TESTING, BLENDING AND PREPARING. 19 7 



It is strange that nothing is ever done in this country 

 by dealers to attempt to educate or enlighten their cus- 

 tomers how to properly prepare their tea, study the 

 water or preserve its aromatic properties after purchasing, 

 seeing, as they must, how little the art is understood in 

 this country particularly. Good tea can be kept intact, 

 like good wine, for years with considerable advantage to 

 both dealer and consumer alike, and there is no valid 

 reason why consumers of tea should not be as particular 

 and fastidious as buyers of wine. But to obtain good tea 

 in the first place the consumer should purchase only the 

 best, it requiring much less of the finer grades to make 

 a good infusion purchasing only from the most reputa- 

 ble dealers, those who know or study to understand their 

 business. As a nation, the American people want the 

 best of everything, or, as they characteristically express 

 it, " the best is good enough for them," and they intend 

 to have it if money can purchase it. But of what avail 

 is the best tea for instance if it be not prepared prop- 

 erly or in such a manner as to develop and secure its 

 more delicate, subtle, volatile, refreshing and exhilarating 

 properties. A country that expends annually upwards 

 of sixteen millions of dollars on this commodity alone 

 ought to devote a little more time and trouble in studying 

 the best methods of preparing it and in extracting its 

 most desirable and fragrant qualities. 



Tea may be made depressing and injurious, or exhila- 

 rating and wholesome, according to the manner in which 

 it is treated and prepared for use. Many who imagine 

 that a high, dark-colored liquor indicates strength, boil 

 the leaves, while others, again, spoil the tea by putting 

 the leaves into the boiling water, some people putting the 

 leaves in cold water and then placing the vessel over 

 the fire to boil, prolonged infusion being still another 



