the matter of mone- 
 
236 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 tary exchange, the value of silver, will have upon the value of 
 teas ? The wholesaler himself, while in a much better position 
 to obtain information through his cable relations with Ori- 
 ental commission men, or through his buyer upon the ground, 
 r-till finds himself in no position to gauge the situation ac- 
 curately. A rain at a timely moment might save a crop of tea, 
 and make a full crop where a short crop was anticipated and 
 so create a slump in values; or a lack of expected seasonable 
 rains at critical periods might have the reverse effect. The 
 shadow of a war, or of a political upheaval, might cloud th" 
 horizon at a crucial moment and cause an advance in tin- value 
 of silver and a consequent inflation of values, to be followed 
 by a sharp decline when the cloud was brushed away. 
 
 FOURTH. No thinking retailer would dare to purchase 
 futures of canned goods, for instance, in such a blind fashion 
 as very many purchase futures of teas. The purchase of fu- 
 tures he knows is decidedly risky and, in order to protect 
 himself, he studies the existing and likely future conditions 
 thoughtf ully ; goes over the ground carefully, and, eventually, 
 is as thoroughly posted as the wholesaler himself. In these 
 matters he feels justified in buying for future delivery and, 
 in a great measure, he is, but in purchasing future teas it is 
 difficult to find justification, for it is ordinarily done blindly. 
 and in a way that, with any other line of goods, no merchant 
 would be guilty of. 
 
 In view of the foregoing it will be seen that the placing 
 of an importation order for teas is a matter of blind specula- 
 tion, and it must be admitted that a careful study of the sub- 
 ject will prove that there are more chances of loss to the re- 
 tailer than there are of gain. The chances of loss by fire, dam- 
 age, deterioration, lower values, over-stocking, extra expense, 
 loss of trade, tied-up money, etc., are certainly greater than 
 the value of the advertisement of a private label, or brand, 
 which, upon the whole, is the only real advantage which the 
 
IS IT WISE TO PLACE AN IMPORTATION ORDER. 237 
 
 retailer can obtain under the system, so that it only remains 
 for the retailer to determine whether the advantage of a pri- 
 vate label as an advertisement is of sufficient value to him to 
 offset the unfavorable risks which he takes when purchasing 
 a year's supply of tea under this system. 
 
 To those retailers whose trade is largely in package goods, 
 such as half-pound and one-pound packages or tins, or five- 
 pound and ten-pound boxes, the advertisement of a private la- 
 bel and private brand is of sufficient value to offset the risks 
 involved, and in the event of such a retailer choosing and 
 registering his own brand, or brands, to the exclusion" of the 
 wholesaler's brand, or brands, the system is decidedly, and 
 even greatly, in his favor. 
 
 On the other hand the retailer whose trade is in bulk teas, 
 if he will give the subject as careful a study as he gives to the 
 purchase of other future goods, cannot help but answer the 
 question at the head of this chapter in the negative. He must 
 so conclude if he consults his own personal interest, for it is 
 much to his advantage to allow those who are in a better posi- 
 tion than he to take the risks of importing, rather than to 
 take those risks himself. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 BULK VERSUS PACKAGE TEAS. 
 
 At some time during his business career every retail dealer 
 in teas has been, or will be, called upon to consider and to pass 
 judgment upon the small tea-package problem. 
 
 Unfortunately the steady growth of the package trade 
 tends to prove that this problem has not received that serious 
 thought and consideration at the hands of tin- retailer which 
 it undoubtedly deserves, otherwise package teas would not have 
 met with the success which has attended their introduction. 
 
 It is now some twenty odd years ago that tin- idea was 
 conceived, and today the country, and particularly the V 
 era part of it, is flooded with teas of all kinds, grades and 
 blends packed in quarter, third, half and one-pound ] 
 packages, cardboard cartons, lead-foil packages, and tin-. 
 These small packages are faced with beautifully executed 
 trade-designs, or trade-marks, which are registered and thor- 
 oughly protected under the law. and, in addition to these trade- 
 marks, the importer's, or the packer's, name and addrt 
 engraved upon each package in conspicuous lettering. 
 
 The origin of the idea, like that of the Importation order 
 system, is to be found in the desire of the wholesaler to gain, 
 and to control, the tea-trade of the retailer by getting him 
 to introduce to the consumer a package of tea which can easily 
 be identified and called for by its brand. The retailer is fre- 
 quently assisted in this laudable design by the importer, or 
 owner of the brand, who is usually willing to pay, or allow, 
 for judiciously distributed samples, and for newspaper and 
 other advertising. 
 
 It is only to be expected that teas packed in identifiable 
 
BULK VERSUS PACKAGE TEAS. 239 
 
 packages will be found to be of good value, good style and 
 good drinking quality, for inasmuch as the fundamental idea 
 is to establish a consumer's demand for a particular brand, it 
 naturally follows that the .owner of the brand will take the 
 very best of care to have the goods of such a quality at all times 
 as will cause the consumer to call for the brand continuously, 
 and, this end attained, the wholesaler not only has a strong 
 hold upon the retailer's tea-trade, but has a very valuable asset 
 in the established brand itself. 
 
 Much can be said in favor of the system, but the retailer, 
 who has his future trade and profits in view, and cares to give 
 the subject that consideration which it should have, cannot but 
 conclude that it is decidedly to his interest to avoid the pack- 
 age teas of others, and handle either his own brand of package 
 teas, or carry bulk teas exclusively. 
 
 It is said in favor of the system that it prevents the loss 
 of giving down, or over, weight. This, it must be admitted, 
 is true, but it must, also, be admitted that the extra cost of 
 packing in small packages will, to some extent, counterbalance 
 any loss occasioned in this way, for it is difficult to believe, in 
 these days of perfected scales, that the loss- by giving over 
 weight is great enough to warrant the expense and the danger 
 of handling and establishing the registered brand of another. 
 
 It is also said in favor of the system, that it prevents 
 the possibility of deterioration. That teas of all kinds are sub- 
 ject to deterioration is well known to every one who has 
 handled them, and it is certainly true that, when packed in 
 small packages, this danger is minimized. Deterioration is, 
 however, so easily prevented that, should it take place to any 
 extent within the limits of a tea-season, the retailer has no ono 
 to blame but himself. Exposure to the air is the main cause 
 of deterioration and it is such a simple matter to prevent this 
 that it can be called nothing but carelessness should a chest of 
 tea lose its flavor or strength while in the hands of a retailer. 
 
240 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 Open teas should be placed in a retailing canister, or caddy, 
 which is as nearly air-tight as possible and, in the event of 
 the canister being too small to hold a full chest, the remainder 
 of the tea should be carefully covered in the original box \viih 
 the lead lining, and stored away in that part of the store which 
 has the most even temperature; care being taken that it i 
 far enough away from fish-barrels, soap-boxes, or from anj 
 goods which are odorous, for tea will very readily absorb flavors 
 from the surrounding atmosphere. 
 
 The above are the main reasons given by the whol- 
 in favor of the system, and it will be seen that these arguments 
 have no great weight in fact. 
 
 On the other hand very much more can be said in favor 
 of handling bulk teas as against the package teas of other-, 
 provided that the retailer has his future trade and profits 
 in view and is not influenced by the easier method of handling 
 packages. 
 
 In the first place the object of the wholesaler should be 
 seriously considered, for herein lies the greatest, and, in fact, 
 the only real objection to package teas. 
 
 A package tea with an easily recognised trade mark and 
 brand, or name, engraved upon its face, is placed upon the 
 market. Much advertising is done in newspapers, on sign 
 boards, by circulars and free sampling. The quality of the 
 tea within the package is such as to fully warrant a good and 
 growing demand as the result of good advertising. The con- 
 sumer calls for the tea by its particular brand, becomes ac- 
 customed to, and likes, its flavor, and is more than satisfied 
 in every way with its quality, and the ultimate outcome i? 
 that the dealer is compelled to keep it in stock ; forced to buy 
 it from the wholesaler, however much he may dislike to d< 
 and thus the packer's object is attained. The demand grows ; 
 every retailer carries the brand ; it spreads from town to town ; 
 from county to county and eventually covers the entire district 
 
BULK VERSUS PACKAGE TEAS. 241 
 
 or State, and, in the end, becomes as staple an article in the 
 community as granulated sugar. When this becomes the case 
 and we have seen it happen competition is throttled and the 
 retailer finds himself in no position to protect himself by pur- 
 chasing teas from wholesalers who could do much better for 
 him, on an equal grade, in the matter of price. Then comes 
 the cut-price retailer with his reduction in the retailing price 
 of the brand, and, in consequence, the dealer, who wishes to 
 do a legitimate business, finds that he cannot drop the brand, 
 is compelled to meet the cut price, or lose trade, and the ulti- 
 mate result is that the retailers of the district where the brand 
 is in demand will find themselves in that position where their 
 tea-profits are no greater than their profits on ordinary staple?. 
 Thus the retailer forfeits his independence as a tea-buyer, and 
 becomes the mere employe of the owner of the brand; his 
 profit-getter, in fact; subject to his will and pleasure in the 
 matter of the price to be paid for the tea, and in the quantity 
 to be purchased. 
 
 In the second place the increased cost of teas packed in 
 small packages should be considered. It costs from three to 
 four cents per pound to pack teas in one-pound tins, and the 
 smaller the package the greater the cost per pound. It costs 
 from one to two cents per pound to pack teas in one-pound 
 paper packages, or pasteboard cartons, and the cost of packing 
 in smaller sizes is proportionately greater. In addition to the 
 cost of packing, the greater weight to pay first-class freight 
 rates on must be taken into consideration, and, from these 
 figures, it can readily be seen that there cannot be much 
 difference in the loss either way, whether an ounce to the 
 pound is lost in giving down weight in weighing out bulk teas, 
 or in paying the extra cost of packing in small packages and 
 the extra freight on the package itself. 
 
 It has been shown that no material advantage is to be 
 gained by handling package teas, and it has, also, been shown 
 
242 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 that there is a grave danger in introducing a brand of package 
 tea owned and controlled by another; still it should be said 
 that the great convenience of the package must not be over- 
 looked. It certainly is true that it is very convenient to be 
 able to hand out a package which needs neither weighing out 
 nor wrapping and tying up, and this consideration is the one 
 and only advantage which a package tea has over bulk. 
 
 Admitting this, and still bearing in mind the danger 
 which should, by all means, be avoided, and should convi-nii'iu-f 
 outweigh other considerations, it would be the wisest policy 
 for the retailer to choose his own brand; have his own namo 
 upon the packages, or tins, instead of that of the wholesaler; 
 protect it by registration and then he, instead of an outsider, 
 would reap the resulting benefit. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 
 
 It is not the intention in this chapter to enter into a 
 lengthy discussion of the merits or demerits of the various 
 methods of advertising, for problems of this nature are so 
 fully governed by local and other conditions and advantages 
 that little good could be derived from such a discussion, even 
 were the subject to be thoroughly canvassed. It is, however, 
 the intention to discuss the subject of tea itself in its relations 
 to advertising of any and all kinds, for without a knowledge 
 of the relations referred to a good foundation for any kind 
 of advertising is impossible, and but little, if any, good could 
 be expected from newspaper advertising, circulars, pamphlets, 
 dodgers, or other printed advertisements. 
 
 To successfully build up a permanent tea-business, adver- 
 tising of some kind is absolutely necessary. Without advertis- 
 ing, or "push" a retailer can never expect to make material 
 improvement in his tea-business and, even with teas in stock 
 which may be infinitely superior to those carried by his com- 
 petitors, without a means of making the fact known, he will 
 continue, year after year, to do a small business in teas, con- 
 fined, more than likely, to his regular customers, or to those 
 who will naturally trade with him; while with energy and 
 push, and with a knowledge of the channels into which to di- 
 rect this push, he will find that he can draw a tea-trade to his 
 store from sources entirely unexpected and unknown. 
 
 In the first place, therefore, it is necessary for the retailer 
 who wishes to push his tea-business to gain that knowledge 
 which will give him a solid foundation upon which to build. 
 
244 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 and with this knowledge gained, he will, at once, find himself 
 in a position to advertise his tea department in any manner 
 that Tie may deem best, and to take advantage of any condi- 
 tion that may exist, or arise at any time, with a reasonable 
 assurance that whatever advertising he indulges in will bring 
 satisfactory results.! 
 
 On the other hand, advertising, even if it be of the high- 
 est order and most expensive kind, if built upon a faulty 
 foundation, cannot do the good or bring the returns expected 
 of it, and herein we will find the cause of so much failure in 
 the attempted building up of a business, when the failure is 
 attributed by the advertiser to the medium of advertising, or 
 to some cause other than the correct one. 
 
 From the foregoing remarks it must not be understood 
 that any particular kind of advertising is advocated, nor, on 
 the other hand, must it be inferred that advertising, by any 
 legitimate means, is discouraged. To let the people know 
 in some way is absolutely essential to success, but the method 
 or methods of doing it must be left to the discretion of indi- 
 vidual cases. 
 
 The first important item which it will be well to call at- 
 tention to in the connection is that one which relates to the 
 healthfulness or unhealthfulness of tea as a beverage, for it 
 is all important that the retailer should have a thorough 
 knowledge and understanding of this interesting subject ; and. 
 as he cannot but become convinced, upon examination, that 
 the feeling which exists in many quarters against the use of 
 tea as a beverage is prejudice, purely and simply and without 
 foundation in truth or in reason, this knowledge will serve 
 to overcome the natural dubiousness occasioned by prior honest 
 convictions, and engender a greater vim in pushing tea as an 
 article of consumption, for a study of the subject will prove 
 that the drink is not only healthful, but infinitely superior 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 245 
 
 as a health-giver to the vast majority of beverages which are 
 in daily use by the human family.; 
 
 From the date of the introduction of tea to the present 
 time, physicians, writers and others have disagreed upon the 
 subject of the healthfulness of tea. Today, if asked for an 
 opinion, a great number of medical men would condemn the 
 practice of tea-drinking, and yet, if asked to give a reason 
 for such a general condemnation, it is, perhaps, safe to assert 
 that not one in a thousand could give one that would bear 
 the slightest investigation. This prejudice against the use of 
 tea as a beverage has been handed down through the genera- 
 tions and, without doubt, has been simply taken for granted 
 by those who are opposed to the practice, and it is really time 
 that such an absurd and unwarrantable belief, like many other 
 unreasonable notions of the old school, was exploded. 
 
 Inasmuch as it is the intention in this book to consider the 
 subject of commercial tea only, and to examine the various 
 tea-problems with which the retailer has to contend, it would 
 be a serious digression, and one which was never intended, to 
 enter into a lengthy discussion of the subject of the healthful- 
 ness of tea, but, in this connection, the reader, who is anxious 
 to give the matter especial study, is respectfully referred to 
 the works of those authorities who have given the chemistry 
 of the tea-leaf a thorough investigation; works which may 
 be found in any library. 
 
 A perusal of the pages of the works of many eminent 
 chemists will prove that tea, when correctly made and prop- 
 erly used, is not harmful to the human system, but, on the 
 contrary, the preponderance of evidence goes to show that it 
 is beneficial as a beverage and of considerable value as a hu- 
 man food. 
 
 It may, therefore, be taken for granted, by those who do 
 not wish to investigate further, that tea is a healthful bever- 
 age, and, in this knowledge, the retailer will find one valuable 
 
246 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 aid in building up his tea-business. Arguments and proofs 
 to this effect may be embodied in advertising matter; may 
 be used, verbally, over the counter whenever the opportunity 
 affords, and not only will it have its effect, but it will go far 
 to prove that the retailer has made a study of the subject, and 
 knows whereof he speaks. Vast numbers of people who really 
 like tea do not use it for the reason that it is so frequently 
 condemned as injurious. Many people of this belief would 
 make easy converts. Vast numbers, also, are slowly in- 
 juring their health by the use of the many noxious, and 
 really harmful and absurd decoctions which are extensively 
 advertised as "health drinks" or as tea and coffee substitute?. 
 If tea were proved to be healthful, how many of these would 
 use it in preference to the insipid beverages mentioned ? And 
 those who use it habitually, notwithstanding their belief in 
 its harmfulness, would be more than pleased to discover that 
 their belief was without foundation. And last, but not least, 
 it may be said, without fear of contradiction, that the mer- 
 chant who undertakes to combat such an erroneous public 
 opinion will certainly be looked upon as one who possesses 
 superior knowledge, and this to the betterment of his trade 
 and store. 
 
 Tea, to be healthful, however, must be properly made, and 
 a knowledge of how to do this will be found to be another 
 valuable aid in the building up of a tea-business. The im- 
 proper methods of making tea, which are, unfortunately, in 
 quite general use in the United States, are mainly, if not 
 entirely, responsible for the belief in the unhealthfulness of 
 the beverage. This being the case it is really essential that 
 the dealer should possess a knowledge of the proper method 
 of making, or, more correctly speaking, brewing tea, in order 
 that he may be able to impart this knowledge to the consumer. 
 In doing this he will not only aid himself materially, but will 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 247 
 
 teach his customers to make a beverage so healthful and de- 
 licious that an ever increasing demand will result. 
 
 Without going deeply into the chemistry of the tea-leaf 
 it will be sufficient for all practical purposes to touch light!} 7 
 upon the action of its three main active principles, which are 
 known to chemists as Theine, Essential Oil and Tannin or 
 Tannic Acid. 
 
 In the proper preparation of an infusion of tea the two 
 former principles are extracted by the hot water, for reason:: 
 given hereafter, to the exclusion of as much as possible of the 
 Tannin. 
 
 Theine, sometimes pronounced Tay-een; correctly pro- 
 nounced Tay-in the alkaloid of tea, is that principle which 
 imparts to the infusion its wholesomeness and refreshing 
 qualities. 
 
 Dr. Williams, when a professor of Yale College in 1883, 
 has the following to say about it.* 
 
 "Theine has no smell and a slightly bitter taste, and does 
 not, therefore, attract us to drink the infusion; but chemists 
 tell us that it contains nearly thirty per cent, of nitrogen. The 
 salts of other beverages, as coffee and cocoa, likewise contain 
 much nitrogen, and all tend to repair the waste going on in the 
 human system, reduce the amount of solid food necessary, 
 diminish, too, the wear and tear of the body and consequent 
 lassitude of the mind, and maintain the vigor of both upon a 
 smaller amount of food. Tea does this more pleasantly, per- 
 haps, than any of the others; but it does more than they for 
 old people in supplementing the impaired powers of digestion, 
 and helping them to maintain their flesh and uphold the sys- 
 tem in health longer than they otherwise would." 
 
 Dr. Liebig, the eminent German chemist, in his "Animal 
 Chemistry" says : "If an infusion of tea contain no more than 
 the one-tenth of a grain of theine, still, if it contribute in point 
 *"The Middle Kingdom," by S. Wells Williams, LL. D. 
 
248 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 of fact to the formation of bile, the action even of such .1 
 quantity cannot be looked upon as a nullity. 
 
 "Without entering minutely into the medicinal action of 
 theine it will surely appear a most striking fact, even if wo 
 chose to deny its influence on the process of secretion, that 
 this substance with the action of oxygen and the elements of 
 water can yield taurine, the nitrogenised compound peculiar 
 to bile. Thus we may say of these nitrogenised compounds, 
 caffeine or theine, that they are food for the liver since tlu\y 
 contain the elements by the presence of which that organ is 
 enabled to perform its functions." 
 
 The Essential or Volatile Oil of Tea is that principle of 
 the leaf which imparts the flavory aroma to the infusion and 
 strength to the liquor. The quantity contained in an ordinary 
 brew of tea is so small that but little need be said as to its ef- 
 fect upon the human system. 
 
 Albert B. Prescott, Professor of Organic and Applied 
 Chemistry in the University of Michigan, in his article upon 
 "The Chemistry of Coffee and Tea" 1882, says: "The fra- 
 grant principle of tea, the essential oil, has not been separated 
 in notable quantities, but it is recognized as a diffusible stim- 
 ulant, transient and harmless in its effect on the system, and 
 certainly attracting no little favor to the tea-cup." 
 
 It is claimed by some chemists that the Essential Oil of 
 tea acts in such a way upon the human system that nervous 
 troubles and insomnia result, but, if we may be permitted to 
 judge by the effects of tea-drinking upon the races of the earth 
 who use tea the most and we know that tea cannot be made 
 without extracting the volatile oil then it will be perfectly safe 
 to assume that the oil of tea is, at least, harmless. Who can make 
 the claim that the Chinese and Japanese are a nervous race? 
 Are we not accustomed to look upon these, and upon the 
 English, Irish, Scottish and Russian races as the most stolid 
 and healthy upon the face of the globe ? These peoples are not 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 249 
 
 troubled, to any extent, with nervousness or insomnia, and 
 yet they are the greatest consumers of tea in the world ! 
 
 Tannin. The effect of this constituent part of the tea- 
 leaf upon the animal economy is known to be deleterious. It 
 imparts to the improperly made liquid a bitter astringency 
 which cannot be otherwise than harmful. It is present in the 
 tea-leaf in large quantities, and it is to this principle that the 
 beverage owes its unpopularity in many quarters. 
 
 Professor Prescott says: "In tea the proportion (of 
 tannin) is large, ranging, according to the lowest statements, 
 from 9 per cent, to 12 per cent, and placed by some authorities 
 as high as 30 per cent, to 40 per cent. But it is important to 
 know that only a small part of this tannin is extracted from 
 the leaf in the suitable preparation of the beverage. Some ex- 
 periments with tea as it is prepared for the table gave, for a 
 five fluid ounce cup of the liquid, in ten instances an average 
 content of a trifle over one grain of tannin. Other experi- 
 ments with tea, after five minutes' steeping, gave, in twelve 
 instances, an average of tannin equal to only 8-100 per cent, 
 of the dry leaf. In another case, by thirty minutes active boil- 
 ing, so much tannin as 11% per cent, of the tea-leaf was ob- 
 tained in solution/' 
 
 From the above brief descriptions of the main active prin- 
 ciples of the tea-leaf it will be readily understood that the 
 only proper method of brewing tea is that one which will draw 
 out the two beneficial principles, Theine and the Essential Oil, 
 from the leaves and allow as much as possible of the Tannin 
 to remain therein. Happily this is not at all difficult to ac- 
 complish, for inasmuch as the Theine and Essential Oil are 
 very much more soluble in boiling water than the Tannin, a 
 little care is all that is necessary in order to produce a good 
 and healthful drink. 
 
 The following method of brewing tea, if carefully fol- 
 
250 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 lowed and it is just as easy to do it carefully as otherwise 
 will produce, at all times, a wholesome, delicious beverage. 
 
 RULES FOR BREWING TEA. 
 
 1st. Use nothing but freshly boiled water. 
 
 2nd. Use two common earthenware tea-pots, both of 
 which must be perfectly clean and heated either on the stove 
 or by the use of hot water and dried. 
 
 3rd. Use one large tea-spoonful of tea-leaves to every 
 half-pint of boiling water. The quantity used may be in- 
 creased or decreased according to strength desired. 
 
 4th. Place the required quantity of tea-leaves in one of 
 the tea-pots, then pour the desired quantity of boiling water 
 over the leaves. Place the tea-pot cover quickly in place in 
 order to prevent the escape of the aroma. Then set the tea-pot 
 at the back of the stove, where it will keep as closely as pos- 
 sible to the original temperature of the water. Never, um 1 ^- 
 any circumstances, allow the water to boil after having been 
 poured over the tearleaves. Allow the pot to remain for from 
 five to six minutes, if the tea is of a black variety, and from 
 eight to. ten minutes if Japan or China green tea is used. 
 
 5th. After the required time for infusion has elapsed, 
 pour the liquid into the second pot, using a tea-pot spout- 
 strainer so that none of the leaves will escape from the first 
 into the second pot. In making this transfer of the infusion 
 from one pot to the other care should be taken to see that tho 
 second pot has been previously heated. 
 
 6th. The tea-pot is now ready for the table and the tea 
 should be served as quickly as possible. The use of the English 
 tea-cozy will be found to be of great advantage in keeping 
 the tea-pot and its contents hot while on the table. A cozy is 
 made in the shape of a cover for the entire pot and looks like 
 an old-fashioned cocked hat. It is made of decorated goods with 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 251 
 
 a cloth lining and between the goods and lining is placed a very 
 considerable thickness of cotton batting. Such a covering for 
 the tea-pot will aid in retaining the heat for a long time. 
 
 In explanation of the- above rules a few remarks aro 
 necessary. 
 
 Freshly boiled water,, or water that has been at the boil- 
 ing point not to exceed a few minutes, is really necessary in 
 order to procure the best results. If water that has been 
 boiled for some time, or that which has been re-boiled, is used, 
 the life of the water is entirely gone from it, and the tea, made 
 from such water, will be flat and insipid ; lacking in that life 
 which is necessary. 
 
 Earthenware tea-pots are much better than metal pots 
 of any kind, for the reason that they can be kept cleaner and 
 are not liable to impart a metallic flavor to the infusion. The 
 Chinese and Japanese, who are very familiar with the subject, 
 invariably use earthenware pots and tea-cups. The idea of 
 using two pots is a good one, for the reason that, after the 
 infusion has been poured off the leaves into the second pot, 
 all danger of extracting tannin from the leaves is obviated, 
 and the last cup of tea in the second pot will be as good as 
 the first, which could not be the case if the infusion were to 
 remain upon the tea-leaves in the first pot. 
 
 Allowing the liquid to boil upon the stove, that is, after 
 having been poured over the leaves, will produce a decoction 
 instead of an infusion of tea, and the result will be an acrid, 
 astringent, puckery liquid, heavily impregnated with tannin, 
 and quite unfit for use. 
 
 Black teas, particularly Assams, Ceylons and Indio-Cey- 
 lon blends contain a much greater percentage of tannin than 
 Japans and China greens, and, for this reason, they should not 
 be allowed to infuse longer than six minutes; while Japans, 
 Ooloongs and Green teas, owing to their lesser percentage of 
 tannin, may be infused for the longer period of from eight to 
 
252 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ten minutes. In altitudes of five thousand feet, or there- 
 abouts, above sea-level, teas will take a little longer to infuse, 
 owing to the decreased quantity of oxygen in the atmosphere, 
 but a little practice will quickly demonstrate the requisite 
 length of time necessary for perfect infusion in these high al- 
 titudes. For the same reason the water should be allowed to 
 boil for some minutes longer in high altitudes before pouring 
 it over the tea-leaves. 
 
 The next item that it will be well to mention, as a connect- 
 ing link in the chain of aids in the building up of a tea-trade, 
 is the cheapness of tea as a beverage. 
 
 A pound of tea that is worth the money paid for it one, 
 for instance, that will allow the dealer a reasonable margin of 
 profit when retailed at oOc, 75c or $1 per Ib. will return to 
 the consumer from 200 to 250 ordinary cups of the beverage ; 
 and it will be a beverage that is full-bodied, pleasing and 
 healthful. 
 
 Cheap teas are dear at any price; the consumer will find 
 them so, and so will the dealer. 
 
 Goods that retail, ordinarily, at from 25 cents to 35 
 cents per Ib., will produce from 120 to 175 cups, at most, of 
 a beverage that is undesirable in every particular; thin, life- 
 less, and without flavor. 
 
 These figures show that the beverage made from the 
 higher grade teas 75c and $1 at retail costs less than a half- 
 cent per cup, and that that of the medium grades 50c and 
 60c teas costs less than a quarter-cent per cup; whereas a 
 beverage made from cheap tea 25c to 35c teas at retail 
 costs as much per cup as that of the medium grades. 
 
 The figures are interesting, also, in that they prove that 
 tea produces a drink, even if the most costly kinds are used, 
 that is infinitely cheaper as a beverage than others of the kind, 
 such as coffee, chocolate, cocoa, cereal drinks arguments of 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 253 
 
 the makers of the latter to the contrary notwithstanding etc. 
 
 It is not often that arguments of the kind are used in 
 favor of the drink, and it is safe to assert that few con- 
 sumers ever attempt to figure out the cost per cup of their 
 beverages, so that the embodiment of such figures and state- 
 ments in advertisements can hardly fail to create consideration 
 or attract attention, and so aid the dealer in his efforts to build 
 up his tea-department. 
 
 The figures may, also, be used to good advantage in 
 pushing and in creating a demand for better class teas. 
 Many consumers that, for the sake of economy, are pur- 
 chasing cheap teas, would be glad to learn that their 
 economy is a false one, and these would not be slow to pur- 
 chase better teas when it is shown to them that a 50c tea is 
 just as cheap as a 30c one, as far as the number of cups to the 
 pound is concerned ; and that the better tea is infinitely cheaper 
 if quality is taken into consideration. 
 
 Such items as the foregoing, if well put before the public, 
 are bound to have the desired effect. 
 
 The next item which it will be well to investigate in con- 
 nection with the subject on hand is the tea itself; its Jcind&nd 
 grade. 
 
 A peculiarity of the retail tea-trade in the United States 
 is to be found in the well defined sectional preferences for 
 specific kinds of teas. These preferences are naturally created 
 and regulated by the demands of the preponderant population. 
 In strictly American communities Japans, Ooloongs and China 
 green teas predominate, with a much heavier demand for the 
 several kinds and grades of Japans. In communities popu- 
 lated largely by persons of English, Scotch, Irish or British- 
 Colonial birth or extraction, black teas and black blends pre- 
 vail. In the Southern States, China green teas are in the 
 greater demand, while in the great Central and Western agri- 
 
254 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 cultural States by far the heavier demand is for Sun-cured, 
 Pan-fired and Basket-fired Japans. 
 
 In attempting to push his tea-trade the wise merchant 
 will confine himself to the kinds which are in demand in his 
 district, for it certainly would be a serious mistake to attempt 
 to advertise or push a kind of tea to which the people are un- 
 accustomed. A consumer of Japan tea can find no satisfaction 
 in a black tea, even if the black tea be of a very much more 
 costly grade than the Japan; and the consumer of a black, 
 Ooloong, or China green tea has the same objection to a 
 Japan ; so, for this reason, it is not wise to attempt to educate 
 the taste of a community it is hardly likely to pay. It may 
 be possible, and even profitable, to introduce a Sun-cured, or 
 Pan-fired Japan however, to a Basket-fired drinking com- 
 munity and vice versa, or to replace a Congou with an Indian 
 or Ceylon, or the reverse, but to attempt to push a green tea 
 where black teas are in demand would be worse than useless. 
 A few consumers might be converted, but only a few, and 
 there would be really no good reason for making the attempt 
 as far as profit was concerned. 
 
 Before attempting to push a brand or grade of tea. it 
 is very advisable to be absolutely sure on two points, and 
 these are: 
 
 1st. To carefully choose the tea, or teas, upon which the 
 effort is to be made, and 
 
 2nd. To be absolutely sure that the chosen tea, or teas, 
 can be exactly replaced during the existing season, and matched 
 as closely as possible during succeeding seasons. 
 
 With regard to the choice of teas many important matters 
 must be taken into consideration. In the first place the tea 
 chosen should be one that will retail at the popular price. 
 
 It is not good policy to attempt to push a tea at a higher 
 selling price than competitive merchants are getting, even if 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 255 
 
 the tea is worth the difference, so that if the tea chosen is of 
 greater value than that used by competitors, so much the bet- 
 ter ; it will pay, in the long run, to sell it at a competitive price. 
 
 In the second place the- tea chosen must be suitable to the 
 water of the district. 
 
 Without doubt the suitability of the tea to the water 
 is the most important item in the matter of choosing a tea, 
 and yet it is rarely that a thought is given to such a matter. 
 It is a well known fact among tea-men that teas will draw very 
 differently in different kinds of water, some teas being better 
 suited to hard, and others to soft water. Pure, soft water, how- 
 ever, will invariably give the better result in the infusion, 
 will show up a good tea to the best advantage, and, at the same 
 time, it will prove up a poor tea that might pass muster in 
 impure water. Pure water, inasmuch as it contains no min- 
 eral, can have no chemical action upon the leaves and it, there- 
 fore, has a much better chance to draw out the good or the bad 
 qualities of a tea than a water that is impregnated with al- 
 kali, salts, iron, lime, gypsum or other foreign matter. High 
 or medium grade, flavory teas that have no foreign or un- 
 natural flavor, therefore, are much better suited to pure, soft 
 water, and, if infused in hard or impure water, their sensitive 
 flavor will, in a great measure, be destroyed. The harsher, 
 highly-fired, highly-toasted teas are better for hard water, for 
 they will endure the action of the chemicals held in solution 
 to much better advantage. 
 
 It will readily be seen, from the above, that a hap-hazard 
 method of buying teas is particularly dangerous and should, 
 by all means, be avoided by the retailer who wishes to estab- 
 lish a permanent and growing tea-business. Teas which are 
 suitable to the water are so easily obtainable that there is 
 really no excuse for a dealer to make the mistake of handling 
 those that are not. Any reputable wholesaler can supply teas 
 suitable to the water of any district and, on demand, would 
 
256 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 only be too glad to furnish samples, answer questions, and give 
 advice; then with a little intelligent experimenting on the part 
 of the retailer, which can be done at a very trifling or, per- 
 haps, no expense; or better yet the submission of the procured 
 samples to a tea-expert for examination and report, a very sat- 
 isfactory result would be obtained. 
 
 The cost price of a suitable tea should not be the first 
 consideration, for, to obtain just the tea that is needed, it i 
 quite possible that the dealer will be compelled to pay a few 
 cents per pound more than he has been accustomed to pay for 
 a similar grade, although it is quite probable that the reverse 
 may happen. In the long run it will pay the dealer to con- 
 sider quality and suitability first, and cost afterwards, for 
 wherein is the advantage if a few cents per pound are BI 
 in the purchase and the tea prove a slow seller on account of 
 its unsuitability ? There are "dealers who will argue that tea 
 is tea, and that it ought to be suitable if the price is paid, anl 
 that it will sell anyway. This may be true, but many tea- 
 drinkers will go to other stores to purchase a suitable tea, even 
 if nothing else is purchased, so that the dealer who handles 
 unsuitable teas is always in danger of losing a customer's tea- 
 trade, if not his entire grocery trade through this one fault. 
 
 Teas, when graded in the Orient, or in the American 
 market, are subject to certain qualifications which are con- 
 tained within themselves. For instance: The grader values 
 style at so much; flavor, so much; liquor, so much; bod 
 much ; and the combined whole creates an intrinsic or, at least, 
 a market value. Inasmuch, therefore, as each quality con- 
 tained within the tea has been appraised and valued, it stands 
 to reason that it must be paid for by the retailer, although ho, 
 owing to the quality of the water of his district, may pay for, 
 and not obtain, one or several qualities. For instance, again : 
 In valuing a tea, a clear, lustrous liquor in the cup has added 
 several cents per pound to its value. It has, of course, been 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 257 
 
 tested by the grader in pure, soft water; and it may happen 
 that the same tea, when drawn in the water of the retailer's 
 district, will yield a much inferior liquor, caused, of course, 
 by the impurities which the- water contains. This, of course, 
 is the fault of the water, and not of the tea; but if the tea 
 is the tea which the dealer wants, he must pay for this in- 
 trinsic value which the tea possesses, but which he cannot 
 obtain. 
 
 In districts where several or many kinds and grades of 
 teas are in demand the same general rules with regard to a 
 choice will hold good; but it would be a very wise procedure 
 on the part of the retailer to choose the grade and kind which 
 is in greater demand and, upon this particular kind and 
 grade, to make his initial experiments and effort. The remain- 
 ing kinds and grades will, naturally, follow in the order of 
 their importance, and, eventually, the retailer will own a line 
 of teas which will fully warrant and back up any or all efforts 
 he may make, or methods he may deem advisable to employ, 
 to let the people know. 
 
 It will be useless, however, to attempt to build up a tea 
 trade on grades which cannot be replaced, so that, before a 
 choice is made, the retailer will do very well to be very sure 
 on this point. The better plan is to experiment with the stand- 
 ard brands of well known importers, for, in this case, the 
 assistance of the importer will, naturally, be assured, for the 
 reason that much care is exercised by importers in the yearly 
 matching of their adopted standard brands. 
 
 The style of the tea to be chosen is the next important 
 consideration. 
 
 The "style" of a tea is the term used by the trade to desig- 
 nate its general appearance as a whole. A stylish tea is one 
 whose leaves are regular, well curled or rolled, and its color 
 even and good. Teas of poor style are the reverse in appear- 
 
258 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ance, their leaves being irregular, ragged, flat, loosely rolled, 
 twisted or curled, and of a dull color showing a lack of life. 
 There are, of course, teas of good style, fair style, medium 
 style and poor style. 
 
 While, in the choice of a tea, style must be considered, 
 still it must, at all times, be a secondary consideration to cup 
 qualities and suitability. A stylish tea does not always desig- 
 nate a tea of superior cup qualities, for it frequently happens 
 that the maker of the tea has hurt its drinking qualities in his 
 efforts to gain style, therefore it is always best, for any pur- 
 pose, to test a stylish tea. 
 
 Assuming that the tea, or teas, have been chosen, the next 
 point for consideration will be "In what shape shall they be 
 sold to the consumer?" Inasmuch as the main idea is to create 
 and to hold a demand for a certain tea, or teas, it becomes 
 in issary to adopt some plan or system which will identify the 
 goods in order that the consumers may be absolutely certain 
 that they are getting the same goods from time to time. Noth- 
 ing can be more effective for this purpose than a distinctive 
 paper bag with the name of the retailer and his registered 
 brand printed thereon. A half-pound or a pound of tea done 
 up in an attractive package, neatly folded and tied, suggests 
 more than ordinary care and pride in the article contained 
 within, and the difference between such a method and the 
 very common practice of sending out teas in ordinary Manila 
 paper bags, frequently done up untidily, would be immediately 
 noticed, and, in itself, would constitute a really good advertise- 
 ment. 
 
 Silver or gold paper bags, although more costly, are the 
 best for the purpose, and can be obtained from any paper 
 house, printed to order. Tied up neatly with colored twine, 
 the package, thus made up, presents a very business-like ap- 
 pearance, and suggests to the recipient that extraordinary care 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 259 
 
 has been used by the storekeeper in preserving the contents of 
 the package, and, if extraordinary care has been taken, it 
 necessarily suggests that the storekeeper knows that the tea 
 is good. 
 
 Then again the brand upon the package is an advertise- 
 ment of great value, and, if registered, as it certainly should 
 be, it will, at all times, be not only an absolute protection 
 against unscrupulous competition or imitation, but will be- 
 come a very valuable asset for which the retailer can demand 
 and obtain a good round sum should he, at any time, decide 
 to sell out his business. 
 
 In establishing a trade-mark or registered brand it is 
 best to use the name and the picture of some object of local 
 prominence; the simpler and more easily remembered the 
 better. When selected, any attorney-at-law will, for a few 
 dollars, obtain the registration papers. It is not necessary 
 to obtain registration at Washington, D. C., but, at the capital 
 of the State in which the dealer does business. This means 
 State protection only; United States protection must be ob- 
 tained at Washington. A photograph or a sketch of the object 
 sent to the paper house will enable that concern to have a cut 
 made for printing purposes, and the expense is at an end. 
 
 With the paper bags once on hand, the entire contents of 
 a chest of tea may be weighed out carefully and done up into 
 half-pound and pound packages at the leisure of the dealer. 
 This will not only prevent the possibility of giving down 
 weight, but will give the necessary time to make a neater 
 package, and will materially aid in preserving the tea from 
 loss of flavor. 
 
 It has been intimated at the beginning of this chapter 
 that the style or kind of advertising adopted must, for ob- 
 vious reasons, be left to individual cases. 
 
 There is, however, one kind of advertising which never 
 
260 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 fails to bring good returns and it will be well to discuss it. 
 for it can be made to fit any or all cases, and the dealer wli-.> 
 has placed himself in a position to do so as far as goods, etc., 
 are concerned, is strongly advised to try it. The advert 
 referred to is the giving away of free samples. 
 
 In reality there is no advertising equal to judic iou- 
 tematic sampling, that is, provided that the owner of the ad- 
 vertised article knows that it is of exceptional value, and just 
 right. 
 
 Sampling fails only when meagcrly done. With . 
 this would mean the giving away of an ounce or so to a pro-- 
 pective customer, and to do it in this way is simply a waste of 
 money and time. Sampling, when properly dour, and the 
 goods are what they should be, never fails to briny Ihr rmj 
 best percentage of returns; and in advertising a tea tin- plac- 
 ing of a one-pound package into the hands of every prospei -t i\ > 
 customer is the only proper way to do it in order to make sure 
 of success. True it is costly, but it will do the work. It means 
 thirty-five or forty-five dollars for each hundred packa^ 
 given out, but those thirty-five or forty-five dollars so expend--.! 
 will do three or four times the work of the same amount of 
 money expended in printed advertising, if not a great deal 
 more. The pound of tea will be respected by each recipient, 
 for it is valuable; it may take each of them a month, or 
 longer, to use it up, but, during that period of consumption 
 a large percentage of them will acquire a decided taste for the 
 flavor of the tea, and the sampling has done its work and done 
 it well. Then will begin a call for the brand : it will be talked 
 about at the homes of consumers; at afternoon teas: at moth- 
 er's meetings, and the retailer will then be able to congratulate 
 himself upon having expended thirty-five or forty-five dollar.- 
 to a very good advantage. 
 
 The attempt may be made slowly, and results carefully 
 tallied. Half-a-hundred may be tried, and it is confidently 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 261 
 
 believed that the result will warrant a continuation of the 
 plan. 
 
 It is simply throwing money away to sample gingerly. It 
 looks mean to present a prospective customer with a tiny 
 sample done up in a tiny envelope, suitable only for a single 
 drawing. Many will never think to try such a sample, and 
 those who do try it cannot have a chance to give the goods a 
 fair trial from such a small quantity. Therefore, if a mer- 
 chant undertakes to advertise his brand of tea by sampling, let 
 him do it liberally, or not at all. 
 
 In conjunction with judicious sampling a neat, short cir- 
 cular wrapped around the package of tea will be read by the 
 majority. People like to get something for nothing and 
 really prize it a great deal more than if they had paid for it. 
 Under the circumstances they will surely read whatever is 
 given to them for this purpose, so that a circular dissertating 
 upon the healthfulness of tea; followed by rules for making 
 tea properly, and a statement proving the comparative cheap- 
 ness of tea as a beverage, for instance, will add strength to 
 the advertisement, and in the wording of the circular the re- 
 tailer can take every advantage which may present itself to 
 call attention to the quality, etc., of the particular brand of 
 tea he is advertising. 
 
 A small beginning along these lines will demonstrate the 
 advantages to be derived from such a method of building up 
 a tea-trade, and it can be followed up quickly by greater ef- 
 forts according to the measure of success. 
 
 Demonstration, that is, serving the beverage, without 
 charge, in the store, is a fairly good way of advertising when 
 it can be properly managed. It is costly in many ways, but it 
 usually yields a fair measure of success. The difficulties in 
 the way of successfully advertising in this manner, however, 
 
262 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 are greater with tea than with other beverages, but with a 
 little foresight and care such difficulties can be easily overcome. 
 It is not easy to keep the infusion of tea in such a condition 
 as will do it justice, or will correctly represent its true qual- 
 ity, and it is impossible, on account of the time it takes, to 
 make a fresh pot of tea for each individual who is willing to 
 try it. A large urn cannot be used to advantage, for long 
 before the contents are exhausted the infusion will have de- 
 teriorated considerably, and to serve it in such a condition 
 will do more harm than good. The better plan to adopt is to 
 use two medium or large sized tea-pots; make the infusion in 
 one, according to rule ; and pour it into the other and keep the 
 liquid hot in the second pot under an English tea-cozy if pos- 
 sible. It will, however, be necessary to make the infusion 
 fresh at short intervals. 
 
 The greatest difficulty in demonstrating is to obtain a 
 lady-clerk who is, at once, able to make good tea, and capable 
 of talking it up and making sales while serving the drink. 
 For this kind of work it is not good policy to employ one who 
 is well known to prospective customers, for the reason that her 
 talk will have little or no effect. Store customers will try the 
 tea, of course, and will doubtless listen to what the demon- 
 strator has to say, but they will realize, from their past know- 
 ledge of the lady, that she knows but little, if anything, more 
 about the subject than they do themselves. A perfect stranger 
 always carries more weight, a great deal more weight, in fact, 
 and it is, therefore, very advisable to employ such an one for 
 the work. 
 
 In connection with the demonstration plan a tastefully 
 arranged little booth made up after an Oriental design in 
 point of appearance and coloring, with dainty cups, spoons and 
 table linen, would prove very effective. It is not costly to at- 
 tire the attendant in flowing Oriental costume, and this will 
 add very materially to the effectiveness of the idea. Within 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 263 
 
 the booth,, or within easy reach of it, hot water, towels, extra 
 cups, saucers and spoons should be placed, while upon the 
 counter of the booth, and within easy sight, a number of the 
 packages of the advertised tea should be piled up. It is best 
 to have the demonstrator adopt a system of keeping track of 
 her daily sales so that it may be known if the demonstration 
 is paying or not, and the retailer will do well to note that the 
 booth, the demonstrator and the materials used are, at all 
 times, clean, neat and tidily arranged. 
 
 Demonstrating in stores has proved itself to be a profit- 
 able and effective method of advertising, and although the idea 
 has not been extensively adopted as a means for pushing tea- 
 sales, there is no good reason why it should not be as effective 
 as it has proved to be in the introduction of cocoa, coffee and 
 other commodities. It might be advantageous to adopt the 
 system in conjunction with sampling, that is, to use one idea 
 and, later on, the other. 
 
 It is, however, safe to assert that the sampling method 
 will prove to be the more effective one if judiciously and pro- 
 perly carried out, and, although it may prove to be more costly, 
 it will not fail to bring the greatest measure of returns. 
 
 Outside advertising of any nature must be fully backed up 
 by an inside display in keeping, if possible, with the nature of 
 the advertisement. 
 
 To display a line of teas to advantage nothing is equal 
 to a handsome show of well-made, full-sized half-chest tea- 
 canisters. It is not easy to make a display of the goods them- 
 selves, for open teas quickly gather dust and lose their bright- 
 ness and freshness if exposed to the air, and it appears to be 
 impossible to make them look well under glass. A full line 
 of good canisters suggests good tea; suggests care in keeping 
 and handling; and suggests pride in the line. In order to 
 make the most of a display of tea-canisters it is very necessary 
 
264 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 that they be placed in a conspicuous position, as close to the 
 entrance of the store as possible. Tea is a very profitable arti- 
 cle, and its store display should, under all circumstances, be 
 placed where customers will pass it upon entering and upon 
 leaving the store. It is useless to attempt to advertise teas if 
 the goods are to be kept in chests or boxes under the counter, 
 in diminutive caddies, or at the back end of the store. 
 
 Top-delivery, or slide-top, weighted-lid, decorated tin-can- 
 isters are the best for the purpose, for they can be made more 
 showy and more suggestive of tea than bins or caddies made 
 of wood or other material. A handsome display of a number of 
 large decorated tea-canisters made to fit snugly in the shelving, 
 or placed in any suitable position near the entrance of the 
 store will attract immediate attention as a customer enters, 
 and be, in itself, an advertisement of great value. It is the 
 habit of a great many tea- wholesalers to present their custo- 
 mers with tea-canisters or -cabinets for retailing purposes, but, 
 in most instances, these receptacles are lettered with the ad- 
 vertisement of the wholesaler. In the building up of a tea- 
 trade the advertising of a brand of tea owned by another i* 
 not calculated to insure permanence, for the owner of the 
 brand may go out of business or sell his brand to a competitor 
 or competitors and, in either case, past advertising of the 
 brand will be lost. It is strongly advisable, therefore, for the 
 dealer to have his retailing canisters or cabinet made to order ; 
 made to fit his shelving or selected space, and to have his own 
 name and brand painted on each. Such canisters may be ob- 
 tained from any first class tin- ware factory in suitable size 
 and design. 
 
 In the event of advertising being done by means of pound- 
 package sampling it would be well to keep the canisters filled 
 with half-pound and pound-packages, and to arrange a neat 
 display of the packages upon the counter in front of the can- 
 isters. Such a method of outside and inside advertising can- 
 
A TEA CANISTER THAT IS A TEA CANISTER. 
 
HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEA TRADE. 265 
 
 not be otherwise than successful and, although it may be 
 somewhat costly, it will be found to be extremely profitable in 
 the end. 
 
 A window display of tea is difficult, and cannot be ad- 
 vocated as a good means of advertising unless the store hap- 
 pens to be located upon a prominent street in a fairly large 
 city. 
 
 To display teas in a show-window the utmost care must 
 be exercised in keeping the samples free from dust and sun- 
 light, otherwise their lustre and freshness will be quickly de- 
 stroyed. It is better to make a small, neat show of empty tea- 
 packages in a window than to display a number of samples of 
 teas, but if the latter kind of advertising is attempted, the 
 samples must be changed every few days in order to keep them 
 fresh looking and attractive. 
 
 In a window display of teas it is well to name the kinds 
 upon a neat card, and label each sample with its price per lb., 
 for teas exhibited in a show window, without name or price, 
 will attract no attention. Surround the samples with any- 
 thing Oriental; anything suggestive of the beverage or its 
 origin; tea-pots, tea-cups, empty original packages of various 
 sizes neatly done up -again, showing the labels; pictures of 
 Japanese or other Oriental scenes, tea-picking and otherwise ; 
 banners, etc. 
 
 Teas that have been exposed in a show-window should' 
 never be offered for sale for what they were before the expos- 
 ure; but should, if sold at all, be offered for what they are, 
 and at a correspondingly low price. If exposed for a few days 
 only they will have lost their original good qualities and, if 
 sold in such a condition, will do much to harm the brand. 
 
 A really good tea, suitable to the water of the district in 
 which it is to be sold, may, in time, advertise itself if the 
 

 266 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 dealer is content to depend upon such an uncertain method of 
 building up his trade, but it is better to adopt some system of 
 letting the people know, for, in building up a tea-trade it will 
 naturally follow that the regular store trade will benefit ac- 
 cordingly. Tea is a specialty, and a very profitable specialty 
 at that, and it is, therefore, one of the very best articles kept 
 in a modern grocery stock to advertise, for as soon as consum- 
 ers discover the fact that a really fine tea is procurable at a 
 certain store, they will not be slow in transferring their entire 
 grocery trade to that store, for, they will argue, if the tea is 
 so much better than usually procurable, other goods are likely 
 to be so too. 
 
 In conclusion it may be safely stated that the dealer who 
 first places himself in a position to fully understand what he 
 is doing, and to know that he can back up, in every respect, 
 all that he may say to the public about his teas, will win 
 trade from the one who refuses to use printer's ink or advertise 
 in other ways; but in order that the new trade may be held 
 and increased, care must be, at all times, exercised in the selec- 
 tion of the goods, and in the way that they are placed upon the 
 market. With these original precautions continuously in view, 
 and with a judicious system of letting the people know, results 
 will be 'attained that will be surprising, and that will amply 
 repay all expense and trouble. 
 
 The value of a first class blend of teas, as a means whereby 
 a profitable and lasting tea-trade may be built up, is unques- 
 tionably good. Its importance to the retail trade, however, 
 suggests the advisability of devoting a special chapter to it, to 
 which those interested are respectfully referred. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 TEA BLENDING. 
 
 Were it not for the many and serious difficulties which the 
 retail dealer of this country will meet with in producing an 
 uniform blend of tea ; a blend which will be satisfactory at all 
 times; the idea would be strenuously advocated as a means 
 whereby a tea-trade could be built up ; but, inasmuch as these 
 difficulties do exist, and in view of the fact that it is hardly 
 possible to advise or to show means whereby they may be satis- 
 factorily overcome in individual cases, an advocacy of a system 
 of blended teas will be attempted only as given hereafter. 
 
 The mixture of two or more grades or varieties of teas 
 to create a blend is difficult for several reasons. To begin with 
 the grades and kinds necessary to keep it uniform, in style 
 as well as in drink, are not easily selected ; proportions of each 
 of the kinds and grades are not easily arrived at, and, when a 
 satisfactory blend is established, it will be found that the in- 
 gredient grades and kinds are not always procurable. The 
 substitution or the matching of kinds and grades for those 
 which are temporarily or permanently unprocurable is, again, 
 a difficult matter for a novice to master, for to do this, intelli- 
 gently and satisfactorily, knowledge is necessary, and such a 
 knowledge comes only with practical experience. Were it, 
 however, within the power of the retailer to do so, and it is 
 by no means an impossible undertaking, the placing of a care- 
 fully prepared blend of tea upon his market would result in 
 outstripping competition, provided, of course, that the retailer, 
 in his blend, is able, or fortunate enough, to capture the popu- 
 lar fancy and taste. 
 
 Under the circumstances, and in spite of the difficulties 
 
268 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 in the way, a study of the subject is advocated, for it will not 
 only be found to be particularly interesting, but it will aid 
 the student in his attempt to understand teas, and, should he 
 succeed, it would certainly inure to his material advantage, 
 so, for these reasons, the following remarks upon the subject 
 may be of benefit. 
 
 The blending of teas is by no means, as most retailers 
 know, a new idea. The blending of coffees, wines, etc.. ha^ 
 been a known science for many generations, and the result^ 
 attained by a happy combination of several kinds and grades 
 of the above-mentioned articles, as well as of teas, have been 
 beneficial to the beverages. In Great Britain few teas are sold 
 to consumers now-a-days that are not blended either before or 
 after reaching the hands of retailers, but, in that country, both 
 journeymen and master grocers have served an apprentice- 
 ship to the trade, and the scientific and economic blend in ir of 
 teas has, therefore, been a part of their business education. 
 
 The idea of blending, or mixing two or several t i as to- 
 gether is, at once, to produce a beverage that will be a^ivcablo 
 to the taste ; gratifying to the appetite ; satisfactory to the con- 
 sumer; less costly, if possible, to the retailer and, more im- 
 portant yet, if the above objects have been attained, dittim-tirr 
 in yrncral drinking characteristics. There can be no question 
 Bti to the outcome for the retailer in the placing of siu-h a 
 tea upon his market. It will give satisfaction; it cannot be 
 readily matched and, in consequence, competition cannot 
 affect it. 
 
 The belief which is general throughout the United States 
 that teas are blended solely for the purpose of reducing cost 
 is without the shadow of a foundation in fact. This is some- 
 times the case where two or three different grades of the t 
 kind of teas are blended, but such a procedure is not often at- 
 tempted by wholesalers, and for a retailer to do so would, in 
 most cases, be very unwise, if not risky, for he would run as 
 
TEA BLENDING. 269 
 
 great, if not a greater, chance of loss of grade as he* would of 
 gain, for there is a greater danger of the lower grades impart- 
 ing roughness or harshness to the whole than there is of the 
 finer grades imparting their better flavor. 
 
 Teas of different kinds are blended for the purpose of 
 producing results in the drink which cannot otherwise be ob- 
 tained, and should it be possible, as it frequently is, of obtain- 
 ing a more satisfactory tea at a lesser cost, then a double ob- 
 ject has been attained. The combination of the several flavors 
 of the different kinds of teas which constitute a well selected 
 or a happy blend, unite, and, in their union, produce pleasing 
 effects. One of the grades or kinds, we will say, possesses deli- 
 cate flavor in a marked degree; another good body; a third, 
 aroma ; a fourth strength, then the combined whole, if not 
 interfered with by an injudiciously selected ingredient, will 
 create a blend which will produce a drink that will have flavor, 
 body, aroma and strength in correct and happy proportions. 
 In such a case the qualities of each will back the others up, 
 so to speak, and the union of all, after assimilation, will give 
 a combination that will be distinctive, and yet, if carefully se- 
 lected with the taste of the community in mind, not suf- 
 ficiently so to be called some other kind of tea. 
 
 The main object for the retailer to keep in view in tea- 
 mixing is to produce a tea that will please the greatest number 
 of people ; and, in order to do this, radical changes of appear- 
 ance, flavor, and strength must Ite avoided, and a blend of 
 teas chosen that will combine the expected drinking qualities 
 and, at the same time, create and cause to stand out prom- 
 inently in the drink, a particular flavor, distinctive, and yet 
 akin to the accustomed one. 
 
 To attempt to push a blend of tea composed of sufficient 
 black varieties to make the taste of the black kinds the more 
 pronounced, in a community accustomed to Chinese or Japan- 
 ese green teas, would be folly, and, were the blend one which 
 
270 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 might be called perfect, it would not give satisfaction. 
 Blends, therefore, whether simple or complicated, must be 
 made with the taste of the consumer in view, otherwise a fail- 
 ure may be looked for. In a community, for example, where 
 the taste runs to Basket-Fired Japans, a mixture of an agree- 
 able portion of a Moyune Gunpowder with the Basket- Fired 
 will improve the drink without materially altering the Japan 
 flavor, and yet the combination of the two teas will produce 
 a beverage which cannot be obtained from either of the kinds 
 if brewed alone, and, at the same time, the blend cannot be 
 matched with either one of these kinds of tea. 
 
 In order to be able to perfect a blend and to obtain the 
 result which is looked for, it is absolutely necessary to take 
 into consideration certain general principles, which may be 
 summed up as follows : 
 
 First The retailer must have a perfect knowledge of the 
 taste of his community and be guided thereby, and he must 
 acquire a knowledge of the kinds of teas that will blend satis- 
 factorily with the kinds in use and still allow the taste of the 
 accustomed tea Jto predominate. 
 
 Second He must be sufficiently familiar with the char- 
 acteristics of his blend as a whole, and with the qualifications 
 of every kind of tea contained within the blend, in order that, 
 should occasion insist, he may be able to replace any unpro- 
 curable sort or sorts with other grades, or even kinds, without 
 disarranging the characteristic features of his blend to any 
 extent. 
 
 Third He must be familiar with the effect of the water 
 of his district upon all of the ingredients of his blend, and bo 
 able to avoid teas which are unsuited to it. 
 
 Fourth It is important, in fact, imperative, that the 
 highest grade of tea in the blend should predominate, so that 
 
TEA BLENDING. 271 
 
 it may overcome the greater harshness or commonness of a 
 lower or lower grades, and supply the character to the whole. 
 In this connection it is wise to remember that coarseness of 
 flavor is difficult to overcome, so that, if it is the object to 
 reduce cost in order to make a price, the lower grades of the 
 blend should be, as nearly as possible, neutral, that is, without 
 well defined roughness, herbiness or other harsher character- 
 istic of a commoner tea. 
 
 On the other hand lack of flavor or strength in the lower 
 grade teas is also difficult to overcome, so that an old or a 
 characterless tea of poor body, strength and flavor will very 
 materially reduce the quality of the finer grade or grades and 
 do so without giving anything in return. 
 
 Fifth In the use of teas of lower grades, style must be 
 considered. It will never do to combine several teas in a 
 blend where the several styles are so far apart as to be dis- 
 tinctly noticeable. Rough appearing leaf should not be mixed 
 with good looking leaf, for the rougher style, being larger, will 
 overcome the good, and the general appearance will be poor, 
 for the larger leaf of the commoner sorts, even if in much 
 smaller proportion, will stand out prominently and impart a 
 cheap appearance to the whole. Poorer grade teas in a blend 
 should, therefore, be used judiciously with regard to leaf, and 
 should be as nearly as possible of the same size as that of the 
 better grades. Uniformity in general appearance will be, in 
 this way, attained and will materially add to the value of the 
 blend. 
 
 Sixth It is not wise to blend a tea to order in the scale- 
 scoop while a customer is waiting for it. It is very much bet- 
 ter to blend up a fairly large lot and allow the mass to remain 
 for several weeks before selling. As has been stated in 
 another chapter, teas readily absorb the flavor of anything 
 which is near to them, so that when a number of different 
 
272 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 flavored teas are blended and given the opportunity and time 
 to absorb the flavor of each other, the result will be a union of 
 the various flavors in one flavor which will combine the char- 
 acteristics of each; but it is not possible to obtain this result 
 unless the necessary time is allowed. If the blended tea is 
 sold im mediately after blending the several flavors of the sev- 
 eral kinds have had no time to unite, and the result is sure to 
 be a different flavor or taste with each pot of tea made from 
 the blend. In the making of the infusion of a freshly blended 
 tea it is impossible for the maker of the blend to mix it so that 
 the correct proportion of each ingredient kind will be taken 
 or used by the consumer or the maker of the infusion for each 
 pot, and, in such a case, one pot of tea will, in all probability, 
 have a greater quantity of the leaves of one of the ingredient 
 kinds, and this will naturally impart to the liquor the flavor of 
 that ingredient in a pronounced degree. The next pot of tea 
 made from the blend is very likely to have the pronounced 
 flavor of some other ingredient, and such a dissimilarity of 
 flavor in the brewings will cause dissatisfaction. In the com- 
 mercial test of a freshly blended tea, it is, for the above reason, 
 rarely found that two cups will have the same flavor, taste or 
 liquor, so that, in order to arrive at a conclusion, or to have a 
 perfect idea of the result of a blend, it is necessary to allow 
 the mixture to stand for several weeks so that the flavors of 
 each of the component parts may have the necessary time to 
 unite. 
 
 Seventh It is very important in mixing a blend that, 
 after the proportion of each ingredient has been reached, care 
 should be taken in weighing out the required quantities of eacli 
 grade. Careless weighing, or guessing at. quantities will in- 
 variably spoil an otherwise good blend. In such matters it 
 pays to take the time necessary. 
 
 Eighth It is just as important that the mass should 
 
TEA BLENDING. 273 
 
 be thoroughly mixed. Hap-hazard or careless mixing will 
 surely spoil the blend, and it would be very much better to 
 have no blend at all rather. than one which is not properly 
 mixed. In Canada many retail merchants use a tea-mixer 
 made of wood or metal, which, in appearance, is like a Hunter 
 patent flour-sifter, but, of course, the sides and bottom arc 
 solid instead of perforated. The revolving wires have flanges 
 attached so that a few revolutions thoroughly mixes the leaves. 
 A mixer of this kind is decidedly better than mixing by hand 
 or by the aid of a scoop. 
 
 Owing to the many and serious difficulties which the re- 
 tailer is likely to encounter in making his own blends, and in 
 keeping them uniform, it has not been deemed advisable to 
 recommend the use of blended teas as a means whereby a trade 
 may be established and held. Nevertheless the idea is too 
 valuable as a trade-winner to pass without some effort being 
 made to overcome these difficulties, so that in order to place the 
 retailer in a position to adopt the plan if he desires to do so, 
 the following advice is, in conclusion, offered. 
 
 Choose some reputable Wholesale Grocer, Tea Specialty 
 House or tea-expert and make arrangements to have a suitable 
 blend put up into packages or chests of a size to suit. Whole- 
 sale houses are generally in a position to get up satisfactory 
 blends for their customers ; are prepared to keep the grade and 
 flavor uniform at all times, and are usually willing to under- 
 take the work at a trifling charge above the cost of the ingre- 
 dient bulk teas, the profit on the various teas used in the 
 blend being ample remuneration. If the tea-department of 
 the retailer's wholesale grocery house is consulted much good 
 will result. The manager will, more than likely, be only too. 
 glad to undertake the work of getting up a good and satisfac- 
 tory blend; will enquire into existing conditions as to popular 
 taste, water of the district, etc., and, if the blending and pack- 
 
274 TEA HINTS FOR RETAILERS. 
 
 ing is left to him at an agreed price, results, in the matter of 
 trade-building, will be much greater than can be supposed. 
 
 By the adoption of such a policy the retail dealer will have 
 the advantage, to begin with, of the tea-man's knowledge and 
 ability ; can order conservatively, in order to protect himself, 
 until the suitability of the blend is assured, and, when a com- 
 bination of teas has been secured that will give undoubted 
 satisfaction, all that is necessary to win and hold trade with 
 the blend is systemative and persistive push. 
 
 On the other hand should the retailer desire to experiment 
 with blends for his own knowledge and ultimate profit, refer- 
 ence may safely be made to Mr. Walsh's exhaustive work upon 
 the subject and to his numerous specimen blends.* With 
 these, and a little patient practice, the retailer will ultimately 
 obtain a satisfactory blend. 
 
 In either case, and with a good blend or blends obtained, 
 the retailer will act very wisely if he packs the tea in neat 
 retailing packages of suitable sizes and adopts some brand for 
 protection against unscrupulous competition. A good brand 
 on a package makes advertising much easier, and a good blend 
 of tea within the package will back up any or all advertising 
 the retailer undertakes. 
 
 Tea-blending as a science is mainly the result of the 
 introduction of the heavy-bodied, pungent teas of India and 
 Ceylon. Prior to the introduction of these, China teas in 
 Great Britain were frequently blended to produce a more de- 
 sirable or a more delicately flavored drink; a drink, for in- 
 stance, combining the soft mellowness of a China black tea 
 with the pleasing sharpness of a green, but, with the advent of 
 India teas, blending for other purposes became imperative. It 
 was impossible to quickly change the taste of consumers from 
 the mild, flavory teas of China to the very much stronger, 
 harsher and darker-liquoring ones of India, and, if a success 
 *"Tea Blending as a Fine Art," Joseph M. Walsh, 1896. 
 
TEA BLENDING. 275 
 
 was to be made of the introduction of British grown teas in 
 British countries, the taste of the communities for such must 
 be educated slowly and gradually. With this end in view, In- 
 dia teas were blended with China blacks, the quantity of the 
 former being gradually increased until a taste for their flavor 
 was acquired by consumers, and the result desired by those 
 interested in the consumption of British grown teas attained. 
 Tea-blending, therefore, has become a common practice in 
 Great Britain and her colonies during the last 20 to 30 years ; 
 so much so, indeed, that few teas are served to the public of 
 those countries unblended. Once introduced, the system be- 
 came general, for, owing to the fact that India and Ceylon teas 
 vary considerably in flavor and strength with the monthly 
 pluckings, it became necessary to blend other garden teas that 
 were akin in flavor, etc., to the one in former use, in order to 
 produce one uniform drink throughout the year and through- 
 out succeeding years, and, as a result of this, the profession 
 of the public tea-expert and blender of Great Britain has 
 prospered. 
 
 By means of constant practice these expert tea-men are 
 enabled to produce blends that are perfect; that are entirely 
 suited to the water of the district in which the infusion is to 
 be made by consumers, and that will be uniform in drink at 
 all times, notwithstanding the fact that the teas from specified 
 gardens are rarely uniform. Uniformity of drink is the result 
 required at all times, and if such cannot be obtained by a union 
 of two or three teas of different flavor, body and strength, more 
 teas are added to the blend to equalize the drinking qualities, 
 until a drink in every respect akin to that required is attained. 
 In America, however, where no such conditions exist, tea- 
 blending is not likely to become so general, and so long as the 
 light-bodied, flavory teas of China and Japan, which really 
 need no mixing, are used, the science of tea-blending is not 
 likely to become of such importance as it is in Great Britain.