TESTING, BLENDING AND PREPARING. 2OI 



allowed to cease for a few seconds, more or less, accord- 

 ing to the heat of the day. It is also a needless opera- 

 tion to pour a small quantity of water on the tea for 

 a preliminary drawing, as is frequently done. Always fill 

 the tea-pot, or pour in at once the quantity required, but 

 for the more temperate seasons a modification of these 

 methods may be adopted. The longest time that any 

 tea should be allowed to steep is from five to ten minutes. 

 As soon as it has been steeped this length of time, at the 

 outside, it should be served. Even if it is allowed to 

 remain on the stove a few minutes after this time it will 

 be ruined. 



The character of the water used greatly influences the 

 liquor and flavor of the tea. Soft water should always 

 be used when available, it being next to impossible to 

 make good tea with hard water. Excess of lime in the 

 water also deteriorates the infusion, the last difficulty 

 may, however, be remedied by the judicious use of car- 

 bonate of soda, as much as would cover the face of a 

 dime being sufficient for an ordinary drawing of tea. 



Tea being an extremely delicate and sensitive article, 

 it should be protected from all foul and foreign flavors, 

 its susceptibility to the odors of other articles being a 

 source of danger and deterioration, as it readily absorbs 

 the smell of coffee, cocoa, spices, meats, fish and other 

 commodities of pronounced flavor. Even when securely 

 packed in the lead-lined chests in which it is received 

 from the producing countries, the change from the glow- 

 ing heat of Eastern skies to our atmosphere deprives it 

 of much of its pleasing fragrance. For this reason the 

 complaints so frequently made would not arise if always 

 kept in places free from contagion or stored in a dry, 

 warm temperature and not exposed to atmospheric 

 influences. 



