126 



TEA. 



I shall now add a description of the Chinese method of making 

 black tea in Upper Assam, by Mr. C. A. Bruce, superintendent of 

 tea culture : — 



" In the first place, the youngest and most tender leaves are gathered ; hut 

 ■when there are many hands and a great quantity of leaves to be collected, the 

 people employed nip oif with the forefinger and thumh the fine end of the branch 

 ■with about four leaves on, and sometimes even more if they look tender. These are 

 all brought to the place where they are to be converted into tea : they are then 

 put into a large, circular, open worked bamboo basket, having a rim all round, 

 two fingers broad. The leaves are thinly scattered in these baskets, and then 

 placed in a framework of bamboo, in all appearance like the sides of an Indian 

 hut, without grass, resting on posts, 2 feet from the ground, with an angle of 

 about 25 deg. The baskets with leaves are put in this frame to dry in the sun, 

 and are pushed up and brought do'wn by a long bamboo with a circular piece of 

 wood at the end. The leaves are permitted to dry about two hoiu's, being occa- 

 sionally turned ; hut the time required for this process depends on the heat of 

 the sun. When they begin to have a slightly withered appearance, they are 

 taken down and brought into the house, when they are placed on a frame to cool 

 for half an hour ; they are then put into smaller baskets of the same kind as the 

 former, and placed on a stand. People are now employed to soften the leaves 

 still more, by gently clapiDing them between their hancls, with their fingers and 

 thumbs extended, and tossing them up and letting them fall, for about five or ten 

 minutes. They are then again put on the frame during half an hour, and brought 

 down and clapped with the hands as before. This is done three successive times, 

 until the leaves become to the touch like soft leather ; the beating and putting 

 away being said to give the tea the black color and bitter flavor. After this the 

 tea is put into hot cast-iron pans, which are fixed in a circular mud fireplace, so 

 that the flame cannot ascend round the pan to incommode the operator. This 

 pan is well heated by a straw or bamboo fire to a certain degree. About two 

 pounds of the leaves are then put into each hot pan, and spread in such a man- 

 ner that all the leaves may get the same degree of heat. They are every now 

 and then briskly turned with the naked hand, to prevent a leaf from being burnt. 

 When the leaves become inconveniently hot to the hand, they are quickly taken 

 out and delivered to another man with a close-worked bamboo basket, ready to 

 receive them. A few leaves that may have been left behind are smartly brushed 

 out with a bamboo broom : all this time a brisk fire is kept up imder the pan. 

 After the pan has been used in this manner three or four times, a bucket of cold 

 water is thrown in, and a soft brick-bat and bamboo broom used, to give it a 

 good scouring out ; the water is thrown out of the pan by the brush on one side, 

 the pan itself being never taken off". The leaves, all hot cn the bamboo basket, 

 are laid on a table that has a narrow rim on its back, to prevent these baskets 

 from slipping off when pushed against it. The two poimds of hot leaves are now 

 divided into two or three parcels, and distributed to as many men, who stand up 

 to the table with the leaves right before them, and each placing his legs close 

 together, the leaves are next collected into a ball, which he gently grasps in his 

 left hand, with the thumb extended, the fingers close together, and the hand rest- 

 ing on the little finger. The right hand must be extended in the same manner 

 as the left, but with the palm turned downwards resting on the top of the ball of 

 tea leaves. Both hands are now empkyed to roll and propsl the ball along ; the 

 left hand pushing it on, and allowing it to revolve as it moves ; the right hand also 

 pushes it forward, resting on it with some force, and keeping it down to express 

 the juice which the leaves contain. The art lies here in giving the ball a circular 

 motion, and permitting it to tiurn under and in the hand two or three whole revo- 

 lutions, before the arms are extended to their full length, and drawing the ball of 

 leaves quickly back without leaving a leaf behind, being rolled for about five 

 minutes in this way. The ball of tea leaves is from time to time delicately and 

 gently opened with the fingers lifted as high as the face, and then allowed to fall 

 again. This is done two or three times to separate the leaves ; and afterwards 

 the basket ■u'ith the leaves is lifted up as often, and receives a circiilar shake to 

 bring these towards the centre. The loaves are now taken back to the hot pans and 



