September 2, 1889.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
169 
TEA ANALYSES AND COMPARISONS. 
The literature of tea is becomirjg very extensive 
and in no country where this cosmopolitan plant is 
grown have greater and more important additions 
been made to the information respecting the natural 
history of the plant, its culture, its composition and 
manufacture, than in Ceylon. In the letter and tables 
which we publish today, Mr. Cochran has added to 
the services previously rendered by him, not only 
in the shape of analyses by himself, but by the 
quotation of results obtained elsewhere and discrimi- 
nating remarks on the comparisons thus rendered 
possible. Our correspondent " Peppercorn," in 
commenting as he has a special right to do on her. 
Cochran's paper, dwells on one conspicuous conclu- 
sion to be derived from the comparative figures, viz. 
the superiority of Ceylon tea (of which the Bose- 
neath produce is a fair if juvenile specimen) in 
cleanliness or purity : the absence of foreign sub- 
stances from the manufactured leaf. From 5 to G 
per cent is the normal proportion of ash in good 
tea gathered from well-grown bushes, and when 
the teas sent to the Melbourne Exhibition of 
1880-81 gave ash results below 5 per cent, the 
explanation was to be found in the youth of the 
trees from which the leaf was gathered and the 
absolutely unsophisticated condition of the leaf 
itself. In total extract, on the other hand, our 
teas gave results hitherto unprecedented : in one 
case close up to 50 per cent of the weight of 
leaf. In the case of the spurious teas examined in 
the United States by Dr. Battershall, it will be 
observed that the ash after combustion was so 
great in quantity asfrom7'95 up to 12-58 per cent, 
and that the proportions of ash insoluble in water 
and even in acid and of insoluble leaf were 
abnormally great. While 5 to 6 per cent is the 
normal proportion of ash in good tea, the superi- 
ority of quality in the leaf is largely dependent 
on the proportion of the leaf which is easily 
soluble. The insoluble matter need not be 
all sand, as we suppose some of the ash of leaf 
Btalks must be more or less refractory, but the test 
of solubility remains true: the more soluble the ash, 
the purer the tea. Judged by this test, we find 
that the Indian teas examined in America gave Lhe 
fair average of 5'613 of ash, but of this ash 2-092 
was insoluble in water and -177 insoluble in acid 
The average of insoluble leaf was 51-910, or over, 
onehalf. The proportion of ash in the Ceylon teas, 
analysed by Mr. Cuchran ranged from 4-97 to 5-30, 
the average being only a little over 5 per cent, 
against 5-013 for the Indian teas. But the pro- 
portion of ash insoluble in water and acid was 
muoh lower than in the case of the Indian teas 
the very highest proportion being only 1-91 per 
oent thus : 
Insoluble in water 1-82 
Do, in acid -09 
22 
In the case of a the good China and Japan teas, the 
figures for total ash present nothing remarkable, 
except in the case of Japan dust, one sample of 
which shows 9 - 74 ash of which only 1-48 was 
soluble in water. There was dust other than tea- 
dust in this speoimen. Trie finest and highest 
priced tea, " Formosa Oolong, choice, 1st crop, 
shows 6-50 per cent of ash, of which only 3-60 
was soluble in water, — 2-90 being insoluble in 
water and 0-86 insoluble in acids. Of the 
ash of medium congou, L 6 - 36, only 3-00, or con- 
siderably less than half, was soluble in water. 
In respect ofjpurity the Ceylon teas take first 
rank, by far. In regard to total extract, the 
Indian teas run from 37 - 8 to 40-350 per 
cent, while the Ceylon teas, although grown on 
old coffee soil, show figures from 38-40 4o 43-02. 
In this respect also, the Ceylon teas are superior 
to the Indian, while the China and Japan teas 
shew 43-20 only in one case, the general run 
being much below this, down to 2G'20 in regard 
to common congou. — A due proportion of tannin 
is absolutely necessary to constitute good tea, 
although it is a mistake to infuse the leaf so 
as to produce an extract mainly of tannin. 
The proportions of tannin in the Ceylon teas is 
certainly not excessive, 9 - 80 per cent to 12-36 ; 
against 13-040 to 18-868 for Indian and 12-26 to 
19-96 in China. This latter large proportion 
was obtained from " first young Hyson, plain 
draw." Seeing how much talk there is about the 
mild flavour of China teas, the proportion of tan- 
nin, we confess, takes us by surprise. The Bose- 
neath teas are only five years old, and as they 
increase in age, so, we feel confident will the 
proportion of tannin.— We now come to the con- 
stituent on which the delicate and acceptable 
flavour of tea is supposed specially to depend, — 
theine. The comparison in regard to this com 
ponent of the various teas runs thus : 
Ceylon .. - .. 1'64 to 2-18 percent. 
Indian .. .. 1-880 to 3-240 
China and Japan . . 1-08 to 3-46 ,, 
In this case the Ceylon tea compares unfavourably 
with India, and in the case of the finest teas with 
China and Japan, and yet Ceylon tea is credited with 
fine flavour and absence of pungency. We might again 
refer to the youth of the Ceylon tea and the com- 
paratively low altitude at which it is grown. But the 
whole question of the circumstances under which 
theine is formed and its influence on ihe quality 
and value of tea requires further investigation. 
We are inclined to attribute a good deal of im- 
portance to that 3ubtle oil of which Mr. Cochran 
speaks. — If the Ceylon tea we have been com- 
paring with the products of India and China 
and Japan had been grown in virgin soil and 
had been plucked from bushes ten instead of five 
years old, the conclusions might have been still 
more strongly in favour of our insular leaf. 
Ceylon tea is a good tea and eminently pure, 
but why do we so frequently hear of its liability 
to " go off "? It must be due to climate or 
preparation, and whatever the cause the matter 
seems to demand the earnest consideration and 
prompt action of our planters so that the proper 
remedy may be applied. 
* 
UPCOUNTBY PLANTING BEPORT. 
AMERICAN AND CEYLON ANALYSES OF TEA : MEDIUM AN D 
FINE PLUCKING COMPARED — MR. COCHRAN'S PAPER. 
23rd July 1889. 
Now that the American campaign for the pushing 
of the sale of our teas in that Continent is about 
to begin, the following able and interesting paper 
