LONG CSIX TEA. 161 



sent as presents to the E. I. Company's agents in 

 China, packed in small canisters containing about a 

 pound or half a pound of tea, with the name of the 

 tea engraved on the canister. Mr. Abel met with 

 this tea on his journey from Peking ; and describes 

 it as being a tea of considerable strength. It is 



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not esteemed by Europeans. This tea is prepared 

 agreeably to the ancient mode of steaming the 

 leaves, and afterwards drying them in an iron pan. 

 Yon Siebold gives a sufficiently accurate account 



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as to the mode in which this tea is prepared at 

 Japan; and which corresponds, with some slight. 

 difference, to the mode said to be employed by the 

 Chinese. This author has fallen into an error, 

 however, in supposing that to this mode of steaming 

 the leaves the peculiarity of green tea may be due ; 

 and that black tea is manipulated by what he 

 terms the " dry method." The practice of steaming 

 the leaves must be considered as altogether peculiar ; 

 and is little employed either in China or Japan. It 

 accords more with the early art of making tea, 

 than the usual mode in practice at the present day. 

 More nearly approximating to the two modes of 

 manufacturing black and green tea are those which 



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he describes as the two drv methods. In one case 

 the entire desiccation takes place in an iron vessel ; 

 in the other, the desiccation first takes place in an 

 iron vessel, and finallv in a kind of drying chest 

 fitted up with square divisions or drawers having 

 paper bottoms placed over a charcoal fire. The 



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