TEA MAKING 125 
aqueous solution of caffeine tannate. This latter sub- 
stance is bland and smooth to the taste, possessing neither 
the bitterness of free caffeine, nor the astringency of 
free tannin ; and, in all probability, in this combination 
the -physiological effects of the two constituents are 
greatly modified. This leads, then, to a new position : 
in a tea infusion we may not be dealing with “ free” 
tannin and “ free ’’ caffeine, but with a more or less 
completely balanced compound of the two. How far 
does this prove to be the case¢ A comparison of the 
chemical composition of three pairs of teas—Indian, 
Ceylon and China respectively—each pair comprising a 
cheap tea and an expensive tea, gave the following 
results (Lancet, loc. cit.)— 
TANNIN AND CAFFEINE IN VARIOUSLY PRICED TEAS 
b Tannin | Caffeine 
Variety of combined combined Total Total Free Free Broker’s 
Tea. with with Tannin. | Caffeine. | Caffeine. | Tannin. Price. 
Caffeine. | Tannin. 
per cent. | per cent. | per cent. | per cent. | per cent. | per cent.| per Ib. 
Indian .| 9:40 3°10 9°50 4:00 0-90 oro |1/rodd. 
Indian .| 7:20 2°40 8-73 3°20 0-80 1°53 | «r1dd. 
Ceylon .| 9:00 3°00 8-40 360 0-60 —_ 1/4d. 
Ceylon .| 6:84 | 2:28 714 3°04 0°76 o-30 | rodsd. 
China .| 4:86 162 4°60 28 r18 — 1/5d. 
China .| 4:02 1°34 3°02 1°92 058 — 64d. 
The figures indicate that— 
1. Indian teas may be expected to contain more 
caffeine tannate than Ceylon and China teas (first two 
columns). 
