278 ANALYSIS. 



infusion, or even before infusion, the bright bloom 

 colour of the leaves be injured by moisture, or even 

 by strongly breathing on them, it can never again 

 be restored. This is one of the occasions when the 

 Chinese have recourse to factitious means in order 

 to reproduce the colour. So if the infused leaves 

 of green tea be exposed to the air, and, still more, if 

 exposed to the action of heat, they darken in colour 

 in drying, even so as partially to resemble black 

 tea : but if infused again, they will not be found, like 

 black tea leaves, spotted and tinged with red or 

 brown colour, which is more especially the charac- 

 teristic feature and colour peculiar to the infused 

 leaves of black tea. Indeed the term black is a mis- 

 nomer altogether ; the leaves are in no degree black, 

 as is readily proved by examination of the infused 

 leaves : they are not charred, as some persons seem 

 to imagine ; their colour is of a dark green partly 

 tinged with red or brown. It is a curious fact, 

 also, that the Germans as frequently employ the 

 term brown for this description of tea as that of 

 black. 



The Analysis proceeds to state, that the princi- 

 pal constituents of tea consist of volatile oil, tannin, 

 gum, and extractive matter, all which properties 

 are found to exist in a larger amount in green tea 

 than in black. Hence this author infers that 

 the original properties of green tea are more inti- 

 mately preserved than those of black tea ; and 



