1 82 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



the chief characteristic of the Chinese leaf, meaning of course that 

 vended by respectable houses, not the abominable trash that formed 

 part of the cargoes of the Lalla Rookh and Sarpedon, containing, 

 according to Dr. Letheby's Analysis, "40 to 45 per cent, of iron 

 filings and 19 per cent, of silica." Nor is this lack of delicacy of 

 flavour to be lightly regarded, for the efforts of our manufacturers have 

 been directed unwittingly and indirectly to foster the peculiarity, as the 

 test of Indian Tea has hitherto been its strength and pungency, to 

 fit it for salting weak, thin, inferior sorts of Chinese. This is what the 

 dealers have demanded, and what, consequently, brokers in their 

 turn have insisted on, with the result that the out-turn of our Assam 

 and Cachar plantations is now, if anything, too powerful to suit 

 public taste. Whether means of manipulation may be hit upon by 

 which aroma can be retained without sacrificing strength, we leave 

 those most interested to determine ; but it is worthy of note that 

 this objection to strength and roughness is almost confined to women, 

 the sterner sex preferring Assam unmixed, while the working classes 

 of both sexes are unanimous in favour of the unadulterated Indian 

 article. Experiments were further tried by substituting Neilgherry 

 Tea, and after a short interval the verdict of the majority was in its 

 favour. We need now only point out the difference in the manufac- 

 ture between the two Teas, leaving others to decide questions regard- 

 ing the bearing of climate or altitude. Up to the time of finishing 

 rolling the manipulation of the leaf is identical, care being taken to 

 retain the juice ; but that made on the hills instead of being almost 

 immediately placed over choolas was spread out thinly on tables all 

 night, in a temperature of 54 deg., sustaining consequent loss of 

 strength by evaporation, but developing an aroma that established 

 it at once in favour. So successful has this Neilgherry Tea been at 

 home, that offers are now received by plantation proprietors for their 

 produce at half a crown per Ib. free on board, in Madras. This 

 would seem to indicate that the aroma is generated by the action of 

 cold upon the damp leaf while in a state of " suspended fermenta- 

 tion ; " for, previous to experimenting with consumers, the samples 

 were submitted to Mincing Lane brokers and pronounced sound, in 

 corroboration of which opinion the bulk from which they were taken 

 sold at auction for 2s. 2\d., so that fermentation (i.e. Sourness) had 

 been carefully avoided. We know that the climate of Assam and 

 temperature of the Tea-houses render the keeping of rolled leaf even 

 for an hour fatal to soundness ; but should the development 



