TESTING, BLENDING AND PREPARING. 191 



which fit into a silver base, a smaller cup and cover, 

 the leaves being placed in the large cup which is filled 

 with -boiling water and also covered. In about two 

 minutes when the tea is drawn it is decanted from the 

 large to the smaller cups, the cover being used to strain 

 off the tea, after which it is drank without the addition 

 of either sugar or milk. Another shorter method is to 

 first put a small quantity of leaves in a cup and place 

 a perforated silver-lid on top to keep them down, briskly 

 boiling water is then poured on and the cups covered 

 with a saucer to prevent the aroma from escaping. The 

 tea is then allowed to brew or " draw " in this manner 

 from eight to ten minutes, after which the infusion is 

 drank from the original cup. By these simple processes 

 only the more volatile and stimulating properties of the 

 leaves are extracted the tannin or astringent principle 

 being retained in the leaves and an immeasurably much 

 finer beverage produced than by any other known method. 

 The Mandarins and wealthier Chinese prepare it in a 

 small hollow ball made of either gold or silver, about the 

 size of a walnut, suspended from a finger- ring by a 

 slender chain of the same material four to five inches 

 long. This " tea-ball " is divided in the middle, the 

 halves being hinged and perforated with innumerable 

 holes, but is often made like a globular sieve of gold or 

 silver wire connected in the same manner. The halves 

 are filled with tea-leaves and then clasped tight and sus- 

 pended by the ring and chain from one of the fingers of 

 the right hand into a porcelain cup of freshly boiling 

 water and gently moved to and fro or up and down until 

 the water is colored to the desired height, the strength 

 of the infusion thus prepared depending much on the 

 length of time the tea-ball is agitated in the cup, making 

 it strong or weak as may be required. The Chinese 



