When the make of a Tea is spoken of as a “well made,” “fairly made,” &c., leaf, the effect of the manipulation or rolling is referred to. We may have a “well made even,” or a “well made mixed large and small,” leaf. We may have a “straight” or “curled,” or, as the latter is generally expressed when applied to a large leaf Tea, “twisted” leaf. It may be “flattish made,” indicating that though the leaf is not open it wears a flattish aspect, or it may be open, which betrays a want of sufficient or skilful manipulation. A “wiry” leaf is small, perfectly rolled, and very thin (in diameter), generally rather curled, so as in fact to resemble small pieces of bent wire. It will be seen at once that only the finer Teas can have a wiry leaf, principally the Orange Pekoes and Pekoes. Sometimes we meet with a fine Souchong that may be thus described.
Green Teas.
As in the North-west Provinces Green Teas form the bulk of the produce, it will be well to give a short description of them, though the tenor of my remarks below will show the general opinion as to the desirability of making them.[54]
Gunpowder is the most valuable description, its price ranging from 2s. 8d. to 3s. 8d. per lb. Instead of possessing the long and thin finished leaf, which is the desideratum of Black Teas, it is rolled into little balls more or less round, varying from one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch in diameter. Sometimes it is not altogether composed of round leaf, but has some long leaf mixed.
When the Tea is of the shape of Gunpowder, but is larger than the size above quoted, it is called Imperial. Prices of Imperial are from 10d. to 2s. 6d.
Amongst Green Teas Hyson may be taken as the parallel of Souchong of the black leaf descriptions. Undoubtedly there is often much young Pekoe leaf in it, but all chance of discriminating it in the finished leaf is done away with by the change in colour. Hysons sell from 1s. 2d. to 3s. 6d.
Young Hyson is smaller than Hyson, occasionally slightly broken. It fetches from 7d. to 2s. 6d.
Hyson skin consists of the bold broken leaf of Hyson and Young Hyson. A small broken Green Tea is seldom sent on the home market. The reason of this is obvious. When we consider that Hyson skin only fetches from 7d. to 1s., it is apparent that anything approaching a dust would give very little chance of a profit. I have seen one or two parcels, too much broken to come under the title of Hyson skin, sell at 3d. to 6d. per lb. in London. It would be well if some of the Indian planters would take a lesson from the Chinese, and not send home their very low Teas, black or green, as they are very difficult of sale in London, and in many cases cannot pay the cost of packing and shipping. The Chinese make a great quantity of their broken Teas into Brick Tea, and send it into the Central Provinces of Asia, where it meets with a ready sale. I do not see why this should not be done by the Indian growers. There is a large consumption of Tea on the other side of the Himalayas, not very far from Darjeeling and Assam. I hear also that in the neighbourhood of the growing districts, especially in the North-west Provinces, the natives are beginning to consume largely, and will pay 8 as. to 1 rupee for a Tea that could not possibly fetch more than 1s. to 1s. 6d. per lb. in England. Whether the natives of India, as a whole, do or do not take to drinking Tea will have a material effect on the future prospects of the article.