510 Report on the manufacture of Tea, and on the QJune, 



weather be rainy, and there is no hope of its clearing, all this dry- 

 ing is done over the fire in a small drying basket, the same as with 

 Black-Tea. The Green-Tea makers have as great an aversion to dry- 

 ing their Tea over the fire, as the Black-Tea makers. The third time it 

 has been rolled and dried, there is very little moisture left in the 

 Tea ; it is now put into a hot pan, and gently turned over and over, 

 and opened out occasionally, until all has become well heated ; it is 

 then tossed out into a basket, and while hot put into a very strong bag, 

 previously prepared for it, about four feet long, and four spans in cir- 

 cumference. Into this bag the Tea is pressed with great force with the 

 hands and feet ; from fourteen to twenty pounds being put in at one 

 time, and forced into as small a compass as possible. With his left 

 hand the man firmly closes the mouth of the bag immediately above 

 the leaves, while with the right hand he pommels and beats the bag, 

 every now and then giving it a turn ; thus he beats and turns and works 

 at it, tightening it by every turn with one hand, and holding on with 

 the other, until he has squeezed the leaves into as small a compass as 

 possible at the end of the bag. He now makes it fast by turns of the cloth 

 where he held on, so that it may not open ; and then draws the cloth 

 of the bag over the ball of leaves, thus doubling the bag, the mouth of 

 which is twisted and made fast. The man then stands up, holding 

 on by a post or some such thing, and works this ball of leaves under his 

 feet, at the same time alternately pressing with all his weight, first 

 with one foot and then the other, turning the ball over and over, and occa- 

 sionally opening the bag to tighten it more firmly. When he has made 

 it almost as hard as a stone, he secures the mouth well and puts the bag 

 away for that day. Next morning it is opened out and the leaves gently 

 separated and placed on dollahs, then fired and dried until they are 

 crisp, the same as the Black-Tea, after which they are packed in boxes 

 or baskets. In China the baskets are made of double bamboo, with leaves 

 between. The Tea may then remain on the spot for two or three months, 

 or be sent to any other place to receive the final process. This first part 

 of the Green-Tea process is so simple, that the natives of this country 

 readily pick it up in a month or two. 



The second process now commences by opening the boxes or baskets, 

 and exposing the Tea on large shallow bamboo baskets or dollahs (see 

 former account, fig. 1) until it has become soft enough to roll ; it is then 

 put into cast iron pans, set in brick fire-places, the same as described 

 in making the Sychee Black-Tea. The pan is made very hot by a 

 wood-fire, and seven pounds of the leaves are thrown into it and rub- 

 bed against the pan, with the right hand until tired, and then with the 

 left, so as not to make the process fatiguing. The pan being placed on 



