354 FLORA 



leaves (and confequently in the in- 

 fufion) by a flower roafting; and 

 repeat the operation five, fix, and 

 even feven times. Between each 

 roafting the tea- leaves are rolled in 

 one direction on a table covered 

 with a bamboo or rufh-mat: but 

 never is this operation performed 

 backwards and forwards. The pan 

 muft be fo hot, that by putting a 

 frefh leaf in it, it may make a hif- 

 fing noife from the expelled juice. 

 The leaves are continually flirred by 

 mens hands, till their heat grows 

 intolerable ; ant! then they are taken 

 out with a wooden rake, and rolled 

 as above on mats. The Chinefe, to 

 take off the narcotic power of the 

 tea-leaves of the firft collection, foak. 

 them for half a minute in boiling 

 water. In curing the beft forts of 

 tea, the pan is waflied, and cleaned 

 with boiling water after each roaft- 

 ing. This is however true, that 

 there are many varieties of tea, dif- 

 fering one from another in the (hape 

 and quality of the leaves: thus the 

 Tea-Ankai has oblong leaves, the 



Tea- 



