3io 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1888. 
fill the pot. It will be found that the former wil 
give a good second brew, while the China will not. 
The fact is, most Indian and Oeylon Teas are so 
strong, that about half the quantity required when 
China is used will suffice. 
The "tannin" bogey is an old one, and need scare 
no one. The infinitesimal dose contained in a properly 
made cup of tea— i.e., brewed for five minutes only — 
is rather wholesome astringent. Tea-tasters, at any 
rate, suffer less from sore throat than most people ; 
and many of them are renowned for their vocal ac- 
complishments. The analyst, moreover, omitted to 
mention the larger percentage of theine and nitrogen 
which Indian Tea contains. 
On the general question of price, let me say how 
absurd it is to use a cheap and nasty common Tea, 
when, even at the rate of 3s. per lb., a cup costs 
barely one-third of a penny. The canny Scot and the 
shrewd Irish man know this ; consequently, they take 
the bulk of the choice Tea produced, having the 
trash to be consumed by the unenlightened Englishman. 
If those who think they are economising by using 
the Teas retailed under 2s. per lb. were to procure 
some really fine Tea from one of the respectable firms, 
such as Cooper, or Ridgway, and compare results, 
they would soon discover their mistake. — I am, Sir, 
your obedient servant, Habd Facts. 
Sept. 14th. 
Sir, — I am a Tea-planter and Tea-taster of seven- 
teen years' experience, and I read with great interest 
your article in the Standard of the 10th inst. on the ''Tea 
we drink." I agree entirely with "B. M.'s" re- 
marks on the same subject. My object in writing 
to you, sir, is to protest against, not only the vile 
stuff sold as tea to the public, but against che ex- 
orbitant prices charged for cups of tea at hotels, 
restaurants, country inns, railway stations, and several 
other places. 
Surely, sir, with tea selling at such low prices, 
it is monstrous to ask 4d and 6d for a cup? But 
this is far too common. The cup of tea at a rail- 
way station, for instance, is heavily handicapped 
against a glass of beer, for which only 2d is asked, 
and which can be had fairly good, and at once, 
whereas the former is, nine times out of ten, more 
than double the cost, wishy-washy, and ofi en not ready. 
Yesterday I was driven from the Lizard to Fal- 
mouth. The brake stopped half-way at a country 
hotel, and there I had to pay 9d for two cups of 
tea, which were undrinkable, and for which- 1 had 
to wait ten minutes, whereas I could have had 
two glasses of beer for 2d (Id the glass), and 
without waiting a minute. This is merely an 
instance of what is the rule all over the 
country. There is no reason, Sir, why tea should 
not be sold at 2d. or even Id. the cup, and decent 
tea too, leaving a decent profit. — I am, sir, your obe- 
dient servant, G. W. D. 
Garrans, near Grampound, Sept. 13th. 
Sir, — A word in answer to one point in " Mer- 
cury's" letter in the Standard of today — viz., as to ' 
the deterioration of Ceylon tea when opened. Hav- 
ing had several boxes, 50 lb. and 25 lb., open for 
various periods, I can give this statement a most 
emphatic denial, the tea remaining as good as at first, 
ami never losing its aroma; but then what I drink 
is real Ceylon, shipped straight from the factory, and 
in 'no way interfered with. Ceylon tea should not 
be used until it is quite three months old. It re- 
quires the mellowing influence of time. — I am, sir, 
your obedient servant, Expedience. 
Sir,— With reference to the discussion upon the Tea 
we drink, may I be allowed to say that, apart altogether 
from the question of good or bad Tea, there are one 
or two reasons why the beverage in question, as gene- 
rally prepared in England, is not so satisfactory as 
it might be? 
In the first place, the repeated addition of boiling 
water after the Tea has been allowed to stand some 
time extracts a not inconsiderable amount of tannin 
This is, in my judgment, not only unpleasant, but 
objectionable, and t ibink that the practice of frequently 
filling up the teapot should be abandoned. 
Secondly, the addition of a minute quantity of milk, 
as is usually done, it, in my opinion, a mistake. I 
believe that a few drops of lemon juice are infinitely 
preferable ; but, if milk must be used — and it certainly 
mellows and softens the Tea to soim- extent, though, at 
the same time, it does away with most of the aroma, 
and renders the fluid gieasy— ' he proportion should he 
much greater, say, from a qu. r.er to a third of the 
total quantity. 
It is, perhaps, hardly necessary to add that the water 
should be boiling, and that solt water is far superior to 
hard. 
Finally, it may he mentioned, that the \ery frequent 
-consumption of a semi-hoi. ing and scmewtat astringent 
fluid can hardly be legarded as calculated to assist 
digestion. H. S. Carpenter. 
Lundon, September 14. 
Sir, — Will you allow me, through your columns, to 
point out to " Souchong" and others interested in the 
subject, that any person — be he importer, broker, or 
retail grocer — who sells, or offers for sale, or caust s to 
be offered for sale, Tea under the titles of "First Crop 
Congou," " Finest Kai sow," or "Finest Moning," &c, 
which is not properly described under these titles, or 
who makes use of a trade description, directly or in- 
directly false in any respect, renders him cr hi r self 
liable for a term of imprisonment with hard labour for 
two years, under the Merchandise Marks Act, 1887, 
which came into operation a few months ago. 
The onus of proof is thrown upon the Defendant. 
This Act has alreaoy been put in torce in other trades 
with most salutary effect, and there remains no reason 
why the dishonest Tea dealer should continue to 
defraud the public and get off scot free. J. E. E. J. 
London, September 14. 
Sir, — I cannot allow the letter of " Taster and Blen- 
der " to go unanswered as to the branding of Teas in 
packets being a gurantee of their quality. What does 
he say, for instance, about one of the first houses in 
London, now supplying grocers in the country with 
their packeted tea at Is. 4d. per lb. ? I believe that 
as great frauds are perpetrated by these means as by 
any other, and when "Taster and Blender" brings 
forward wine and cigars to support his argument, he 
brings forward the very worst champions he could have 
picked out. With regard to Ceylon Tea particularly, 
we find the country flooded with Teas in packets, 
bearing names of estates, in most cases fictitious. As 
a matter of fact, Ceylon planters do not put their Tea 
up in packets ; and if people judge Ceylon Tea by 
these they are woefully mistaken. These are invari- 
ably made .up in London, 
I do not say they are all the same, but most contain 
a small amount of Oeylon Tea of a certain grade ; the 
rest, some common rubbish. 1 was shown the other 
day by a grocer in the South of England, a quantity 
of showy labels, sent down to him by a London firm. 
These had the names of Ceylon estates, which I knew, 
on them, but with one letter in the name altered. 
The public may be certain that if they cannot tiust a 
respectable man to sell them Oeylon Tea pure, loose, 
they do not insure getting such by buying it in packets 
with a fictitious estate name on it. 
As a Ceylon planter, and, as such, of course, jealous 
of the reputation of the Tea which this sort of thing is 
doing much injury to, I ask you, sir, to publish this letter. 
September 14. B. M 
Sir, — Mr. Hughes' letter in your issue of the 12th 
instant is a fair and just tribute to an article that has 
become popular on its own merits. Since the public 
generally first had the opportunity of tasting pure 
Ceylon Tea at the Health Exhibition in 1884 the de- 
mand has kept pace with an enormously increasing 
supply, tho imports in 1884 amounting to under 
2i600 000 lb., whilst this year they are expected to 
reach 22,000,0001b, 
