198 TESTING, BLENDING AND PREPARING. 



serious mistake. All of these methods produce the 

 same evil results that of extracting an increased amount 

 of the tannic acid thereby destroying the flavor of the 

 tea by giving it a bitter and astringent taste as well as 

 imparting an almost ink-black color to the infusion. 



The falsely economical custom of filling the tea-pot a 

 second time without removing the exhausted leaves is 

 another error in the making of tea, as the theine which is 

 only soluble in fresh-boiled water, is wholly extracted in 

 the first drawing and cannot for this reason be present in 

 the second, the latter being merely a decoction composed 

 chiefly of tannin. To avoid this error a sufficient 

 quantity of tea should be made in the first drawing or 

 fresh leaves supplied as needed. And still another 

 reprehensible practice is that of adding fresh leaves to 

 those that have already been used once, it being utterly 

 impossible to add either to the strength or flavor of tea 

 by putting more leaves in the tea-pot after the first 

 drawing, for the reason that tea-water will not extract 

 the active principle theine from the dry leaves of fresh 

 tea ; only fresh bailing water will do this. The use of 

 tea-water simply increases the amount of tannin, darkens 

 the color, destroys the flavor and only adds to the 

 quantity of leaves already in the pot without in the least 

 affecting the active principle, so that if it be necessary 

 to increase the strength of the tea prepared, draw some 

 fresh leaves in a separate vessel and add the liquor to 

 that already made. 



Tea being an infusion, not a decoction, it should be 

 brewed, not stewed, the object being to extract as much 

 of the theine or refreshing principle and as little of the 

 tannin or astringent property as possible, without, at the 

 same time, either boiling or overdrawing. So that in 

 the proper preparation of tea for use, the aim and 



