TESTING, BLENDING AND PREPARING. l6l 



attractive to the eye. Old and inferior teas, on the other 

 hand, will be large, rough and loosely rolled or curled, 

 in proportion to their age, quality and picking, and being 

 partially or entirely devoid of " sap " or succulence, they 

 are correspondingly thin, coarse or flavorless in the infused 

 state. 



By Feeling. Judging a sample of tea by feeling is 

 applicable more to the curled, twisted or rolled sorts, 

 such as Oolongs, Congous, Souchongs and Hyson 

 teas. If the leaves of a tea of these makes, so tested, be 

 really choice they will be found smooth, crisp and elastic 

 in the hand, and capable of resisting a gentle but firm 

 pressure, yielding rather than snapping or breaking under 

 it. But if old and " sapless," they will be found rough 

 and " chaffy " to the touch, very brittle, cracking easily 

 and crumbling under the same conditions, making much 

 dust. 



By Smelling. By blowing or breathing hard upon 

 a sample of tea and then quickly catching the odor emitted 

 from it a fair estimate of its general character and value 

 may be arrived at. To judge by this method, however, 

 an acquaintance with the distinctive flavors and peculiari- 

 ties of the various sorts ind grades will be first necessary. 

 This knowledge is best acquired by adopting as a type or 

 " standard " a sample of the tea to be matched and edu- 

 cating this sense to its flavor and aroma. It is not for a 

 moment claimed that this test will be at all times accurate 

 or reliable, and only a general estimate can be formed, 

 especially if suffering from a cold, in which case its 

 true character or value cannot be even approximated. 

 Again, many teas that may be "new and nosey" in 

 the hand will be " thin and flat " in the cup, the 

 "flashy" or evanescent flavor passing off rapidly on 

 infusion. 



