Chap. X. 



SCENTING TEAS. 



205 



A few years ago I published a description of 

 the Chinese mode of dyeing green teas to suit i 

 our depraved tastes in Europe, and particularly 

 in America, where they are largely consumed. 

 Scenting teas is a very different thing, and no- 

 thing can be urged against the taste for them. 

 That this is so in the eyes of the Chinese 

 may be gathered from the fact that, while they 

 dye their teas, not to drink, but only to sell, they 

 consume and highly appreciate these scented ones. 



The price paid for flowers used in the scenting 

 process varies, like everything else, according to 

 the demand or supply in the market. In 1854 

 and 1855 it was about seventeen dollars per pecul,* 

 but sometimes as much as thirty dollars are paid 

 for the same quantity. In former years — ten or 

 twelve years ago — as much as sixty dollars per 

 pecul used to be paid for flowers. This informa- 

 tion was given me some time after I had been 

 examining the method of scenting in the Honan 

 factory, and by another manufacturer, and con- 

 firmed me in the opinion I had then formed, 

 namely, that after the tea is once scented with 

 the proportions of flowers mentioned above, it is 

 mixed up with large quantities of unscented tea. 

 Were this not so, the large quantity of flowers 

 used would render the tea much more expensive 

 than it really is. Upon making further inquiries, 

 of different individuals and at different times, I 

 found that my surmises were correct. The results 



* 133Ji lbs. 



