China.\ ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 490 



Of souchong there can be but one gathering, which is of the first and youngest 

 leaves ; all others make inferior tea. 



The first gathering is called tow.tchune, and is from about the middle 

 of April to the end of May, and the leaves are reckoned fat and oily. The 

 second gathering is called eurl, or gee-tchune, and is from about the middle 

 of June to the middle of July ; these leaves are less fat or oily. The third 

 gathering is called san-tchune, and is from the beginning of August to 

 the end of September j these leaves are scarcely at all fat or oily, yet they 

 look young. 



The following is the method of curing Bohea:— 



When the leaves are gathered, they are put into large Hat baskets to 

 dry, and these are put upon shelves or planks in the air or wind, or in the 

 «un, if not too intense, from morning until noon, at which time the leaves 

 begin to throw out a smell; then they are tatehed. This is done by throw- 

 ing each time about half a catty of leaves into the tatche, which is a flat pan 

 of cast iron, and stirring them quick with the hand twice, the tatche being 

 •very hot; they are then taken out, and again put into the large flat baskets, 

 and rubbed by men's hands to roll them, after which they are tatehed in 

 larger quantities, and over a slower lire, and then put into baskets over a 

 charcoal fire, as it is practised on some occasions in Canton. When the 

 tea is fired enough, which a person of skill directs, it is spread on a table, 

 and picked or separated from the too large leaves, and those that are unrolled, 

 yellow, broken, or bad. 



Bohea tea is never imported by individuals ; formerly it was about 

 one-sixth of the whole of the Company's imports; but at present its 

 quantity is less jthan half that proportion. Being a common tea, it is 

 not so carefully examined as the better sorts. The best is of a small 

 blackish leaf, and dusty, to the smell somewhat resembling burnt hay ; of a 

 rough and brackish taste, and it should be crisp. Reject those which are 

 yellow, or though good in appearance, smell faint and disagreeable. 



The chops or parcels of Bohea teas have no names or distinguishing 

 characters. 



II. Coxcou, or Cong-foo, great or much care, or trouble in the making, 

 or gathering the leaves. This tea is tatehed twice, though some say both it 

 and Souchong are not tatehed, but only fired two or three times : the latter 

 is most probable, and yet the former may be true ; for as tatching seems to 

 give the green colour to the leaves, so we may observe something of that 

 greenness in the leaves of Congou and Souchong teas. It is further stated 

 that the leaves of Souchong, Congou, Hyson, and fine Singlo teas are beat 

 with fiat sticks or bamboos, after they have been withered by the sun or air, 



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