MANUFACTURE. 113 



evening it is made, then allow it to " cool and crisp" all 

 night, and finish the firing next day. I tried this plan, and 

 also the plan I have now adopted, of doing the whole firing 

 at one time the same evening. I tried the experiment again 

 and again, and always found the Tea, the liquor, and the 

 out-turn were the same in both cases. In short, that the 

 three operations did no more and no less than the one. As 

 the three entail extra labour and extra expense in charcoal 

 I abandoned them. 



I thus reduced the twelve operations detailed to five, 

 and naturally by so doing much decreased the cost of 

 manufacturing Tea. I in no way lay claim to having 

 devised this simplicity myself. Part had been done by 

 others before I even turned my attention to it, and I have 

 done no more than help with many to make the manu- 

 facture of Tea a simple process. 



I was now convinced that (though I had still much to 

 learn regarding the said five processes) success was com- 

 prised therein, and that to multiply them could not avail. 



The next consideration is What are the qualities 

 desired in Tea to enable it to command a good price at the 

 public auctions either in Calcutta or London ? The brokers 

 in these cases judge of the Tea first, value it, and give their 

 report and valuation to intending purchasers and sellers. 

 From what appearances and qualities do they judge ? 



They judge from three things, first, the Tea; secondly, 

 the liquor ; thirdly, the out-turn. 



The Tea. The colour should be black, but not a dead 

 black, rather a greyish black with a gloss on it. No red leaf 

 should be mixed with it, it should be all one colour. The 

 Tea should be regular : that is, each leaf should be about 

 the same length, and should have a uniform close twist, in 

 all but " broken Teas." (These latter are called " broken " 

 because the leaf is more or less open and broken.) The Tea 



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