Tea-Blending as a Fine Art

by Joseph M. Walsh

PART III.
ART OF TESTING AND SELECTING TEAS.

The Teas of commerce possess two values—an intrinsic or real value, and a commercial or market value—the former constituting its quality, strength and flavor, the latter being more often based on its style or appearance, supply and fluctuations in price, so that in their selection for commercial purposes four leading features are to be considered before purchasing by the dealer, viz.: Leaf, Liquor, Character and Flavor, the drawing and drinking qualities of a Tea in the cup being paramount to its style or appearance in the hand, as many Teas though coarse or rough-looking in “make” or appearance draw and drink exceedingly well in the infusion.

There are five principal methods of testing and selecting Teas for commercial use, and which may be summed up in the following sequence. First by

STYLE OR APPEARANCE.

A good Tea may be readily recognized by its style or appearance in the hand, which though not invariably an indication of its merit in the cup has considerable to do with its quality and value, choice Teas of all kinds being handsomely made and pleasing to the eye. They are compactly if not artistically curled or rolled according to their make, whether Green or Black, and all Teas are fine in proportion to their youth and tenderness, the ripest and juiciest curling up tightest and retaining their form longest, that is the younger and fresher the leaves the richer and more succulent the Tea. While old and inferior Teas on the other hand are large, rough and loosely made in proportion to their age, quality and period of picking, as being partially or totally devoid of sap they are correspondingly coarse, astringent or entirely flavorless in the infused state. By

FEELING OR PRESSING.

Judging a sample of Tea by feeling or pressing in the hand is more applicable to the curled, twisted or Black Tea sorts than to the rolled or Green Tea kinds. For instance, if the leaves of the former make 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 without breaking. But if the leaves be old and sapless they will be found tough and chaffy to the touch, very brittle, breaking easily and crumbling under the same conditions.

SMELLING OR INHALING.

By blowing or breathing heavily upon a sample of Tea and then quickly smelling or inhaling the odor emitted from it, a very fair estimate of its general character may be formed by the dealer. To judge correctly by this method, however, an acquaintance with the distinctive flavors and peculiarities will be necessary, this knowledge being best acquired by the dealer adopting a type or standard sample of the Teas he is using or wants to match. By