1839.] extent and Produce of the Tea Plantations in Assam. 505 



of prepared leaves ; one or two men stand on his right with dollahs, 

 or shallow baskets, to receive the leaves from the pan, and another 

 keeps lifting the hot leaves thrown out of the pan into the dollah, that 

 they may quickly cool. At a given signal from the Chinaman, the 

 person with the basket of prepared leaves seizes a handful and dashes 

 it as quick as thought, into the red hot pan. The Chinaman tosses 

 and turns the crackling leaves in the pan for half a minute, then 

 draws them all out by seizing a few leaves in each hand, using them 

 by way of a brush, not one being left behind. They are all caught 

 by the man with the dollah or basket, who with his disengaged 

 hand continues lifting the leaves, and letting them fall again, that they 

 may quickly cool. Should a leaf be left behind in the pan by any 

 accident, the cloth that is held ready in the mouth is applied to 

 brush it out ; but all this is done as quick as lightning. The man 

 that holds the basket of leaves watches the process sharply ; for no 

 sooner is the last leaf out of the pan, than he dashes in another hand- 

 ful, so that to an observer at a little distance, it appears as if one man 

 was dashing the leaves in, and the other as fast dashing them out 

 again — so quickly and dexterously is this managed. As soon as one 

 basket has received about four handsful of the hot leaves from the pan, 

 it is removed, and another basket placed to receive the leaves ; and so 

 on, until all is finished. A roaring wood fire is kept up under the pan 

 to keep the bottom red hot, as the succession of fresh leaves tends 

 greatly to cool the pan, which ought always to be scrubbed and 

 washed out after the process is over. In China these pans are made 

 of cast iron, and if great care is not taken they will crack in the 

 cooling ; to prevent which, one man keeps tapping the inside of the 

 edge of the pan briskly with a wet broom, used in the cleaning of the 

 vessel, while another pours cold water in gently ; thus it cools 

 in a few seconds, and is ready for another batch of Tea. The leaves 

 are rolled and tatched the same as the other Teas, and put into the 

 drying basket for about ten minutes. When a little dry, people are 

 employed to work and press the leaves in the hands in small quan- 

 tities, of about one and a half to two rupees weight at a time, for about 

 half a minute ; they are then put into small square pieces of pa- 

 per and rolled up; after this they are put into the drying basket, 

 and permitted to dry slowly over a gentle fire for some hours, until 

 the whole is thoroughly dry. This Tea is not sold in the China 

 market, it is used principally as offerings to the priests, or kept for 

 high days and holidays. It is said to be a very fine Tea, and there 

 is not one man in a hundred who can make it properly. The 

 Pouchong Tea is made in the same way as the Sychee, with this 

 exception, that it is not formed into balls. 



