204 



SCENTING TEAS. 



Chap. X. 



children are sold in tlie country ; while the flowers 

 which have done their duty in the scenting pro- 

 cess are given to the poor, who pick out the few 

 remaining tea-leaves which had been left by the 

 sieve or winnowing machine. Some flowers, such 

 as those of the Aglaia for example, after being 

 sifted out from the tea are dried and used in 

 the manufacture of the fragrant " joss-stick," so 

 much used in the religious ceremonies of the 

 country. 



It appears from these investigations that many 

 kinds of fragrant flowers besides those used by the 

 Chinese would answer the purpose equally well, 

 and therefore in places like India, where tea is 

 likely to be produced upon an extensive scale, ex- 

 periments in scenting might be made with any 

 kinds of fragrant jasmines, daphnes, aurantiaceous 

 or other plants of a like kind indigenous to the 

 country. 



It will be observed from the description just 

 given that the method of scenting teas, like most 

 of the arts in China, is exceedingly simple in its 

 nature and most efficient. It used to be said by 

 those who knew nothing about the matter, that 

 " the flowers were put over a slow fire, with the 

 tea in a separate basket above them, and so the 

 fire drove the scent from the flowers into the tea " ! 

 Knowing the immense capacity which dry tea has 

 for moisture of any kind, how much more simple 

 and beautiful is the process of allowing it to lie 

 for a space of time mixed up with undried flowers ! 



