SOME ENGLISH BLENDS.
Blended teas are the rule in England, where the skillful mixing of tea has become an art, very little, if any tea being sold to consumers that is not mixed or blended in some manner, every dealer, both wholesale and retail being identified with or noted for some particular flavored tea. Many of the blends sold in London, although differing widely in character, are most skilfully and scientifically combined, the greatest care being taken that no tea is introduced which might act detrimentally upon any other tea in the blend. The majority of these blends are markedly distinct, almost opposite, the chief features of one being a rough, strong, but ripe Saryune Congou, that of another being an even-leafed, delicate-flavored Chingwo, the base of a third being a plain Ningchow or fruity Oonfa, to which is added an Assam Pekoe or Souchong to increase its thickness and pungency as well as give tone to the mixture, together with a small quantity of low-priced Kaisow to reduce its cost. But however great the divergence in the blends, whenever knowledge and judgment have been brought to bear on the subject success has followed in its wake, and although the most of the combinations are exceedingly popular there is still ample room for the introduction of others as well as for improvements upon those that are at present in use.
14. The following is a very popular London blend, and will be duly appreciated among English residents generally: 3 pounds Kaisow Congou, 2 pounds Souchong, 2 pounds Assam, 1 pound Pekoe and 1 pound Foochow Oolong. The foundation of this combination as will be observed, is composed of China Congous, the Souchong enriching, the Assam giving sharpness and pungency, the Oolong softening and mellowing and the Pekoe imparting aroma and piquancy to the entire.
15. Another English blend, cheaper, and consequently not as satisfactory, is composed as follows: 6 pounds Ningchow, 6 pounds Oonfa and 5 pounds Cachar or Darjeeling Congous, 5 pounds Oolong, 1 pound Caper and 1 pound Pekoe. The Congous forming the base of this blend being lacking in strength, an extra quantity of Cachar is required to “bring them up,” while the equal quantity of Oolong softens and the Scented teas give a tone to the high-toasty flavor of the India.
In Blending teas scoops or guessing should not be relied on, but scales and weights always used in measuring. If it is worth the time and trouble to test a number of teas so that the most suitable may be selected, it certainly must be worth a little more of each to weigh and arrange the proportions in the best and most advantageous manner, and not risk the success of the combination by a rough conjecture at the various quantities composing it. The advantage of correctly weighing tea for blending is not surpassed by that of selecting it in the first place, and a blend should never, under any circumstances, have its cost reduced by the introduction of a tea coarser or rougher in leaf than that of the majority of the kinds composing the mixture. Low-priced teas when used for this purpose should be clean, plain and sweet, as a tea of more pronounced character will stamp its own impression on the other teas instead of its being lost among them, its coarse features standing out prominently, while the superior qualities of the finer grades will be, if not entirely obliterated, so marred as to be unrecognizable. Whereas, if the blend is so arranged that the most powerful tea is also the highest grade in it, the effect is that all the other teas are elevated to its level. Teas should on no account be ever blended in wet or damp weather, as they have a natural susceptibility for absorbing moisture and all surrounding odors. After blending, they should be immediately replaced in the original lead-lined package and covered, or in tightly-covered cans, to exclude the air and protect them from the weather, and then allowed to stand from a week to ten days in order to let them assimilate and unite their opposite qualities.
VARIOUS METHODS OF PREPARING FOR USE.
In China, where tea has been in use from time immemorial, and where it not only forms the regular beverage of the people but also administers to the luxury of the epicure, it is generally prepared in the cup. The tea service consists of large porcelain cups which fit into a silver base, a smaller cup and cover, the leaves being placed in the large cup which is filled with boiling water and also covered. In about two minutes when the tea is drawn it is decanted from the large to the smaller cups, the cover being used to strain off the tea, after which it is drank without the addition of either sugar or milk. Another shorter method is to first put a small quantity of leaves in a cup and place a perforated silver-lid on top to keep them down, briskly boiling water is then poured on and the cups covered with a saucer to prevent the aroma from escaping. The tea is then allowed to brew or “draw” in this manner from eight to ten minutes, after which the infusion is drank from the original cup. By these simple processes only the more volatile and stimulating properties of the leaves are extracted the tannin or astringent principle being retained in the leaves and an immeasurably much finer beverage produced than by any other known method.
The Mandarins and wealthier Chinese prepare it in a small hollow ball made of either gold or silver, about the size of a walnut, suspended from a finger-ring by a slender chain of the same material four to five inches long. This “tea-ball” is divided in the middle, the halves being hinged and perforated with innumerable holes, but is often made like a globular sieve of gold or silver wire connected in the same manner. The halves are filled with tea-leaves and then clasped tight and suspended by the ring and chain from one of the fingers of the right hand into a porcelain cup of freshly boiling water and gently moved to and fro or up and down until the water is colored to the desired height, the strength of the infusion thus prepared depending much on the length of time the tea-ball is agitated in the cup, making it strong or weak as may be required. The Chinese invariably make the infusion with rain or spring water heated to a high degree, the ebullition lasting only a few minutes and poured on the leaves just as soon as the bubbles appear on top of the water.
The Japanese, to whom tea is as valuable as it is to the Chinese, first reduce the leaves to a fine powder by grinding them in a small hand-mill made for the purpose, and then mix it with hot water to the consistency of a thin pulp, in which form it is sipped, not drank, particularly by the aristocracy and richer people, being made and served to visitors in the following manner: The tea-table, with the powdered tea enclosed in a box, is set before the company and the cups filled with boiling water as much of the powder as would cover the point of a knife put into each cup, which is then stirred and mixed with a curious denticulated instrument until the liquor foams, in which state it is served to the company, and sipped while warm. Customarily they strain the liquid before drinking, but frequently the tea and pulverized leaves are drank together in the same manner that the Turks and other Orientals use coffee.