238 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. XV. 
been finished, and the tea may be put aside until a 
larger quantity has been made. The second part of 
the process consists in winnowing and passing the tea 
through sieves of different sizes, in order to get rid of 
the dust and other impurities, and to divide the tea into 
the different kinds known as twankay, hyson skin, hyson, 
young hyson, gunpowder, &c. During this process it. is 
refired, the coarse kinds once, and the finer sorts three 
or four times. By this -time the colour has come out 
more fully, and the leaves of the finer kinds are of a dull 
bluish green. 
It will be observed, then, with reference to green tea 
— 1st, that the leaves are roasted almost immediately 
after they are gathered ; and 2nd, that they are dried 
off quickly after the rolling process. 
Black tea. — When the leaves are brought in from the 
plantations they are spread out upon large bamboo mats 
or trays, amd are allowed to lie in this state for a corv- 
siderable time. If they are brought in at night they 
he until next morning. 
The leaves are next gathered up by the workmen 
with both hands, thrown into the air, and allowed to 
separate and fall down again. They are tossed about in 
this manner, and slightly beat or patted with the hands 
for a considerable space of time. At length, when they 
become soft and flaccid, they are thrown in heaps and 
allowed to lie in this state for about an hour or per- 
haps a little longer. When examined at the end of 
this time, they appear to have undergone a slight change 
in colour, are soft and moist, and emit a fragrant smell. 
The next part of the process is exactly the same as in 
