MANUAL OF THE N^tl.AGIRI DTSTTJTCT. ^)S7 



The manner in wliich leaf should be plucked has already been CK. XXlX. 

 explained. The next object is that the leaf plucked should be ;j^ 



kept perfectly cool, not pressed down so hard in the picker's 



basket as to generate heat in the centre and thus cause ferment- Qf^^\ayk tea. 

 ation to set in. As a safeguard against this, the leaf gathered 

 is weighed in, as a rule, in most gardens twice during the day, 

 first at from noon to 1 p.m., finally when work is left off. The 

 leaf brought in is, so soon as it has been weighed, spread out 

 thinly on racks covered with bamboo mats. A free circulation of 

 air among the leaf is desirable, as this much hastens the evapora- 

 tion of the moisture contained in it. The more moisture there 

 is in the leaf and atmosphere, the thinner it should be spread 

 out; when this has been done, the leaf is left on the racks until 

 the following morning. 



The first operation now is to wither the leaf, i.e., to extract —withering. 

 by evaporation so much of the moisture it contains as to enable it 

 to be rolled and take a good twist without breaking. To do this, 

 the head tea maker, when the rays of the morning sun have 

 become sufficiently powerful, spreads it out thinly in shallow flat 

 baskets, or on bamboo mats, turning it over frequently. When 

 thoroughly withered the hairy down on the pekoe tips will be 

 seen to stand clearly out from the leaf when held to the light, 

 and the stem may be bent back both ways without snapping. 

 The feel of the leaf is in a great measure the best guide to go by, 

 but practice only can teach the planters when the leaf is ready 

 to roll. As in our climate the sun does not always attend on 

 our wishes, we must at times manage to do without his aid, either 

 by keeping the leaf until sufficient moisture is evaporated, or by 

 making it into green tea. Some heat the leaf slightly in pans 

 or on trays previous to rolling; but I cannot recommend the 

 practice, as the leaf so treated either turns sour or colours badly 

 afterwards — in the latter case the outturn shows very green. 

 When sunshine fails, I advise the planter to spread his leaf out 

 thinly in a warm corner of the tea-house, and wait patiently until 

 the leaf is soft enough to roll, when he must do the best he 

 can with it. 



Over exposure to the sun is a mistake, as it blackens some 

 of the leaf, and causes the fine pekoe tips to become discoloured 

 and undistinguishable from the coarser leaf. Moreover it much 

 weakens the infusion. On a moderately bright morning a quarter 

 of an hour in the sun and an hour or so inside the factory will 

 bring the leaf into fit condition for rolling. 



Previous to the rolling process leaf should never be spread 

 thickly or allowed to lie in mass, or heat will be generated in the 

 centre and the tea turn sour. 



68 



