THE LITTLE TEA BOOK 



Especially is this the case in the 

 northern part of China, where most 

 of the inhabitants just live, and 

 that is all. There they are obliged 

 to use the last pickings of tea, com- 

 monly known as " brick tea," which 

 is very poor and coarse in quality. It 

 is pressed into bricks about eight by 

 twelve inches in size, and whenever a 

 quantity of it is needed a piece is 

 knocked off and pulverized in a ket- 

 tle of boiling water. Other ingre- 

 dients, consisting of salt, milk, but- 

 ter, a little pepper, and vinegar, are 

 added, and this combination consti- 

 tutes the entire meal of the family. 



Tea in China and Japan is the 

 stand-by of every meal the never- 

 failing and ever-ready refreshment. 

 Besides being the courteous offering 

 to the visitor, it serves a high pur- 



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