202 Comparative Analysis 



a deep brown colour, and considerable odour of tea. The 

 alcohol being evaporated, yielded a resinous extract of a more 

 agreeable smell and flavour than that obtained by water. The 

 leaves were now colourless, and without the smallest remaining 

 taste ; they were dried and had sustained a further loss of twelve 

 per cent. 



One hundred parts, therefore, of the finest black tea contain 

 forty-seven parts of soluble matter, thirty-five of which are 

 taken up by water, and twelve by alcohol. 



C 



A solution of isinglass was carefully added to the aqueous 

 infusion of one hundred grains of the same black tea, as long as 

 it caused a precipitate, which, being dried at a temperature not 

 exceeding 212°, weighed twenty-eight grains. 



D 



The above experiments were repeated with a sample of the 

 commonest black tea sold at 6s. per lb. The weight of the solu- 

 ble matter imparted to water was precisely similar, nearly 35 

 grains from 100: but the leaves, having been exhausted by 

 water, only imparted six grains of soluble matter to alcohol. 

 The flavour of the aqueous extract was nearly the same as that 

 of the former two. 



E 



A variety of samples of black tea were submitted to distilla- 

 tion with water, but the distilled water had acquired in all cases 

 a very slight vegetable flavour only ; it contained no appreciable 

 quantity of vegetable matter, and was not obviously different 

 from tea of different degrees of excellence. 



Experiments with Green Tea. 



A 



One hundred parts of fine green tea digested in repeated por- 

 tions of water, sustained a loss amounting to forty-one parts ; 

 the leaves being separated and dried, still retained a greenish 

 brown colour. The infusion, carefully evaporated, aff'orded a 



