SINGLO OR TWANKAY TEA. 235 



tion. The yellow leaf in Hyson partly arises from 

 the age of the leaf, and partly from such leaves 

 being of the second gathering ; but principally 

 from some circumstance connected with soil.* 



SINGLO OR TWANKAY TEA. 



The Singlo or Twankay tea is grown in the 

 districts of Hoang Shan, Tuon Ky (Twankay), 

 Thie Ping, and Ning Kuo, in the province of Kiang 

 Nan ; the manipulation of which does not differ 

 essentially from that of Hyson tea, but is per- 

 formed with less care. And as I have already 

 given a circumstantial account of the mode of pre- 

 paring that tea, the following translation of a docu- 

 ment procured from a respectable tea merchant or 



* Some of the Chinese say, that good Singlo tea cannot be 

 distinguished from Hyson ; and some of the dealers in England 

 have thought some chops of " superior Twankay " to approxi- 

 mate to Hyson, as may be seen by their characters, viz., " pretty 

 good Twankay, brightish curled leaf, Hyson kind of leaf and 

 flavour." 



The chop, Lum-Hing, frequently the finest chop of Hyson of 

 the season, had occasionally a tendency to Twankay flavour, 

 which most probably arose from some peculiarity of soil, which 

 improved cultivation could not subdue. I was informed that 

 this tea grew in the Twankay district. Since the tea plant is 

 propagated by seed, or by transplanting the wild shrub in favour- 

 able soils, it is highly probably that the young plants may long 

 retain their original flavour, though under improved cultivation, 

 and in some cases never entirely lose it. 



