IRON AND STEEL FILINGS IN TEA

Are best detected by pulverizing a sample of the suspected tea and spreading the powder on a piece of glass or plate, and applying a magnet to the dust. If a quantity of the particles gravitate and adhere to it, the tea is undoubtedly adulterated in this form. While fabrications and sophistications in general may be best exposed by treating an infusion of the leaves with a watery solution of sulphuretted hydrogen or a weak solution of ammonia. Under the first treatment the liquor of pure teas will retain its natural color, but will assume a light-blue tint under the latter.

Another simpler method for those who may not have the chemicals or appliances convenient is to place a small quantity of tea-leaves in a wine-glass or goblet, pour on cold water, and stir or shake well for a few minutes. The tea, if pure, will only slightly color the water, but if adulterated, a dark-colored liquor is quickly yielded, which if boiled and let stand until cold will, if spurious, become bitter and almost transparent as it cools, while pure tea under the same conditions assumes a darker color and pleasing flavor. The latter changes arise from the tannin (a natural property in tea) of which artificial tea is entirely devoid and adulterated teas in proportion. Mineral adulterants, however, must be dealt with by the ash-test, which is unerring, spurious leaves by their botanical character and structural marks, deficiency of tannin being invariably an indication of spent or exhausted leaves.

The part of the tea which we really use being that which passes into the infusion, in other words—the Extract of tea—it is natural to look to this extract as affording the directest evidence of the quality and genuineness of a sample of tea. The extract may be regarded both quantitatively and qualitatively, and from the former point of view we are led to the tea-assay or determination of the weight of the tea-extract which a given weight of tea is capable of yielding.

In Peligot’s analyses we find the following determinations of the tea-extract—the author being quite alive to the importance of such a test:—

GREEN TEAS.
Part soluble in boiling water.
Variety. Dried Leaf. Ordinary Conditions.
Imperial, 43.1 39.6
Gunpowder, 50.2 49.9
BLACK TEAS.
China, 42.8 39.0
Japan, 45.8 41.5
India, 45.4 41.7
Java, 35.2 32.7
Ceylon, 44.4 39.8

These results being arrived at by the employment of a valid but rather inconvenient method of weighing out ten grams of tea-leaves and boiling them with water as long as anything is dissolved out of them, and afterwards drying up the exhausted leaves, first at a low temperature and then at a higher one, finally weighing the exhausted leaves. The loss in weight is the weight of the tea-extract, care being taken to weigh the original tea and the exhausted tea-leaves in the same state of dryness. The results, as will be observed, are stated both in the dried tea and in the tea in its ordinary commercial condition. But, instead of weighing the tea-leaves before and after extraction and taking the difference in weight as the weight of the extract there is a more convenient process—that of evaporating down the extract itself to dryness and weighing it. The drying up of the exhausted leaves and the getting them into the same hygroscopic condition as the original tea presenting considerable practical difficulties.

The evaporation of the infusion to dryness and the weighing of the dry extract is also a tedious process in its unmodified state. But if a given quantity of tea be boiled with successive portions of water no more tea-extract is yielded than if the same tea be boiled once with a large quantity of water, but whether the infusion is kept for a length of time just at the boiling-point or whether it be made to boil vigorously makes some difference in the result, brisk-boiling extracting about one-tenth more than slow boiling, so that if the boiling be very vigorous half an hour’s boiling is just as effective as an hour’s slow boiling.

Founded on these observations an assay of the tea-extract may be made by the following simple process: Put ten grams of tea into a pint flask and pour on about two-thirds of distilled water accurately measured, a cork and bent tube is then adapted to the mouth of the flask and a connection made with a condenser. The contents of the flask are next heated and made to boil strongly. That having been done the boiling is stopped and the flask and condenser disconnected and the distillate poured back into the flask and the decoction of tea observed closely. If quite clear fifty grams are weighed out and evaporated to dryness in a water-bath and weighed till constant. If the decoction be not quite clear by this time it is to be filtered hot; the first small filtrate is best thrown away and the filtrate collected, weighed, and dried in the water-bath until the residual tea-extract becomes quite constant. Having performed the operation in the manner directed, the weight of the tea-extract actually weighed will be the weight of the extract yielded by one gram of the sample to be assayed.

But in coming to a decision as to the genuineness of a sample of tea of which an analysis has been made by this method, it is of importance to remember that genuine tea is subject to considerable variation in composition. The quality and condition of the leaf at the time of gathering and the different treatments which it undergoes in the process of manufacture, or whether the tea is Black or Green, cause the composition to exhibit a wide range of variation. Taking the percentage of the extract as a basis from which to start, that in genuine tea being from 32 up to 50 per cent. in its ordinary commercial condition. Such being the case, it is obvious that a determination of the percentage of extract will not enable the expert or analyst to say whether the sample of tea be of a lower or higher grade of pure tea, or whether it is composed of a high grade of genuine tea and a portion of exhausted leaves. In a general way, however, this question is not of vital importance to the analyst, as a solution may be arrived at from a determination of the soluble ash, which would be found rather deficient on incineration. For although tea may be exceptionally rich in extract, and although there are difficulties in the way of deciding whether a given sample of tea consists of average quality or of fine tea mixed with spent tea, there are no such difficulties in recognizing the case of tea of average grade, mixed with a considerable quantity of exhausted leaves, as it is assumed in this formula that the soluble ash in genuine tea is 3.6 per cent. and that in spent tea only 0.3 per cent. But in using this formula it must be understood that the results are only rough approximations, judgment and discrimination being required to determine by it.

Tea-extract yields a comparatively large quantity of ammonia when it is boiled with potash and permanganate of potash, and it is probable that this character may prove very valuable also in testing the purity of tea, for which purpose a solution containing about 10 per cent. of solid potash, free from ammonia and nitrogenous matter, is required and easily obtained. Ten grams of this solution of potash is put into a small flask-retort, working in an oil-bath and connected with a small condenser; the whole apparatus to be carefully freed from the last traces of ammonia, which is best accomplished by distilling the water through it, after which from 5 to 10 parts of the tea infusion are poured into the retort, which is then corked up and heated in an oil-bath to 150 C. Having been maintained for a short time at this temperature it is then lifted out of the bath and some pure water poured into the retort, which is again to be heated in the oil-bath. More than half of the water is then distilled over and in this manner the “free ammonia” is obtained from the distillate. When this has been accomplished some of the potash and permanganate solution is added to the contents of the retort and distilled so as to yield a distillate containing “albuminoid ammonia,” the result being as follows in pure teas:—

Free ammonia,0.28milligrams.
Albuminoid ammonia,0.43“
——
Total,0.71milligrams.

While the extract from a sample of spurious leaves yielded of

Free ammonia,0.20milligrams.
Albuminoid ammonia,0.295“
——
Total,0.495milligrams.

This experiment is made with the greatest ease, and will also be found valuable by brokers and others interested in tea for testing the strength of the tea-infusion. As has already been observed, tea is also remarkably rich in nitrogen, so much so that a determination of nitrogen may be resorted to as a means of identification. With this object it is best to take a sample of tea, first mixing it up well and powder it in a mortar. Of this tea-powder some 0.3 grams should be accurately weighed out. This is then to be mixed with some 50 grams of oxide of copper, which has been first oxidized without the employment of nitric acid, and which shortly before using had been ignited and allowed to cool. A combustion-tube of hard German glass, closed at one end and perfectly clean, is next charged as follows: At the closed end a layer, some three to four inches in length, of a mixture of dry bi-carbonate of soda and fused bi-chromate of potash is placed, the mixture being intended to give out carbonic acid. Next to this compound place two inches of oxide of copper, then the mixture of tea and oxide of copper, then more oxide of copper and some clean metallic copper on top, then a perforated cork and exit tube, which dips under the mercury, and place the combustion-tube in an appropriate furnace to heat. By heating the layer of carbonate of soda and bi-chromate of potash, carbonic acid is caused to traverse the tube and expel the air from it. This having been done the tube is next heated gradually from before so as to burn up the tea, the gases being collected over the mercury. At the end of the operation the carbonic acid is once more made to traverse the tube by again heating the mixture at the back, all the nitrogen being driven from the tube and collected. Finally the carbonic acid is absorbed by means of the potash and, the residual nitrogen gas is measured with well-known precautions. This gas should also be tested for bin-oxide of nitrogen by means of oxygen and pyro-galate of potash, any bin-oxide of nitrogen gas to be measured and allowed for in the test.

Among the most common forms of adulteration practiced by dealers in this country is that of substituting old and valueless Young Hysons for Japans or mixing them together the better to disguise the fraud. The mixing or blending of old, stale, weedy or smoky Congous with Oolongs, particularly when such teas become a drug on the market. The reduction of Moyunes by the addition of Pingsueys in the proportions of half and half and then refacing them as “True Moyunes.” The refacing of Ningyongs and other Amoys as Formosas being still another form, for which at the present low prices of the commodity there is not the slightest occasion. The most recent “trick” of the tea trade being that of mixing Japan Nibs with Twankays and Hysons, the latter, I regret to add, being now extensively adopted by at one time reputable houses.

Some law should be passed in this country to ensure the public against the possibility of purchasing spurious and adulterated teas as in Russia, where the dealers are compelled to sell their teas under government labels placed on the packages by experts appointed by the Government for that particular purpose and who work under official inspectors, the expense of examining and labeling being defrayed out of the revenue realized from the sale of the labels to the dealers. To such an extent was the nefarious practice carried on in that country that the adoption of this system became imperative in order to restore the confidence of the public in the genuineness of the tea offered for sale, with the result of having materially checked the traffic in spurious and adulterated teas in that country.

CHAPTER VII.
TESTING, BLENDING
AND
PREPARING.

There is no article handled by the grocer which engages more of his time, demands greater attention, or has a more important bearing upon the success of his business than Tea. In many respects it stands ahead of all other commodities in commanding and maintaining patronage, also in that it is expected to attract and retain trade for other articles, and at the same time yield a larger margin of profit. As gain is the fundamental object of business, and as Tea plays such an essential part in determining this profit, we may be excused if, considering the article from a purely practical standpoint, we urge the relation which it bears to the success of the dealer in it, and who, as a rule, experience more difficulty in the selection of Tea than in any other article he trades in. The cause is obvious, being due to the numerous varieties and almost innumerable grades, characters and flavors with which he is confronted, and to be selected from, taken in connection with the diversity of tastes and preferences to be catered to, it requiring no ordinary skill or knowledge to make the proper selection under these circumstances to suit patrons. The acquisition of such knowledge, for all practical purposes, is not, however, quite as difficult as many may suppose, as it can be fairly obtained by a little study, a few simple and inexpensive experiments and repeated trials to familiarize oneself with the leading characteristics and values of the different varieties, grades and flavors of the teas best adapted to each particular class or section of the country.

Teas have two values—an Intrinsic or real value, and a Commercial or market value; quality, strength and flavor constituting the first, the latter being more often based on style, appearance, supply and fluctuations in price. So that in their selection for commercial purposes four leading features are to be considered—Leaf, Style, Liquor and Flavor. The drawing and drinking qualities of the tea in the cup are paramount to the style and appearance of the leaf in the hand, as many teas, though rough-looking and coarse in “make” or style, draw and drink well in the infusion. There are five principal methods of testing the merits of a tea:—

By Style or Appearance.—Which, though not invariably an indication of merit, has still considerable to do with the value and quality of a tea. Choice teas of all kinds are however, handsomely made and stylish in appearance, that is, compactly if not artistically curled, twisted, folded or rolled, according to its make, and all teas being small and fine in proportion to their youth and tenderness, the ripest and most “sappy” curling up tightest and retaining their form longest, consequently the younger and fresher the leaves the richer, more juicy and succulent the tea. If it be Green tea of the Imperial or Gunpowder order the leaf is hard-rolled and “shotty,” regular in make, bright natural green in color, very uniform and pleasing in general appearance. But if of the Hyson or Young Hyson sorts, the leaf will be well and evenly curled or twisted, the latter being almost “wirey” in texture and of the same hue as the former. If Black, of the Oolong or Congou variety, the leaf will be finely made, “silky” or “crapy” in texture and varying in size from small to medium, artistically twisted and attractive to the eye. Old and inferior teas, on the other hand, will be large, rough and loosely rolled or curled, in proportion to their age, quality and picking, and being partially or entirely devoid of “sap” or succulence, they are correspondingly thin, coarse or flavorless in the infused state.

By Feeling.—Judging a sample of tea by feeling is applicable more to the curled, twisted or rolled sorts, such as Oolongs, Congous, Souchongs and Hyson teas. If the leaves of a tea of these makes, so tested, be really choice they will be found smooth, crisp and elastic in the hand, and capable of resisting a gentle but firm pressure, yielding rather than snapping or breaking under it. But if old and “sapless,” they will be found rough and “chaffy” to the touch, very brittle, cracking easily and crumbling under the same conditions, making much dust.

By Smelling.—By blowing or breathing hard upon a sample of tea and then quickly catching the odor emitted from it a fair estimate of its general character and value may be arrived at. To judge by this method, however, an acquaintance with the distinctive flavors and peculiarities of the various sorts and grades will be first necessary. This knowledge is best acquired by adopting as a type or “standard” a sample of the tea to be matched and educating this sense to its flavor and aroma. It is not for a moment claimed that this test will be at all times accurate or reliable, and only a general estimate can be formed, especially if suffering from a cold, in which case its true character or value cannot be even approximated. Again, many teas that may be “new and nosey” in the hand will be “thin and flat” in the cup, the “flashy” or evanescent flavor passing off rapidly on infusion.

By Masticating.—A close and almost accurate estimate of the character and value of a tea can be formed by chewing a few of the leaves. With this method a good tea may be recognized by the ready manner in which the leaves almost dissolve in the mouth on slight mastication, becoming quickly reduced to a “pasty” consistency if young, tender and succulent, the “sap” or juice yielded will be abundant, pungent and pleasing to the taste. If of the Green or Japan variety the residue will be of a bright, natural-green color on removal, rich olive-green if Oolong, of a rich reddish-brown tint if Congou and dark-red if India or Ceylon. But if composed of old, inferior, spent or spurious leaves they will be found difficult to masticate, being dry, “chippy,” sapless and tough in texture, yielding little or no juice according to its age and inferiority. Whatever little is expressed being “wild,” “weedy,” “woody,” “herby,” “mousey,” “grassy” or “metallic” and bitterly astringent to the taste, the residue being dark in color, coarse or granulated on removal. This test should not be resorted to only on extreme occasions, as a too frequent chewing of tea-leaves, owing to the tannin in their composition, severely affects the nervous system and ultimately the digestive organs.

By Infusing or Drawing—Is unquestionably the most reliable and satisfactory method of testing or appraising tea, being the one adopted by all brokers, experts and dealers as the most conclusive and least injurious to the system. For this purpose a number of small porcelain cups, scales and half-dime weight is requisite, together with a perfectly clean kettle and freshly distilled or filtered water, briskly boiled. Take the weight of the half-dime of leaves and mark the cups to correspond with the samples under examination, then pour on the briskly boiling water and allow it to draw from three to five minutes by the watch, first seeing that the cups are thoroughly clean and dry, or, better still, heated or rinsed with boiling water before weighing or putting in the tea, as cups used for drawing other sorts of tea will impart the flavor of those previously tested to the last if not properly washed and dried before using again; also see that the water is briskly boiling before pouring it on the leaves, as water not properly boiling will cause the leaves to float. If large cups are used the quantity of leaves should be increased proportionately, say to that of a dime in weight for an ordinary tea-cup. It is customary with some brokers and tea-testers to cover the cups with a lid or saucer during infusion, but this precaution is not absolutely necessary; still it has its benefits, as it prevents the vapor and aroma from escaping, both valuable factors in the exact testing of tea. The water used should be as soft and pure as can be obtained; boiled briskly and used only at the boiling point. That is, it must boil, but not overboil, for if it be allowed to do so for even a few minutes it will not extract the full strength and flavor of the leaves. Expert tea-testers are most particular in this respect, watching their kettles so that the water may be used the minute it boils, and if any water remains in the kettle it is poured off and refilled with fresh water before using again, as the effect of using water that has been boiled a second time is the same as that of water which has been overboiled. In testing teas by infusing or drawing five important points are to be considered: Body, Color, Strength, Flavor and Aroma of the Liquor, the tea combining these qualities in the highest degree proving, of course, the best. On removing the lids, if used, inhale the vapor slowly, noting its aroma at the same time; next stir the leaves gently with a spoon for a few minutes, and smell them occasionally, also noting their odor; by which time the tea will be cool enough to taste. Before doing so, however, observe the color of the liquor—an important factor in tea—a rich straw, golden or corn-yellow colored liquor, generally, if not invariably, indicating a tea of fine quality, except it be of the Congou, India or Ceylon variety. Next, taste the tea by sipping it so as to strike the palate, but do not swallow, as it kills the taste, and noting its body, flavor, strength and pungency while so doing, comparing it with the tea required or to be “matched.”

But while a clear, bright, sparkling liquor denotes a fine tea it does not always determine its body or strength, as many light-liquored teas are full and round in body, pungent and “snappy;” others again, though dark and heavy in liquor, are yet devoid of strength and flavor, the liquor of old and inferior teas being invariably dark, thick or “muddy” in color, and lacking in briskness and flavor. After an opinion has been formed of the liquor in all its relations, next examine the infused leaves with regard to their size, color, form, texture and condition, as all these points have an indirect bearing on the age, quality, character and value of the tea under examination. The infused leaves of fine, pure teas range from small to medium in size, perfect or nearly so in shape, regular and symmetrical in form, uniform and unbroken in appearance. While the infused leaf of low-grade and adulterated teas is large and dark-red or brown in color, broken, irregular and different in size, form and color from the true tea-leaf. The smaller, brighter and more symmetrical the infused leaf, the higher the grade, and consequently the greater the value of the tea, that of fine Oolongs being olive-green, with slightly brown or “burnt” edges, Congous and Souchongs rich reddish-brown, India and Ceylons, “salmony-red.” Scented teas possessing a small olive-green infused leaf. In Green teas those yielding a bright, sparkling, “amber”-colored liquor, with small or medium infused leaf and presenting an unbroken and uniform appearance are the best; the same rules that govern in the selection of Green teas also applying to Japans.

The value of tea commercially, depends principally upon the character and flavor of the infusion and also on the aroma imparted to it by the volatile oil, which is not generally estimated by chemists owing to the imperfect methods of obtaining it and the difficulty attending the operation. But commercially the value of a tea is based on the amount of “extract” it yields as well as on the quantity of theine and tannin contained therein. Tea-testers and experts on the other hand take no account of theine, which is almost tasteless, but which is at the same time physiologically the most important constituent of tea. And so far as total extract is concerned Congou teas are inferior in quantity to Oolongs, Greens and Japans, while the latter in turn yield a larger percentage of theine than either India or Ceylons, notwithstanding that it is claimed that they yield less. Yet it must be admitted that a deeper color is imparted to the infusion by India and Ceylon teas, and that they are also of greater strength than China and Japan teas, in fullness (not delicacy) of flavor, the former claim is not borne out by either analysis or testing. There is also no uniform relation existing between the chemical composition of teas and their commercial value, as the percentage of extract determined by a half-hour’s boiling of the leaves in 100 parts of distilled water bears in China and Japan teas particularly a more uniform relation to the price, although the total extract obtained by exhausting the leaf is very irregular. This result is also quite in accord with the fact that the finer and more valuable qualities of all teas are to be found only in the youngest and tenderest leaves, the decline from the finer to the lower grades in the amount of theine dissolved being also noteworthy as showing the power to yield nearly all their theine, the latter doing so only to a limited extent under the same treatment. But although these results show the difference in the drawing qualities of all the various kinds of tea, yet they are not sufficiently uniform to make such analysis the basis for calculating the price of tea. It is evident, however, that the volatile or essential oil—to which tea owes it flavor and aroma—plays a more important part than any of the other constituents in determining the commercial value of tea. Again, it must be noted the strength and flavor of the infusion is as much due to the character of the water used in drawing as to any other cause, the quantity of tannin extracted by soft water being greater than that obtained by the use of hard.

The taste for tea being an acquired and not a natural one, it necessarily follows that persons who have been accustomed to a certain variety or flavor in tea, want that particular kind and will be dissatisfied if any other is given them. Consumers of wine have their fancies, so have users of ale or beer—one prefers a dry, another a sweet wine—one a mild and another a bitter beer. This being the case, it becomes essential to the success of the tea-dealer to study and learn what variety of tea or what particular flavor his customers have been accustomed to before attempting to cater to it. This is a question somewhat difficult to answer, as not only is there a wide difference of taste in tea in the different parts of the country, but in every large town or city alone the varieties and flavors in demand are so numerous and various that most dealers are compelled to mark out a distinct line for themselves. In the larger cities this is the most successful course to pursue, particularly if the kind and quality of the tea be kept regular and uniform the year round, as it secures the return again and again of the same customers for that particular tea, and thus keeps a business always steady and progressive. Even away from the larger cities it is well to follow this course, but while at first it may be found advisable to keep close to the established tea-taste of the section, a gradual change may be found good policy, as a dealer can by a little effort educate his trade in time to a particular variety or flavor of tea, for after all is said, and as remarked before, the taste for a certain tea is only an acquired one. He may, for instance, be selling a heavy-bodied Amoy or dark-leaved Foochow Oolong and suddenly change off to a fine Formosa. In such a case his trade would be very apt to find fault at first, notwithstanding that the latter may be choicer and more expensive than the former, but by ignoring the complaints at the beginning and continuing to insist upon their taking it, eventually succeed in educating them to acquire a taste for it. Still the importance of retaining and maintaining the quality and flavor to which his customers are longest accustomed cannot be overestimated, for no dealer can afford to jeopardize his business or can expect success if his teas one month consist of fine flavored teas, the next month of heavy and dull and the third of a sharp and pungent kind. To maintain this necessary regularity, must be admitted, is difficult, as no two consecutive importations of tea are exactly alike although selected from the same picking or chosen from those grown in the same district the variations may still be so wide as to cause dissatisfaction among consumers. Therefore it becomes essential to the success of the dealer to pay particular attention to the quality of his tea, as there is no article he deals in which will attract trade or retain it longer than good tea, a fine tea creating more comment in a town or neighborhood than any other article used at table and if customers once lose confidence in either the ability or honesty of the dealer they will be repelled rather than attracted, it being next to impossible to get them back again. So that it does not pay a dealer to make any mistake in the selection of his teas, such mistake proving fatal to drawing or holding trade. Poor teas will drive more customers away in a week than can be made in a year; it is therefore much better and more profitable in the long run to sell only good teas at a smaller margin of profit than to sell poor teas at a larger one. Many dealers make use of the argument, “I bought this tea so much cheaper and my customers do not appear to notice the difference; they do not complain.” This may be true, but it is delusive, as people seldom complain; they go elsewhere and get better value. Every community becomes accustomed to drinking a particular description of tea and is quick to discover any change in the character and flavor of any tea that may be substituted for it, thereby becoming dissatisfied notwithstanding that even a higher-priced tea, of different character, may be given them. For this reason the dealer will do well to keep as close to the grade and variety in use there and as nearly uniform as possible at all times maintaining a “standard.” To do this effectually it will be necessary for him to study and learn as near as he can the particular grade and flavor his trade prefers, which is best accomplished by first trying them with various kinds until he has found that which is best suited to a majority of his customers; having succeeded in this, let him stick to that particular kind. Again, as any one variety will not suit all tastes, he can next endeavor to find a tea adapted to the minority by the same method, reserving and keeping these two or more kinds as the case may be. It is much easier to describe what teas to avoid than those to select or what may be best adapted to a particular section, as good tea of all kinds will sell at any time.

Again, some sections of the country possess great advantages over others in the testing and preparation of tea for use, as, wherever the water is soft and pure, much better results are obtained from the infusion by a given quantity of leaves, owing to the fact that such water dissolves more rapidly and extracts a larger amount of the theine than hard or muddy water. The coarse as well as fine properties of the tea are also “brought out” more prominently by the action of the former, it being for this reason that “high-fired,” “toasty” and “tarry” teas so much in favor in some sections will not sell at all in others where the water is soft as a rule, and why China Congous are best appreciated in sections where the water is soft, as the natural delicacy of their unique “fruity” flavor is best extracted by that kind of water and to a greater extent than is the flavor of most other varieties.

The distinctive flavors which characterize the different varieties of tea may be summed up in a single technical term—Amoys are “nutty,” Foochows are “mellow,” Formosas are “fragrant,” Green teas are “pungent,” Pekoes are “piquant,” Congous are “fruity,” Souchongs are “tarry,” Japans are “mealy,” Scented teas are “aromatic,” Indias are “malty,” Ceylons are “toasty” and Javas are “sour.” Oolongs of an “herby,” “weedy” or “wild” flavor should be avoided, as they are principally mixed with Ankois. Pingsueys, Cantons and all doctored Green teas should be tabooed altogether; if cheap Green teas must be had, procure a low-grade Moyune regardless of its appearance, as it will give better satisfaction than the finest of the foregoing. Japans of a “fishy,” “grassy” or “metallic” flavor should also be shunned, as they will be found dear at almost any price. Congous of a “woody,” “mousey” or “smoky” flavor and too “tarry” Souchongs are also good teas to leave alone, while Canton and Macao Scented teas should never find a place in the dealer’s stock. Low-grade India, Ceylon and Javas are either “raw,” “uncooked,” “baked,” “burnt” or “sour” in flavor, and decay very rapidly being unfit for use after a few weeks’ exposure. In brief, do not handle any old, raw, grassy, weedy, woody, smoky, fishy or brassy flavored teas under any circumstances. There is no satisfaction in them to the consumer and no profit in them to the dealer. Keep good teas only and get your price. It pays best in the end.

A tea-dealer with any desire to extend or even retain his trade should no more attempt to sell poor, inferior, unclean or damaged tea than a butcher to endeavor to sell tainted meat or a baker to give his customers sour bread. The offense may not at first seem so objectionable, but the verdict of the public will be the same in each case, and the practical manner in which his customers will manifest this opinion will be to let such dealer severely alone. Good clean teas can nearly always be purchased for a few cents per pound above the price of the “trash” now offered in the American market and masquerading under the name of tea, being nothing more or less than a gross libel on the “fascinating beverage.” By this mistaken policy of trying to save three or four cents, the seed is not only sown for the future ruin of the dealer himself, but it also produces the effect of disgusting the public and casting discredit on tea as an article of food. While, on the other hand, if the dealer make a comparatively small but necessary sacrifice for the sake of future gain by selling Tea that is tea and be content with a fair and legitimate profit, satisfaction will be given to his customers, trade fostered and the consumption of this now most important food auxiliary increased at least two-fold in this country.

“Standard Chop,” or “celebrated district” teas, should always be selected when possible, and “first-crop” for high-grade teas, as first-crop teas are invariably superior (except in the case of Formosas) to the later pickings in flavor, aroma and keeping properties, due to the larger amount of theine and volatile oil which they contain, and possessing every quality except weight for which tea is valued or appreciated. To do this it will be necessary for the dealer to ascertain which “chop” is the best and which district has yielded the best picking during the current season, thereby making quality as well as quantity the test of excellence. For, as with wheat and other crops, the tea crop also varies according to the season and curing; some years being highly successful in one district while it may be a comparative failure in another. The “Tong-lees” may be heavy and flavory this year, thin and flavorless the next; while the “Tong-mows,” or some other “chop,” inferior in leaf and liquor last season may possess all the most desirable qualities this. Green teas, Japans, Congous, Souchongs, India, Ceylons and all varieties of tea being equally subject to these variations So that the advantages to be derived from a careful selection of the best “chop” and “district” teas of the season, with but slight consideration, will be manifest to the intelligent dealer in tea.

The tastes of communities differing so widely in the various sections of the country, the dealer must study and learn the particular variety and flavor best adapted to the locality or town in which he is doing business, as a tea that may give general satisfaction in one section may not suit at all in another. But generally in mining, milling or manufacturing districts or among working classes in cities, heavy-bodied Amoys and dark-leaved Foo-chous will be found the most popular. The taste for China and Japan teas in this country is undoubtedly an inherited one, but irrespective of this cause they are for the vast majority of tea-drinkers peculiarly the most suitable and best adapted, being softer, milder, richer, more mellow and wholesome than either the India or Ceylon growths, and it is only a cultivated and refined taste that can appreciate them at their true worth. In a community composed principally of Irish, English or Scotch, thick “fruity” Congous, heavy-bodied “tarry” Souchongs, Capers, Pekoes, India and Ceylon teas or combinations formed from these varieties will prove the most satisfactory. While Green teas are most in demand in the Southern States. Oolongs in the Eastern and Middle, Foochows and Formosas being chiefly sold in the larger seaboard cities, Amoys in the principal manufacturing districts, Japans in the Pacific and Northwestern, India, Ceylons and teas of the Congou order, in Irish, English and other foreign settlements.

All teas after ripening have a tendency to decay, some teas not keeping as well as others, there being a great difference in the time that some will keep before the deterioration becomes pronounced in comparison with that of others. And tea also possessing an natural aptitude to become impregnated with the odor of any high or foul-smelling article near which it may be placed, care should be taken to keep it away from such commodities as fish, soap, coal-oil, molasses and spices, as it quickly absorbs all pungent odors. Yet I have known of teas that were imported with or stored in close proximity to wine, oranges, lemons and even camphor to be improved in flavor, more particularly when very lightly tainted by such odors. Still teas should be kept as much as possible from the light and air, particularly in damp or humid weather, as the oxydizing influences of the atmosphere has a more or less deleterious effect upon them. They should never be sold out of freshly-painted bins or newly-japanned tea-caddies, being much better, at all times, to deal them out of the original packages, replacing the lead and lid when through. The most successful tea-dealers I have met invariably sell them in this manner. Do not keep your teas too close to a fire or stove, a dry, cool atmosphere of moderate temperature is always best.

The tea-market fluctuating considerably in the course of the year, it will be necessary for the dealer to understand something of the law of supply and demand, which affects the fluctuation to a considerable extent, before he can make profitable purchases. The dealer who is best “posted” in his business makes the best business man, so that the tea-dealer who not only understands the article he is dealing in, but whose knowledge and discrimination enable him “to buy the right tea at the right time” possesses advantages over his competitors, the value of which can hardly be overestimated. Each season, on the “first arrivals,” high prices are paid, and if there be a brisk demand those full prices are continued for some time, after which follows a dull, drooping or listless market, from which but little satisfaction can be obtained; but should the demand on arrival be light, through dealers holding off for better terms, the prices rapidly decline to a more reasonable level, it then becomes comparatively steady. When this is the case the decline occurs about the middle of September, and dealers will do well to take advantage of the choice selections of teas that arrive during the months of October and November. For the better buying of teas at this time it will also be found necessary to note the supply very closely, as during heavy shipments the market is nearly always easier, while, when the arrivals are light, the tea-market is higher. These points are deserving the special attention of the successful tea-dealer.

For some years past a new development of the tea trade has, to the surprise of the older wholesale and retail dealers, assumed a good deal of prominence, for if the advertisement columns of newspapers, startling placards at railroad stations and on fences form any criterion, the public are taking a liking to teas put up in pound and half-pound packages under fancy names—the latter having no relation whatever to any country, district or locality where the teas are grown. That the public should, to a certain extent, buy anything persistently forced upon its attention is perhaps possible, but tea put up in tin, lead or paper packets would seem a somewhat hopeless direction in which to attempt to draw the public taste. Tea in bulk, in the original lead-lined chests, undoubtedly keeps better, as it preserves the strength, flavor and aroma of the tea longer than when exposed to the oxydizing influence of the atmosphere, particularly in this climate, so that during transference into the tin, paper or unseasoned lead packet, ornamented with a “showy” label which the more gorgeous the more apt it is to communicate a taste of the ink, paint, glue or material in which it is packed to the tea they are intended to adorn. Again, these packets, labels and labor add as much as five to eight cents to the cost of the tea, together with the expense of flaunting them before the eyes of the public, which must be simply enormous. The public generally are ignorant in such matters, and the legitimate dealer might look with amused surprise on the apparent demand for packet teas if it were not that an increasing number of dealers are adopting the new system. Engaged as most of the grocers are in trying to stop the plague of all sorts of proprietary goods which yield them so little profit and make them the servants only of the manufacturers and proprietors, it is astonishing, to say the least, that other dealers should be found who are adopting the same system with tea. A grocer cannot manufacture spices or sugar, grow wine, distil whisky or brew beer, but he can, as generations of grocers have done before him, sell good tea out of an honest tea-chest,—or caddy—and make a respectable living, if not money, out of it for himself and not for others, while serving the public well at the same time. Surely, the attitude of the grocers on this question should not be one of doubt, as they have it in their power to make it clear to the public that they can sell cheaper, better and fresher teas of their own, and with a far better guarantee of the source of supply named or adhered to than if a paper or metallic packet with a fancy label, however attractive, is trusted to. Again, there can be no valid reason why every grocer, if he sees fit, should not put his own teas up and offer them under his own name and brand upon it, if his patrons should desire, a fancy and costly packet with no other advantages attaching to it.