142 Mr Bnice on the Manufacture of Tea, and on the 



with black tea. The green tea makers have as great an aver- 

 sion to drying their tea over the fire as the black tea makers. 

 The thii'd time it has been rolled and dried, there is very little 

 moisture left in the tea ; it is now put into a hot pan, and 

 gently tui'ned over and over, and opened out occasionally, un- 

 til all has become well heated ; it is then tossed out into a 

 basket, and while hot put into a very strong bag, previously 

 prepared for it, about four foet long, and four spans in circum- 

 forence. Into this bag the tea is pressed with great force with 

 the hands and foet ; from fourteen to twenty pounds being 

 put in at one time, and forced into as small a compass as pos- 

 sible. With his left hand the man firmly closes the mouth of 

 the bag immediately above the leaves, while, with the right 

 hand, he pommels and beats the bag, every now and then giv- 

 ing it a turn ; thus he beats and turns and works at it, tight- 

 ening it by every turn with one hand, and holding on with the 

 other, until he has squeezed the leaves into as small a compass 

 as possible at the end of the bag. He now makes it fast by 

 turns of the cloth where he held on, so that it may not open ; 

 and then draws the cloth of the bag over the ball of leaves, 

 thus doubling the bag, the mouth of which is twisted and made 

 fast. The man then stands up, holding on by a post or some 

 such thing, and works this ball of leaves under his feet, at the 

 same time alternately pressing with all his weight, first with 

 one foot and then the other, turning the ball over and over, 

 and occasionally opening the bag to tighten it more firmly. 

 When he has made it almost as hard as a stone, he secures 

 the mouth well and puts the bag away for that day. Next 

 morning it is opened out and the leaves gently separated and 

 placed on dollahs, then fired and dried until they are crisp, the 

 same as the black tea, after which they are packed in boxes 

 or baskets. In China the baskets are made of double bamboo, 

 with leaves between. The tea may then remain on the spot 

 for two or three months, or be sent to any other place to re- 

 ceive the final process. This first part of the green tea pro- 

 cess is so simple, that the natives of this country readily pick 

 it up in a month or two. The second process now commences 

 by opening the boxes or baskets, and exposing the tea on large 

 shallow bamboo baskets or dollahs (see former account, fig. 1) 



