No. 4.
Latterly, however, India and Ceylons are coming more into use in this country with this class of trade, so that combinations of China, India and Ceylons, such as the following, are very popular among them.
| Parts. | Varieties. | Price. |
| 2 | India Congou | @ |
| 4 | Lapsing Souchong | @ |
| 4 | Ceylon Souchong | @ |
| Average cost | ||
No. 5.
| Parts. | Varieties. | Price. |
| 1 | India Souchong | @ |
| 1 | Ceylon Souchong | @ |
| 6 | Lapsing Souchong | @ |
| Average cost | ||
In Russia the Samovar, or tea pot, is always steaming, and the natives never cease drinking tea while there is water left to prepare it. It is served at all hours of the day, in palace as well as hovel; shops abound for its sale in all the principal cities, all business transactions being made and sealed over steaming goblets of Tea. But however great the number or wide the divergence in the liquors and flavors of the combinations here given, wherever knowledge and judgment is brought to bear on the subject, success is sure to follow the efforts of the dealer; and although the majority of the foregoing blends have been found exceedingly good by actual experience, there is still ample room for other combinations by the progressive Tea-blender as well as for great improvements upon those that are presented here.
RULES FOR SUCCESSFUL TEA BLENDING.
The great art of successful Tea blending consists in the combining of quality, strength, pungency with some particular liquor and distinct flavor so as to please the greatest number of consumers for whom the blend is intended, and at the same time to arrange the component parts in such a manner that this result may be attained at the smallest possible cost to the dealer. In order to accomplish this object three important points are necessary: (1.) The dealer must study to understand the tastes and preferences of his customers for whom the blend is to be prepared. (2.) He must learn to know which varieties and grades of Tea that will combine best to please this taste, and (3.) He must learn to know how far the component parts of each blend can be varied when required without seriously affecting its uniformity, so that he may be the better enabled to take advantage of the cheapness of any special grade of Tea in the market.
In the blending of China Congous it will be found most desirable to avoid the mixing of Teas of a heavy, strong or coarse description, such as “Red-Leaf” Teas of the Padrae and Saryune sorts with those of a highly flavored and delicate character, such as Monings and Chingwos, as to blend Teas of such markedly different characters will be found beneficial to neither. This rule also applies to Formosa Oolongs and the Congou sorts, as the briskness of the lower and livelier Tea is marred by the softness of the more delicate and flavory Tea in the combination, while the body of the former will be spoiled by the delicacy of the latter.