Early picked or “first-crop” Teas should always be chosen when possible to obtain for blending purposes, as first-crop Teas are always superior to the later pickings in flavor and aroma, in the greater amount of Theine (the active principle of Tea) which they contain as well as in their keeping qualities and blending properties, in fact, in everything except body for which Tea is deemed valuable; but in addition to selecting first-crop Teas for high-grade blends, it will be found advisable each season to ascertain the district yielding the best product, thus making quality as well as quantity the test of success, for as with wheat and other crops the Tea crop varies considerably according to the season, some years it is very good in one province or district while in others it may prove a comparative failure; thus one year a certain crop of Tea may be heavy and strong in liquor and flavor and next thin, weak and flavorless, while other “chops” that have been lacking in these qualities last year may possess the most desirable qualities this year. All varieties of Tea are equally subject to these variations, so that the advantages to be derived from a careful utilization of the best district crops of the year with but slight consideration will be very manifest to the dealer himself.
The tastes in Tea of different communities varying widely, the dealer should study and learn the particular kind and flavor best adapted to the district or locality in which he is doing business, as a Tea that may suit one class of consumers will not sell at all in another, so that the dealer himself should ascertain by repeated trials what variety or grade of Tea best suits his own particular trade. This object can best be accomplished by a series of experiments with the numerous kinds of Tea, and then noting and adopting the character and flavor of the Tea or Teas that gives the best satisfaction in price and quality to a majority of his patrons. Before proceeding to give formulas for any specific combinations it will be well for the dealer to consider the varieties and grades of Tea that will not blend satisfactorily as well as those which will assimilate best with each other, for it must not be forgotten for a moment by the dealer that Tea if not improved is certain to be injured by blending. But it is much easier for him to learn what Teas to avoid than what Teas to select, and what are best adapted to his particular trade.
Generally in a thickly-populated manufacturing and mining district, or among all working classes in this country, heavy-bodied, sweet-drawing Amoy and dark-leaved, strong Foochow Oolongs will prove the most popular Teas for the base or foundation of all blends, while in a district composed chiefly of Irish, English or Scotch Tea consumers, Congous, Souchongs and the better grades of India and Ceylon Teas will be found to give the best satisfaction. In neighborhoods made up of Polish and Russian Jews, low-grade, dark-drawing, thick-liquored Congous and Souchongs, or combinations of these two varieties alone, will be found the most satisfactory, being known to them as Russian Teas, from the fact that these are the only sorts used among Russian Tea drinkers.
For the base of the best blends or for flavoring purposes among purely American Tea consumers a really choice Formosa Oolong will be found an exceedingly valuable Tea, as a small quantity of fine or even tolerably good Formosa Tea will permeate and taste through any combination, and most Tea drinkers, when once they become accustomed to its unique flavor, will rarely be pleased with any other Tea afterwards. The dried leaf of the choicer grades is small and artistically made, yellowish-black in color, while the infused leaf is bright green and uniform. The liquor is of a rich straw color, its value consisting in a combination of piquancy, pungency and delicate aroma.
To successfully accomplish the building up of a profitable and permanent Tea business three things are requisite: (1.) The dealer must keep the best Teas obtainable at the most popular prices. (2.) He must let the public know by advertising or other means that he keeps them. (3.) It is also most important that all standard blends should possess some distinct or characteristic flavor by which it may be readily recognized by those who use it. But at the same time there is very little use in advertising or making known a Tea that does not possess intrinsic merit, as merit without some publicity makes but slow headway in these progressive times.