Edible Products. 



220 



(4.) Lao Cha, old tea, fourth quality. — Coarsest new season's leaf with stalks 

 and twigs predominating, but mostly the previous season's material kept over. 

 Chopped into short lengths. 



The first process in the manufacture of Brick Tea is panning and this is 

 carried out as soon as convenient after the leaf is plucked. The metal pans used in 

 Western China generally measure about 3 feet 3 inches diameter. The process is 

 minutely described in my pamphlet on Formosa Oolongs and consists in keeping 

 the leaf constantly and evenly moving over the hot surface of the pan which must 

 be hot enough to cause it to emit a sharp crackling sound due to the bursting of the 

 cells. The extent to Avhich it is carried out varies, but the effect visibly is to make 

 the leaf of a dark olive-green colour which it remains. It also makes the leaf soft and 

 flaccid and tough, and when carefully done whole shoots of three and four leaves may 

 be evenly coloured and rendered soft and pliable. The manipulation is easier if the 

 pan is set on a slope. The fire place can be made of bamboo frame-work lined and 

 plastered with mud about 2 feet 7 inches in height in front and 3 feet 2 inches at the 

 back. The leaf is turned over from the front backwards and the back leaf slips 

 downwards. The time required depends on the quantity of leaf, but a small armful 

 should take about six minutes. 



Rolling.— After panning the leaf may be lightly rolled by hand or in a 

 machine but not sufficiently hard to break the leaf and press out the juice. After 

 this it must be put out in the sun and partially dried, but must still retain its damp 

 flaccid condition to some extent. As result of panning it will be found that it does 

 not readily ferment and does not turn sour. 



Colouring or Fermenting.— When sufficient leaf is collected, it should be 

 stored in heaps about 3 or 4 feet deep and allowed to remain three or four days. 

 The temperature will rise to about 105 to 112 degrees, and the colotir will become 

 darker without the olive-green being quite effaced. 



Drying.— It should then be dried in the sun thoroughly and stored away till 

 a convenient time. In China such leaf is generally kept for several months and 

 often for a whole season. When required it should be roughly sorted into the classes 

 as above described. 



Steaming. — When being made into bricks, the material is steamed over 

 a boiler or pan, which is built in all round and over the top, except for a 

 circular hole on the top of the cone, into which a wooden tub about 1 foot 

 9 inches in diameter is placed. This tub has an open bamboo or iron grating 

 at the bottom. With a pan 3 feet 3 inches in diameter and a strong fire under- 

 neath, the time required will be from 2 to 3 minutes, and temperature of the 

 material will be from 150 degrees to 170 degrees when taken out. The leaf weigh- 

 ing a little over 5 lbs. should be put in a cloth of open texture and placed in 

 the tub with one or two similar bundles on the top which in turn will be put 

 at the bottoom. If few stalks are mixed with the leaf, it will be found that a 

 fair brick may be turned out without any further treatment, but for the 

 coarser qualities a mixture of boiled "glutinous" rice Hour is necessary to give 

 sufficient adhesiveness. I have not yet ascertained that "glutinous" rice is pro- 

 curable in the bazaars, so the description of its use may not be necessary at preseut. 



Moulding.— An ordinary moulding frame consists of a strong batten 

 frame some 4 feet high on a solid wooden base. This frame is braced at top, middle 

 and bottom on three sides, but only at top and bottom on the fourth side and the 

 top bar is made to slip off and on that side. The frame is just of sufficient dimen- 

 sions to contain four planks about li inches thick and about 3 feet 10 inches long, set 

 together on end so as to form a box or tube about 3 feet 10 inches deep and about 

 ^inches to 0] inches by U inches to i| inches inside measurement. ' If the planks fit 



