260 Account of the Tea Tree. 



The worst sort of Ankoy is not tatched ; but Ankoy 

 Congo, as it is called, is cured with care, like good bohea 

 or congo : this sort is generally packed in small chests. 

 There is also Ankoy-peka; but the smell of all these teas 

 is much inferior to those of the bohea country. However, 

 Ankoy congo of the first sort is generally dearer at Canton 

 than the inferior growths of bohea. 



As tatching the tea makes it sweat, as the Chinese term 

 it, or throw out an oil, the tatche in time becomes dirty, 

 and must be washed. 



If bohea is tatched only twice, it will be reckoned slovenly 

 cured, and the water of the tea will not be green, but yel- 

 Ipw ; so that fine bohea tea must be cured as congo ; the 

 coarse is not so nmch regarded. 



The ordinary tea used by common people in tea countries 

 is passed through boiling water before it is tatched, not- 

 withstanding which it remains very strong and bitter. This, 

 father I^efebure sa) ?, he has often seen. Tea is also some- 

 times kept in the steam of boiling water, which is called by 

 some authors a vapour bath. 



Singlo and hyson teas are cured in the following manner: 

 when the leaves are gathered, they are directly tatched, and 

 then verv much rubbed by men's hands to roll them, after 

 which they are spread to divide them, for the leaves in 

 rollins; are apt to stick together ; they are then tatched very 

 dry, and afterwards spread on tables to be picked ; this is 

 done by girls or won)en, who, according to their skill, can 

 pick from one to four catty each day. Then they are tatched 

 again, and afterwards tossed in flat baskets to clear them 

 from dust ; they are then again spread on tables and picked, 

 and then tatched for a fourth time, and laid in parcels, 

 which parcels are again tatched by ten catties at a time, 

 and when done put hot into baskets for the purpose, where 

 they are kept till it suits the owner to pack them in chests 

 or tul)S, before which the tea is again tatched, and then put 

 hot into the chests or tubs, and pressed in them by hand. 

 When the tea is hot it does not break, which it is apt lo do 

 when it is cold. Singlo tea being more dusty than hyson 

 tea, it is twice tossed in baskets, hyson only once. 



It appears that it is necessary to tatche these teas when- 

 ever they contract any moisture ; so that if the seller is 

 obliged to keep his tea any time, especially in damp wea- 

 ther, he nuist tatche it to give it a crispness bef(;re he car» 

 ^]\ it. 



It is to be observed that the quantity of leaves tatched 

 increases with the times of tatching ; at first only half 



2 Oft 



