68 TEA 



The majority of large wholesale houses have more 

 than one buyer for Indian teas. During each week in 

 the season the number of samples to be examined 

 minutely and critically is so large that it is nearly 

 impossible for one man to give proper attention to the 

 offerings in the time available between the sales. The 

 method adopted, as a rule, is for one to taste all the 

 Pekoe Souchongs, Pekoes and Orange Pekoes, while a 

 second buyer is responsible for the Dusts, Fannings, 

 Broken Pekoes, and Broken Orange Pekoes, although 

 the arrangement of the grades varies in different sale- 

 rooms. It sometimes happens that a buyer is anxious 

 to secure only tea " for price/' that is to say, the lowest 

 quoted at the time. This necessity too often arises, 

 owing, unfortunately, to the demand for common tea 

 being now so much in evidence. He, therefore, proceeds 

 to pick out, judging by the appearance of the leaf only, 

 the inferior Pekoe Souchongs and without troubling to 

 taste or otherwise examine them, values " on the nose." 

 This expression means that the buyer judges the value 

 of the teas under review by simply smelling them. 

 Orders are then without loss of time placed with the 

 selling brokers so that the bids submitted may be 

 " first in." The procedure, however, is quite different 

 when the aim of the taster is to select a variety of teas 

 which are to be eventually offered to the discriminating 

 and enlightened grocers in the United Kingdom. The 

 teas to be tasted and valued are first of all sorted out 

 into grades, e.g., the Dusts, lowest Pekoe Souchongs, 

 Broken Pekoes, Pekoes, Orange Pekoes and Broken 

 Orange Pekoes are separated into different* piles, while 

 the Darjeelings are reserved for a special liquoring. 

 So that the taster may have a basis upon which to value, 

 " standards " are used. These are teas either in stock 

 or parcels recently sold which are taken to form a guide 



