Black tea

“ While in Chinese tea-making that juice is squeezed out of the leaves, in India it is most carefully lapped up and absorbed in the spongy mass. In hand-rolling as much as can be worked between two hands is operated on, and passed from man to man along the table till fully worked, when it is made up into a compressed ball and so put aside for fermenting. This process is the distinguishing feature of black-tea making, and on its sufficient accomplishment depends much of the character and quality of the tea made. ”

“ They are now placed in the basket in greater mass and pushed against its sides by the hands in order to allow the heat to come up through the sieve and the vapour to escape; a basket over all retains the heat, but the contents are turned over until perfectly dry and the leaves become uniformly black."
Thus much for the manufacture of black tea, from which may be gathered the main fact that often a considerable time may elapse after the sun-drying process and before the teas are put into the firing pans. Thus it is that black teas are heavily fermented. ”

“ English tea-drinkers, who like to mix a green and a black tea, and allow it to steam for a quarter of an hour to make it strong, complain that Chinese tea is mere dishwater, just as the man accustomed to get boozy on brandy, made 'fiery' with sulphuric acid, has no taste for the light French wines. A Chinaman colors his green tea with Prussian blue for his foreign customers, who like a bright, pretty color; but he is too wise to drink it. This process of coloring we have seen, publicly, in the tea factories of Shanghai ”

“ And there are a vast number of sensible people in the same category. If your guest is a votary of green tea, have it made for her, in time for the essence of the leaves to be well drawn forth. It is no compliment to give her green tea that is weak and washy. And do not, at your own table, be so rude as to lecture her upon the superior wholesomeness of black tea. For more than a century, green tea was universally drunk in every house, and there was then less talk of nervous diseases than during the reign of Souchong,—which, by-the-bye, is nearly exploded in the best European society. ”

“ Consul Euslie writes from Kanagawa (Japan) as follows concerning black Tea:—This has, on the whole, proved a failure, although the production continues on a limited scale. The climate and soil of this country appear unfitted to the growth of plants producing a leaf of the quality necessary to make good black. Teas resembling good leaf congous can be made with good and even handsome leaf, several samples being in appearance very similar to Indian Teas of pekoe class, but lacking strength, and not being nearly equal to good Chinese Foochow Teas in that respect. ”

“ The Canton plant, however, is not cultivated in the North; on the Bohea hills themselves, speaking botanically, there grows no Bohea tea; the plant there, also, is the Thea viridis. The difference between our green and black tea is produced entirely in the making. Green tea is more quickly and lightly dried, so that it contains more of the virtues of the leaf. Black tea is dried more slowly; exposed, while moist, on mats, when it ferments a little, and then subjected in drying to a greater heat, which makes it blacker in its color. ”

“ The one wanting quality is the strength, sometimes, by-the-bye, the flavour is a little different. It may have the greenish, greyish blackish leaf (though generally the green leaves are distinct from black ones, the Tea thus being composed of greyish blackish leaves with a few green ones intermixed) , always has the pale liquor, generally the greenish infused leaf; but sometimes it is sadly intermingled with black leaves, as it is a Tea whose flavour is frequently burnt out, though its weakness and green appearance are no doubt often caused by deficient firing. ”

“ Money lays down the following rules: the darker the liquor the stronger the tea, and the nearer the approach of the infused leaf to a uniform salmony brown the purer the flavour. Black tea of good quality should in infusion yield a clear bright brown liquor emitting a subdued fragrance, and in taste it should be mild, bland, and sweetish, with an agreeable astringency. Green tea yields a light-coloured liquor of high fragrance, but thin, sharp, and somewhat rasping in taste as compared with black tea. ”

“ The only gleam of truth latent in so manifestly absurd an assertion being that the Celestials invariably drink the pure Tea, not that which has undergone artificial preparation for those outer barbarians, the English consumers, it being an admitted fact that they prepare Tea “to order,” and can by the aid of mineral facing-powder transform black Tea into green, or green Tea into black at pleasure. ”

“ Black tea is the preferable for general use, and, if properly made, will prove anti-spasmodic, and relieve pains or cramps in the bowels. In some instances tea does not suit the particular state of the stomach, and it should then be abandoned, the taste naturally pointing out when it should be taken. But no species of prepared fluid seems so suitable to the palates and the stomachs of the people of this country. No kind of drink is so refreshing after a journey or fatigue as tea. It restores the drooping spirits, and invigorates the frame for renewed exertion. ”

“ In general, tea may be classed as green or black, this difference in color depending upon the age of the leaf, and largely upon differences in the curing process. Green tea is made from the young leaf, and after picking is dried immediately by artificial heat, being constantly stirred for about an hour, in which time the leaves twist and curl. For black tea the leaves are allowed to wilt and ferment, before they are rolled and heated ”

“ The loaves of native sugar are always wrapped round with coloured paper—pink, red, or blue—so that the shop looks quite smart. The tea for sale is chiefly green tea from Bombay. It is brought by koffla—camel and donkey caravan, from Peshawur through the Khyber Pass, by the travelling merchants or carriers. Many of the rich men of Kabul own trains of camels, which they hire out for carrying purposes. There is black tea also, but in small quantities and expensive. It is said to be brought from China through Asiatic Russia and Turkestan. The Afghans always call black tea “chai-i-famîl.” ”

“ It is accordingly in proof, that old congo teas are often sold as bohea, and have sometimes been imported into our market under that denomination. In short, whenever black teas are deteriorated by age, or are of the lowest price, they are mixed up to form bohea for the market, and are suited to the demand and wishes of the purchasers. It is not meant to affirm that there is no such simple and distinct tea known as bohea. All that the evidence justifies us in saying is, that this is not the common bohea of commerce. ”

“ It must be admitted that inexperienced judges of the pure leaf, upon their first purchase are surprised at the colour of the leaf. They pronounce the black Tea to be dark brown, and the green Tea, a dark olive. The exquisite flavour of the “supreme59 beverage” at once opens their eyes to the truth. No doubt it is reassuring to be aware that a Firm which, by common consent of their customers, consistently and persistently act up to their business formula, “Always good alike,” find meet reward in a yearly augmentation of their business ”

“ The quality and grade are dependent upon flavor, and, with the strength of the infusion, are determined by tasting. This work is rapidly done by the trained tea taster. The out-turn should be of one color; no bright green leaves should be present; evenness of make is judged by the out-turn. The flavor of a tea is largely a matter of personal judgment, but from a physiological point of view black teas are given the preference. ”

“ The latest works on botany, also, make Thea a distinct genus—Thea Sinensis—divided into two species—Thea Viridis and Thea Bohea—these botanical terms having no specific relation to the varieties known to commerce as Green and Black teas. It having also been proven that there is but one species comprehending both varieties, the difference in color and character being due to a variation in the soil, climate, as well as to different methods of cultivation and curing, from either or both of which Green or Black tea may be prepared at will according to the process of manufacture. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Subsequently when green tea became an article of foreign trade it was discovered that this new departure was grown and made in the more northern provinces of Chekiang and Anhwei. To the black tea botanists gave the scientific name of Thea Bohea because largely grown on the range of hills of that name. The latter was designated Thea viridis from the comparative greenness of its leaf. But the plants have now long been known to be of one and the same description, though Chinese rarely make both kinds of tea, black and green, in one district. ”

“ In the United Kingdom, for example, dealers find that Irish consumers demand the best quality of tea. The United States remained faithful to their green tea long after that description was discarded in Australia; and even when black tea came to be in part substituted, it was not the Ceylon or Chinese Congou, but the astringent Oolong kinds, such as are so largely supplied from Japan, which met the taste of American consumers. ”

“ The true inquiry, therefore, is, whether, in a commercial sense, the tea in question is known, and bought, and sold, and used, under the denomination of bohea tea. We think the evidence on this point is altogether irresistible. It establishes that the bohea tea of commerce is not usually a distinct and simple substance, but is a compound made up in China of various kinds of the lowest priced black teas, and the mixture is of higher or lower quality, according to the existing state of the market. ”

“ New crop teas are the best. Japan teas come in June, and Chinese later, say in July and August. Many prefer a mixture of green and black tea for family use, and retail dealers often have the knack of so blending the two that the excellence of each is enhanced. Such a combination has less effect upon the nerves, and is less expensive than good green tea, while it may be more delightful in flavor than either black or green tea alone. ”

“ SPENT OR EXHAUSTED LEAVES IN TEA Are principally used in the adulteration of Black teas, and is effected by adding or substituting leaves that have been at least once used, and from which all the vital properties have been extracted. The Chinese being inveterate tea-drinkers, large quantities of these leaves are always to be had for the purpose, they are re-dried and subjected to a treatment of gypsum or terra-japonica, in order to make them retain their curl, and then glazed or “faced” with a preparation composed of either graphite or silica to enhance their appearance in the hand ”

“ IDENTITY OF BLACK AND GREEN TEA. Green and Black Tea are produced from the same plant, though the botanists were long at issue about this matter. The idea of green tea being dried upon copper is proved to be a popular fallacy, for the tea would be flavoured and spoiled in the process ”

“ To procure the extreme type of Black teas, a Souchong or Congou, the fermentation or oxidation, and the "cooking" process, is simply carried further, and with higher roasting, some of the volatile oils and delicate flavors are expelled, or are changed into other flavors. Judging by diminished effects upon tea drinkers, some of the volatile theine is also lost.
Both in China and Japan it is the custom to give large portions of the tea crop which are intended for export to foreign countries, only a preliminary drying or curing sufficient to preserve them temporarily. ”

“ As with Pwan-Suy-Lan and Pwankeiqua, Houqua's family had long been tea planters in the Bohea Hills, and were so when they first came to Canton, soon after foreign trade was confined to that port (as he frequently observed to me) , about the year 1750.
Well-to-do Chinese drink black tea, but not usually new tea. They keep it in closely-shut earthen jars for a couple of years before using it. This moderates the acrid or pungent quality which new tea possesses more or less, and renders it softer and more acceptable to the taste. ”

“ In general, it is more prolific and matures quicker, which renders it more profitable, as it affords a greater number of pickings during the season; but it is still doubtful if it is a true tea. In its geographical distribution, so far as latitude is concerned, the India tea-plant approximates most to the Black tea species of China, yet in its botanical characteristics and general appearance as well as in the size and texture of its leaves, it approaches nearer to the Green tea variety. ”

“ Basket-fired Japans are especially adapted for all Black tea blends, as they impart a peculiarly rich color and tone to the liquor and a very pleasing mellowness to the flavor of the combination, but should never form the base of the blend. ”