CEYLON TEAS.
The tea-plant, though claimed to have been first introduced into Ceylon by the English, who, on principle, “claim everything,” was originally carried by the Dutch from China to that island as early as 1800, notwithstanding that Percival maintains that it was first discovered there in a wild state. But while it is admitted that a species known as Matara was found in some parts of the island, later investigation proved that it had no relation whatever to that of the regular teas of commerce. Tennant, in 1842, was the first Englishman to speak of Ceylon as a possible tea-growing country, but the highly profitable cultivation of coffee at that time attracted so much public attention that the article which has since proved to be the real wealth of the island was heedlessly overlooked, so that it is not too much to say that the present high position of Ceylon as a tea-producing country has been to a great extent entirely due to accident, it being only after the outbreak of the coffee-pest in 1870 that tea was first looked upon as a possible source of profit. When utter ruin seemed the only fate of the planters, it was suggested that they turn their attention to the cultivation of tea. A commission was duly appointed to visit the tea districts of India, and report upon the desirability of introducing the tea-plant into Ceylon. Very tardily, indeed, at first did the planters come to regard the experiment in the light of a paying speculation, for old habits and prejudices were strong, inducing them to cling with persistency to the hope that the coffee-plague would ultimately disappear, and it was only as a last resource that they decided to turn their attention to tea-culture on that island. The first plantation was started with plants received from China; the result, however, proved a financial failure, the first tea produced therefrom costing $25 per pound. Other spasmodic efforts were made later, until it was finally admitted that tea-culture could be made a success on the island, when a rush was made for estates for tea-growing purposes. The progress made was small at the beginning, many of those who planted tea doing so under the conviction that the industry would not pay, abandoning the scheme almost at the outset.
Ceylon eventually began its career as a tea-growing country under the most favorable circumstances; all the mythical hallucinations about tea cultivation having been removed, the disastrous experience of India saving Ceylon from falling into any serious error at the outset. Several India planters settled on the island, bringing with them a knowledge of its proper cultivation and preparation, so that when these facts are taken into consideration, the success which has attended its cultivation in Ceylon is not so much to be wondered at. The island also possessed other advantages over India in that it suffers less from drought, the rains are more regular and equable, there being scarcely a month in the year without at least some rain, and apart from the adaptability of its soil and climate, it has cheaper labor and superior facilities for forwarding the tea to the shipping ports, all important factors in its cultivation for profit. The tea-producing districts of the island are very compact, having Kandy as its chief centre and extending well into the southwestern provinces touching the coast toward the west. The southwestern section of the island is considered a perfect tea-growing district, soil is good, the climate hot and moist, and the plant can be cultivated at almost any elevation, several plantations there being situated as high as 6,000 feet above sea-level. But although the crops are fairly healthy at this altitude, it is admitted that the plantations lower down are best adapted for the production of the finer grades. The first successful garden was established in 1870 in the now celebrated Loocandura estate, with plants brought from Calcutta, and coolies skilled in its cultivation and manipulation. Tea of particularly good quality was produced from the beginning, samples of which were sent to London and highly spoken of by dealers there. Since that time tea cultivation in Ceylon has made steady progress if not rapid strides.
The plant chiefly grown in Ceylon is a hybrid—the Manipur or indigenous tea of Manipari (India)—is also extensively planted there, being equally hardy and suitable to the soil of the island, which is of a light, sandy nature, thickly intermixed with iron-sandstone, this mineral being peculiarly attractive to the tea-plant. The methods of cultivation and preparation are similar in every respect to those in vogue in India. The land is carefully drained and weeded, the trees are not allowed to grow too high, being reduced to a bushy form and picked when they are from two to three years old, according to site and elevation, and the tea prepared from the tender shoots only, caution being exercised not to injure the plants or future flushes checked.
Picking the leaf is carried on all the year round in Ceylon, except during pruning time, when the plants do not “flush” for two months, with which exception they flush every week, from each shoot of which the two top-leaves with the young shoot and half the third or coarser leaf are only plucked at a time. At 4 o’clock each evening the day’s “picking” is carried to the factory and the leaves laid out on the “withering” mats, which are stretched one above the other from poles or racks until the next morning, when the leaf is sufficiently evaporated, being rendered soft, pliable, and easy to roll by that time. The next process, that of “Rolling,” is one to which special attention is paid, as it is mainly to this system that the quality of the tea depends. The previously withered leaves are put into the roller, which is operated by hand or steam power, 100 pounds at a time placed in an upper box of the machine and pressed down with weights on the table or lower portion of the machine. The box containing the pressed tea travels with a circular motion round the table, by which the leaves are pressed, twisted and rolled as they come in contact with the small battens fitted into the centre of the table. After an hour the pressure is increased until at the finish it is from four to five hundred pounds on the leaves, the juice thus expressed being carefully collected and poured back into the roller every now and again until it is all absorbed by the crushed and twisted mass of leaves. When the rolling process is finished, the leaves are then placed on trays holding from 20 to 25 pounds, covered with a wet cloth and allowed to ferment from two to four hours according to the weather, or until they become a bright-copper color, when they are again rolled from a half to an hour according to fancy, after which they are ready for firing.
The “Sirocco machine” for firing tea-leaves by hot air has also superseded the pan or “Charcoal process” in Ceylon. The leaves having been laid out on wire-gauze trays, they are passed through this “hot-air” machine, in which they become thoroughly fired Tea in from twenty to twenty-five minutes, after which it is placed in sieves, which are worked either in a lateral or revolving direction by the aid of steam or manual power, and the different grades are sifted out, the larger and coarser leaves which do not pass through the sieves falling into a “cutter,” where they are cut to a uniform size. On estates where they bulk the Tea, in Ceylon, the result of the day’s work is placed in enormous air-tight lead-lined chests, where it remains until a sufficient quantity to form a “Break” or “Chop” is accumulated, which is generally once per week. The chest is then opened from the bottom and the tea bulked, after which it is lightly fired again and packed into the teak-wood chests for shipment. Light iron chests, coated inside and out with lead, and a lid to screw on, are now being extensively used by many estates for the better shipment of teas in both India and Ceylon.
Ceylon teas derive their trade names from the estates or plantations on which they are grown, being classed commercially as “Loocanduris,” “Matagalas,” “Ruan-wallas,” “Kanda-loyas,” “Semba-watties,” “Windsor Forests,” “Narangallas,” “Rakuwana,” “Madulsuma” and “Kandapole,” the finest being produced in the districts of Dunbula and Dolosbagie. Like India teas, they are principally converted into Pekoes, Souchongs, Pekoe-Souchongs, Congous, Broken-leaf, and Fannings. Their strength and flavor, like those of their India prototypes, varying greatly in quality in accordance with the elevation at which they are grown, their uniformity also varying from year to year as in the India districts. Some of the better grades resemble Cachars and Darjeelings, being full and strong in liquor, but frequently “toasty” or burnt in flavor, while the lower grades are decidedly inferior to the corresponding China grades in flavor and fragrance. A feature about the later shipments most to be regretted is that the planters appear to be making the same mistake that the Chinese and Japanese have made, that of sacrificing quality to quantity in their eagerness to get rich too fast.
Ceylon-Pekoes—Are of three kinds, “Plain,” “Silver,” and “Golden-tip” Pekoes. The former is a small, plain black-leaf tea, lightly “tipped” and finely made. The liquor is bright and fairly heavy in body and fragrant so far as this term applies to this variety, but is not adapted to the American taste.
Silver-tip Pekoe—Is a long, whitish-downy leaf almost “satiny” in texture, with silvery tips at the ends. The liquor is dark-yellow or golden, bright and sparkling in the cup, delicate and fragrant in flavor, but very much overrated in commercial value and intrinsic merit.
Golden-tip Pekoe—Is smaller in make, darker in color, “silky” in texture, and literally ablaze with rich yellow or orange tips. The infusion is much darker and heavier in body, of a deep wine color, fresh and piquant in taste, and much appreciated by those who prefer this variety.
Ceylon Souchong—Is rather large and bold in style for this “make” of tea, but is nevertheless heavy and round in body, rich and mellow in flavor, and, taken altogether, a pleasing and palatable tea for all practical purposes.
Pekoe-Souchong—Is chiefly composed of the larger and coarser leaves that will not pass through the sieves, but which, falling into the “cutter” in sifting, are cut up into an even and uniform size. It is medium in size, “choppy” in appearance, ripe and rich in liquor, fairly brisk and “malty” in flavor.
Ceylon Congous—Are open, rough and coarse in style, dark in liquor, heavy in body, but fairly brisk and pungent in flavor, making, on the whole, a serviceable tea for blending with Chinese Congous or Oolongs of the lower grades.
“Bhud” Tea—Is a term applied to a small golden-yellow leaf Ceylon Tea, claimed to be composed of the buds of the plant just expanding, but is in reality prepared from the smallest and yellowest leaves of the ordinary “Golden-tip Pekoe,” and though sometimes commanding a fabulously high and inflated price, out of all reason with its intrinsic value as a tea, and which is only done for advertising purposes—being in reality no better in either drawing or drinking qualities.
Broken Leaf—Like those of the India variety, are composed of the large, old and mutilated leaves separated in sifting from all or either of the foregoing kinds, drawing and drinking in ratio to the variety obtained from.
Fannings—Also, like their Indian prototype, are prepared from the screenings and refuse of leaves of the respective kinds, but are poor teas to handle as a rule.
As late as 1873 there were only 255 acres under tea cultivation in Ceylon, the total area at present time reaching as high as 150,000 acres, with an average yield of 1,000 pounds per acre, figures which go to show the marvelous strides the island has made in the industry in a comparatively few years, large tracts being still taken up for the purpose. The total product in 1888 was 23,000,000 pounds, as against 13,000,000 pounds for the previous year, an increase of 10,000,000 pounds in a single year, a record never even approached in the history of the tea trade. And, when it is taken into consideration that it is only a few years since tea cultivation was practically commenced on that island, it is obvious that the future of its product must be very bright indeed. It is already predicted by planters and others interested that the tea export of Ceylon will eventually rival, if not exceed, that of India itself. The average cost of Tea to the Ceylon producers is about 6½ pence (13 cents) per pound, some of the lowland estates putting their teas f. o. b. in Colombo at even less than this figure.
Nearly all the India and Ceylon teas go into consumption in England and her possessions, the bulk of her China purchases being re-exported. The English merchants invariably favoring the products of their own colonies to the prejudice of those of other countries, discriminating against them, irrespective of merit or value, in this particular instance compelling their customers, in a measure, to use these dubious varieties of the genus tea. But for presumption and audacity in their claims of superiority the India and Ceylon tea growers and dealers are far and away ahead of all competition. The so-called great favor with which India and Ceylon teas are said to be regarded by British consumers being due in a great measure to the energy and persistency with which the trade has been pushed, the teas being literally forced on the public by the Government as well as by the English growers and dealers, in addition to the strong ties of relationship connecting the planters with the mother country. There is not the slightest doubt but that the check which the consumption of China teas appears to have sustained in England is entirely due to these causes. But already there is a growing and positive revulsion of taste in many sections of that country in favor of the purer China teas, owing to their truer character, greater delicacy and richness of flavor.
The chief and only advantages that India and Ceylon teas possess over those of China and Japan are their great strength and thickness in the cup, which are due mainly to the modern methods of fermentation and firing by steam and machinery. China and Japan teas excel them in flavor and aroma, occupying in regard to them a position analogous to that of French wines, in comparison with those of other countries. The product of the latter may be stronger and heavier in body, but for richness of flavor and delicacy of aroma—essential qualities in both wine and tea—the French grape and China tea-leaf stand alone and unrivalled for their intrinsic merits, as well as for their being the only true teas, in all that constitutes tea. Broadly stated, the predominant features of India and Ceylon teas are body and strength, those of China and Japan flavor and aroma.
There is also this difference between them, that while a given quantity of India and Ceylon teas will yield a larger amount of a darker-colored liquor and stronger in flavor than that of a similar quantity of China and Japan, they still lack the richness and delicacy of the latter, if not indeed the properties of a true tea altogether. Again, as to how much liquor an equal quantity of the former will yield in comparison with a similar weight of the latter, is another mooted question. As far as quantity, color and body are concerned, it must be admitted that India and Ceylon teas are once and a half greater. But in flavor and aroma, the essential qualities that constitute and are most appreciated in tea, China and Japan teas far excel them. Thus if one pound of China or Japan teas yields five gallons of extract of a certain weight, strength and color, one pound of India or Ceylon will produce seven and a half gallons of a similar beverage, but will be devoid of that fragrant flavor and rich aroma so characteristic of the China and Japan product. The value of tea, intrinsically and commercially, depending principally upon the character and flavor of the infusion, as well as the aroma imparted to it by the volatile oil.
Ceylon, like India teas, will not keep as long or as well as either China or Japan, becoming sour and rancid by exposure in a few months, defects attributed to the method of curing, but in reality inherent in them. Again the latter contain a larger percentage of the active principle (theine) and less of the astringent property (tannin), and are consequently less injurious and more refreshing. The great excess of the latter property in both India and Ceylon teas accounting for their dark color, and harsh, pungent taste in the infusion, as well as being the unsuspected cause of the indigestion and nervousness among those who use them to any extent. So that in view of the strenuous efforts now made to introduce India and Ceylon teas into the American market, it may be well to here caution consumers against their injurious and deleterious effects on the human system, such injury being caused, not alone by the excess of tannin, but also by the sap or juice of the natural leaf not being sufficiently expressed before the leaves are fired by proper fermentation. It being claimed by physicians and others that to the fixed and general use of these teas in England is attributable the great increase of heart-burn, flatulency, nervousness and dyspepsia among the people of that country.
Against the dubious and questionable advantages of body and strength so loudly vaunted in India and Ceylon teas, China and Japan possess others—greater and more important ones—among which are that the tea-grower in the latter countries working his own land in smaller quantities brings greater care and more industry to the task. Again in the methods of curing and firing the leaf, the latter have also the advantage of superiority, as it is now generally admitted by experts and others interested in the business that though the “Sirocco” or hot-air process may be more rapid in its work and certain not to taint the leaves in any way, it is yet open to doubt whether the older, slower, and more natural method of firing in pans over charcoal fires is not the better, more thorough and effective in its results than the new and artificial one. The Chinese and Japanese have been curing and firing teas by that method for centuries, and they surely ought to be the best judges by this time. To sum up, India and Ceylon may produce stronger and more powerful teas if that can be called a recommendation, but for smoothness of liquor, richness and delicacy of flavor, such as are essential to every-day, universal consumption, the China tea-leaf and French grape stand and will continue to stand unrivalled. India and Ceylon may claim to be the teas of to-day, but it remains to be seen whether that day be long or short, as in my humble opinion, without laying any claim to the prophetic, the teas of the future as in the past will be China and Japan teas.