TEA. 



113 



baskets are then all collected together in a heap, and as much is placed in a 

 conical basket as it mil hold, and it is again placed oyer the charcoal choolah 

 until the tea is perfectly dry. During this time the baskets are frequently 

 removed and the tea turned, in order to allow the leaves to be completely and 

 uniformly dried, and the basket too is generally struck, on removal, a violent 

 side blow with the hand, to remove from the sieve any small particles that 

 might otherwise fall into the fire. Before removing the basket from the choolah, 

 a flat basket is always placed on the floor to receive it, and all the particles 

 which pass through, on the coned basket being struck, are again replaced. 

 On the conical basket being filled, before placing it over. the choolah, a funnel is 

 made in the centre of the tea with the hand, to allow the heated air to pass 

 through. Sometimes a funnel made of bamboo is made for this purpose. 

 After the tea feels perfectly dry, it is packed in boxes, and sent to the godown. 



Next day the difforeat kinds of tea are picked, and on being separated they 

 are again placed in the conical baskets and heated. During this process the 

 baskets are frequently removed from the choolah in order to turn the tea, so 

 that the heating may be general and uniform. In doing this a flat basket is 

 always placed on the floor, as on the former day (and a flat basket, too, is placed 

 on the top to confine the heat) , to receive the conical one, which receive one or 

 two blows to open the pores of the sieve. What passes through is replaced 

 amongst the tea. When it is perfectly dry it is ready for finally packing. 



The kinds of black tea at present manufactured are — Souchong, Pouchong, 

 Flowery Pekoe, and Bohea. The Flowery Pekoe is manufactured m Sep- 

 tember. 



Jietkod of manufacturing Green Tea. — On the young and fresh leaves being 

 plucked they are spread out on the ground of the airing room and allowed to 

 cool. After remaining for about two hours, or (if brought in late in the after- 

 noon) during the night, they are removed to the green tea room. The pans 

 being properly heated, the leaves, as in the case with the black tea, are thrown 

 into the pans and kept either with the hand or two forked sticks in constant 

 motion for three or four minutes, and are then removed to the rolling table, and 

 then rolled in the same manner in balls as the black tea. They are then scat- 

 tered most sparingly on large flat baskets and exposed to the heat of the sun. 

 If there is no sun the baskets are arranged in frames, which are placed over 

 the choolah, heated with charcoal. During the drying the leaves are frequently 

 made into balls and rolled in the flat baskets, in order to extract the juice. The 

 drying process continues for about two hours, and on the leaves becoming dry, 

 those contained in two baskets are thrown together, and then four basketsful 

 into one, and so on until they are all collected together. In this state the 

 leaves still feel soft, damp, and pliant to the hand, and are now brought back 

 to the-tea manufacturing-room. Opposite to each of the inclined pans, which 

 have been properly heated so as to feel warm to the hand by wood supplied to 

 the ovens underneath, one of the Chinese stations himself, and puts as many 

 leaves into it as it will hold. He then moves them in a heap gently, from 

 before backward, making these perform a cii-cle, and presses them strongly to 

 the sides of the pan. As the leaves become hot he uses a flat piece of wood, 

 in order that he may more effectually compress them. This process continues 

 for about two hours, the leaves being compressed into at least half of their 

 bulk, and become so dry that when pressed against the back part of the pan in 

 mass, they again fall bacis: in pieces. The tea, as by this time it has assumed this 

 appearance, is now placed in a bag made of American drill or jean (the size 

 depending on the quantity of tea), which is damped, and one eird twisted with 

 much force over a stick, and thus it is much reduced in size. After being thus 

 powerfully compressed and beaten so as to reduce the mass as much as possible, 

 the bag is exposed to the sun until it feels perfectly dry. If there is no sun it 

 is placed in the heated pan, and there retained until it is so. This finishes the 

 first day's process. 



On the second day it is placed in small quantities in the heated inclined pans, 

 and moved up and down against the sides and bottom with the palm of the 

 hand, which is made to perform a semi- circle. This is continued for aboiit six 

 hours, and by so doing the colour of the tea is gradually brought out. 



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