112 CULTIVATION AND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



more than twice. The second time was, I then thought, 

 necessary, as I found the leaf of the roll opened in the pan, 

 and a second rolling was requisite to twist it again. 



But what did panning do ? I heard pans had been dis- 

 continued in some gardens. In what way was panning an 

 advantage ? I made Tea, fermenting it between the two 

 rollings, but not panning it, and it was equally good. I 

 tried again and again, but never could detect that panning 

 caused any difference to either the Tea, the liquor, or the 

 out-turn.* In short, though I never found panning did any 

 harm, I equally found it never did any good. Its use is, in 

 fact, simply barren of all results. 



I therefore dispensed with it. Having done so, why roll 

 the second time at all ? I experimented, and found the 

 second rolling as barren of results as the panning. 



I had now got rid of operations 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 in the 

 old plan. The next was No. 9 " sunning." I made Tea 

 with and without it, and found as follows : 



Sunning between the fermenting and firing processes has 

 no effect whatever on the liquor or the out-turn, but it 

 makes the Tea rather blacker, and as it drives off much of 

 the moisture in the roll, the firing process after it is shorter 

 and does not consume so much charcoal. What little effect 

 therefore it has is good (for if not continued too long, it 

 does not make the Tea too black) and it is economical. I 

 therefore decided on retaining it.t 



Next came the operations 10, n, and 12, viz., " first 

 firing, cooling and crisping, and second firing." Where 

 these are done (and they are done in some gardens now) 

 the usual thing is to half-fire the roll the same afternoon and 



* The out-turn consists of the Tea leaves after infusion. 



t At the end of the season, however, sunning has more than the above 

 effect. It then make^ the Tea " Chubby" in form, of a reddish colour, and 

 improves the strength of the liquor. 



