100 



being that the leaf is covered with a fine dust and the 

 finished blend consequently looks dull and grey. A 

 small cutting or milling machine will be found indis- 

 pensable unless the quantity of tea dealt with is only 

 small. It will be found that some Pekoes and Pekoe 

 Souchongs have excellent liquors, especially those grown 

 on bushes in the Assam district, but it will be impossible 

 to use them freely, unless cut down to a smaller size. 

 In selecting a large leaf Pekoe Souchong or Pekoe, such 

 as described, it will be expedient before deciding to buy 

 the parcel, to experiment with the leaf and ascertain 

 if it " mills well " or not. By milling well it is under- 

 stood that the leaf may be cut without forming too 

 much broken or dusty tea. Some teas which have been 

 highly fired are likely to be very brittle, consequently 

 when passed through the cutting machine, the pro- 

 portion of broken and dusty tea will be excessive, to 

 the detriment of the blend. Small milling machines 

 have only one roller, made to cut an average size, but if 

 it is found by milling once the leaf is not small enough, 

 it can be passed through the cutter again. This second 

 operation will, as a rule, reduce the leaf to a useable 

 size. A fine sieve is a utensil which can often be used 

 to advantage. Should a blend unfortunately turn out 

 dusty it is not a difficult matter to remedy this by using 

 the sieve, and so separate the finest particles from the 

 rest of the mixture. These can then be either sold as 

 dust or added to one of the lower grade blends. 



The demand during recent years has turned largely 

 to packet tea, and although the trend of events is 

 deplored by the majority of grocers, yet it would be 

 short-sighted policy not to supply what the public asks 

 for and gets. The single-shop grocer will hardly find 

 it worth while to pack his own tea, although should he 

 be desirous of doing so, moulds and hand-rammers 



