Chap. X. 



SCENTING TEAS. 



203 



a place called Tai-shan, in the Canton province. 

 Mr. Walkinsliaw informs me that other descrip- 

 tions of tea, both black and green, have been 

 scented for the English market, but have been 

 found unsuitable. True " caper " is to black tea 

 what the kinds called " imperial " and " gun- 

 powder " are to green : it assumes a round, shot- 

 looking form during the process of manipulation, 

 and it is easily separated from the other leaves by 

 sifting or by the winnowing machine. It is a 

 common error to suppose that " imperial" or 



gunpowder" amongst green teas, or "caper" 

 amongst black ones, is prepared by rolling each 

 leaf singly by the hand. Such a method of mani- 

 pulation would make them much more expensive 

 than they are. One gathering of tea is said to 

 yield 70 per cent, of orange pekoe, 25 of souchong, 

 and 5 of caper. The quantity of true caper would 

 therefore appear to be very small ; but there are 

 many ways of increasing the quantity by peculiar 

 modes of manipulation, as I shall afterwards show. 



In a large factory, such as this at Canton, there 

 is, of course, a considerable quantity of dust and 

 refuse tea remaining after the orange pekoe, caper, 

 and souchong have been sifted out of it. This is 

 sold in the country to the natives at a low price, 

 and no doubt is often made up with paste and 

 other ingredients into those lie teas which now-a- 

 days find a market in England. Nothing is lost 

 or thrown away in China. The stalks and yellow 

 leaves which have been picked out by women mid 



