IIO CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



than twice. The second time was, I then thought, necessary, 

 as I found the leaf of the roll opened in the pan, and a second 

 rolling was requisite to twist it again. 



But what did panning do ? I heard pans had been dis- 

 continued in some gardens. In what way was panning 

 an advantage ? I made Tea, fermenting it between the two 

 rollings, but not panning it, and it was equally good. I tried 

 again and again, but never could detect that panning caused 

 any difference to either the Tea, the liquor, or the out-turn. 1 

 In short, though I never found panning did any harm, I 

 equally found it never did any good. Its use is, in fact, 

 simply barren of all results. 



I therefore dispensed with it. Having done so, why roll 

 the second time at all ? I experimented, and found the 

 second rolling as barren of results as the panning. 



I had now got rid of operations 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 in the old 

 plan. The next was No. 9 ' sunning.' I made Tea with, 

 and without it, and found as follows : 



Sunning between the fermenting and firing processes has 

 no effect whatever on the liquor or the out-turn, but it makes 

 the Tea rather blacker, and as it drives off much of the 

 moisture in the roll, the firing process after it is shorter and 

 does not consume so much charcoal. What little effect there- 

 fore it has is good (for if not continued too long, it does not 

 make the Tea too black) and it is economical. I therefore 

 decided on retaining it. 2 



Next came the operations 10, n, and 12, viz., 'first firing, 

 cooling and crisping, and second firing.' Where these are 

 done (and they are done in some gardens now) the usual 

 thing is to half-fire the roll the same afternoon and evening 



1 The out-turn consists of the Tea leaves after infusion. 



2 At the end of the season, however, sunning has more than the above effect. 

 It then makes the Tea ' chubby' in form, of a reddish colour, and improves the 

 strength of the liquor. 



