MANIPULATION OF HYSON TEA. 223 



of this tea which I have seen at Canton, I imagine 

 that many Hysons are sold to foreigners in this 

 state without any further sifting or separation. 



"In about a fortnight," Tien Hing observes, 

 " every farm has completed its harvest, and sends 

 its tea to market ; at the same time the numerous 

 factors attend the different villages to make their 

 purchases. There are all the various kinds of tea 

 sold, the Mao Cha, the Ching Cha, the picked, the 

 unpicked, the garden, and the hill tea ; and the 

 different kinds of Singlo tea ; so that it requires a 

 complete acquaintance with the leaf and colour to 

 be enabled to make a judicious selection. When 

 the factors have concluded their purchases they 

 carry their tea home, where it is sifted, winnowed, 

 and assorted into different kinds suited to the 

 foreign markets. 



" The large closely twisted leaves, of nearly 

 equal size and brightness of colour, form the Hyson 

 tea. 



" The large, open, or coarsely twisted leaves, 

 and also the large, round, knobby leaves, of nearly 

 equal colour, form the superior Hyson skin teas ; 

 and the thin twisted leaves of good colour, with 

 the yellow and broken leaves, the middling kinds. 



" The small, round, closely curled leaves, which 

 are bright in colour, form the round gunpowder ; 

 and the still smaller and more closely curled leaves, 

 the Che Ma, the hemp-seed, or small imperial 

 gunpowder. 



