246 



CHAP. X. 



HEAT EMPLOYED IN THE MANIPULATION OF TEA IN CHINA — ■ 



AT JAVA ABSORPTION OF HEAT BY THE LEAVES LIMITED 



BY EVAPORATION PROVED BY EXPERIMENT CAUSE OF 



LEAVES NOT BURNING — AMOUNT OF HEAT REGULATED ACCORD- 

 ING TO THE SUCCULENCY OF THE LEAVES — HEAT EMPLOYED 

 AT JAVA TOO LOW FOR GREEN TEA DIFFICULTY IN DE- 

 TERMINING THE REQUISITE AMOUNT OF HEAT TEMPERATURE 



RECOMMENDED USED AT JAVA MODE OF MEASURING IT 



LIABLE TO ERROR. 



Having now described the mode in which the 

 black and green teas are prepared for general 

 consumption, it may be advisable here to make a 

 few observations on the ordinary temperature 

 employed by the Chinese in the manipulation of 

 tea, as well as on the heat employed at Java. 



For the first part of the process of manipulation 

 by the application of heat, and so long as any 

 juices can be expressed in the act of roasting, I 

 have usually employed the word " Roasting," and 

 for the remaining and final desiccation I have used 

 the term " Drying." In this sense we will hence- 

 forth more precisely employ these terms. 



Now in the first part of the process of roasting 

 the finest Souchong tea, denominated Paochong, we 

 have seen, that the Chinese do not hesitate to 

 employ so high a temperature as the red heat of 



