SORTING. 137 



Advice for the Tea Planter from the English Market" 

 (Journal, A. & H. Society of India, Vol. XIV.), and, as his 

 knowledge on the subject is far in advance of mine, and 

 consequently more to the point than any description I could 

 give, I will close this chapter with the following extract 

 from his valuable pamphlet, and trust he will excuse my 

 doing so : 



Of the Different Classes of Tea. 



Teas are arranged in various classes according to the. size, make, 

 and colour of the leaf. I treat first and principally of the Black 

 descriptions, as Green Teas are manufactured in only a few of the Tea- 

 .growing districts of India. 



The following classes come under the name of Black Tea : 



Flowery Pekoe. g f Broken Pekoe. 



Orange Pekoe. g Pekoe Dust. 



Pekoe. ^ ' N : Broken Mixed Tea. 



Pekoe Souchong. o ^ "^ Broken Souchong. 



Souchong. J5 TJ Broken Leaf. 



Congou. 'J2 I Fannings. 



Bohea. ^ Dust. 



We occasionally meet with other, names, but they are generally 

 original, and ought not to be encouraged, as a few simple terms like 

 the above are sufficiently comprehensive to describe all classes manu- 

 factured. 



Perhaps before entering into a detailed description of the various 

 classes it will be well to explain the term " Pekoe " (pronounced 

 Pek-oh), which as we see occurs in so many of the names above quoted. 

 It is said to be derived from the Chinese words " Pak Ho," which are 

 said to signify white down. The raw material constituting Pekoe when 

 manufactured is the young bud just shooting forth, or the young leaf 

 just expanded, which on minute examination will be found to be 

 covered with a whitish velvety down. On firing these young leaves, 

 the down simply undergoes a slight change in colour to grey or greyish 

 yellow, sometimes as far as a yellowish orange tint. 



When the prepared Tea consists entirely of greyish or greenish 



