TEA MAKING 127 
chemists, however, the manufacturing processes have 
quite special attractions, and in the present lecture it 
is proposed to deal with tea making. In reviewing this 
oft-told story it is perhaps natural to begin with the 
tea plant in the field, and to follow the leaf until it reaches 
the cup. But with some profit this procedure may be 
reversed : it is instructive to examine first the finished 
product, and the infusion obtained from it, and then 
consider what has been done in the way of scientific 
inquiry as to the meaning of the processes which 
have converted the green leaf into the finished tea— 
objects which could hardly be more dissimilar. At 
the outset it should be said that modern methods of 
tea manufacture cannot be claimed as the direct out- 
come of such scientific inquiry; but research has 
explained, in considerable measure, their significance, 
and thereby furnished fuller possibilities of intelligent 
control. 
THE TEA INFUSION 
It is noteworthy that, whereas the market value of 
many commodities is based upon the results of chemical 
examination, no tea merchant ever dreams of analysing 
his teas with a view to their relative valuation. 
Hitherto, chemical methods have not proved suffici- 
ently ‘‘ fine ” to discriminate readily, and with certainty, 
between those subtle characteristics which separate 
one tea from another; and it has been claimed by 
the tea man, and conceded by the chemist, that while 
chemical analysis will indicate the strength and 
astringency of a tea, it tells us little or nothing of 
practical value as to the flavour and aroma upon 
