Account of the Tea Tree. 261 



or three quarters of a catty of leaves are put into the 

 tatches. 



Tunkey suiglo tea is the best, which is owing to the soil : 

 it grows near the hyson country. Ordinary singlo tea is 

 neither so often tatched or picked as the above described. 



There are two gatherings of the singlo tea, the first in 

 April and May, the second in June ; each gathering is 

 divided into three or more sorts ; the leaves of the first are 

 large, fine, fat, and clean ; of this sort there may be col- 

 lected from a pecul, from 40 to 53 catties, usually 45. The 

 second sort is picked next, and what then remains is the 

 third or worst sort. 



Tunkey, like other singlo tea, is made into two or three 

 sorts ; the best is sometimes sold for hyson of an inferior 

 growth. 



Of hyson there are also two gatherings, and each gather- 

 ing is distinguished into two or more sorts ; but as greai 

 care is taken in gathering it, 60 catties may be chosen from 

 one pecul, when only 4 5 catties can be chosen from singlo. 



Hyson-skin, as it is called, has its name from bemg 

 con)parcd to the skin or peel of the hyson tea, a sort of 

 cover to it, consequently not so good ; it consists of the 

 largest leaves, unhandsome leaves, bad coloured and flat 

 leaves, that are amongst the hyson tea. This tea is known 

 in London by the name of bloom tea. 



Gomi (or Gobec) and Ootsien, are also leaves picked 

 from the hyson leaves. Those called sonji are small and 

 very much twisted, so that they appear like bits of wire. 

 The ootsien are more like little balls. 



There are many difierent growths of singlo and hyson 

 teas, and also some dilTerence in the manner of curintr 

 them, according to the skill or fancy of thecurcr: this 

 occasions difference of quality in the teas, as does also a 

 good or bad season. A rainy season, for instance, makes 

 the leaves yellow : a cold season nips the trees, and makes 

 the leaves poor. 



Bing tea is so called from the man who first made that 

 tea. It grows four days journey from the hyson country. 

 The leaves of bing are long and thin, those of singlo are 

 short and thick. 



The tricks in tea tire iiinttinerublc. In the bohea country 

 when tea is dear (and probably they use the same method 

 in all tea countries), they gather the coarse old leaves, pass 

 ihem through boiling water, then cure them as other leaves 

 are cund ; after which they pound them, and mix them 

 with other teas, putting five or six catties of this lea dust to 

 ninety-live catties of tea. 



K3 T 



