364 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
[November i, 1890. 
more, or very little taste remainieg in it, and this 
is the reason why the Russian market required dark 
liquored teas, just the contrary than what I had 
been told in London, where very little indeed is 
known about Russian tea business. 
This, of course, applies chiefly to teas sold to the 
general public in Russia— the common people— which 
are the largest consumers. Better classes drink better 
tea and some of them make it better with one in- 
fusion only — broken pekoe of any “Labnkelle” sample 
or equal to it— would do for them very well, but, 
as a rule, fine and finest teas are sold in much 
smaller quantities than common and medium to good 
ordinary qualities. , ^ , 
Now, as to the question : “ Whether Oeylon teas will 
suit the Russian taste,” and “whether they can be intro- 
duced in the country, to be drank as pure Oeylon teas 
and supplant or replace Chinese kinds, ’ there are 
two ways of answering it; — The large and wholesale 
Merchants will say, no, but I have no hesitation in 
saying yes ! The wholesale merchants— importers — 
much more conservative, in their way of trading, 
than the consumers, in a matter of taste, pretend 
that Oeylon teas cannot be drank by themselves— 
pure— and appreciated by the public for their merit, 
because they are not known well enough and do not 
suit the Russian taste. This is their old and only 
song, and they say, that they can only be used for 
blending purposes, mixed with Chinese teas, and it is 
easy to understand that these importers who, finding 
their profit in selling to retailers, mixture of any kinds 
of all sorts of teas, which they have introduced, and 
have made known, will not take the trouble now to 
introduce any new kind, against which they have at 
first, a sort of antipathy and which they think 
could perhaps stand the risk to remain for some time 
unsold in their stores. The Retailers think exactly 
the same, and the Public— the consumers— who up 
to the present time, have never had the opportunity 
of seeing, buying or drinking anything else but what 
was offered and sold to them in retail shops, are 
therefore cut out entirely of “ Pure Oeylon Tea,” 
and cannot get at it ! In St. Petersburg and here, 
I repeat it, everyone, friends and others, who have 
tasted my sample^, have found them excellent, cheap, 
even in the g’ood qualities, and economical, and have 
asked me where tbe tea could be bought in retail; 
this of course I was unable to answer just at present 
for the simple reason that nobody sells it pure, but 
I told them that it would be the case before long. 
In Nijni-Novgorod, installed in the shop of a friend, 
a watchmaker, visited by a large number of people of all 
cla.s8es, Russians, Siberians, Tartars, Armenians, etc., etc. 
I had some of my samples made in cup and offered, to 
every visitor, some of it. The voices were unanimous 
to declare the tea very good and , cheap, and who 10 
lb., who 20 lb., etc. everyone, wanted to buy some ; and 
asked me where to get it, but I could not sell nay 
samples — having no license for retail. The fine_ in 
Russia is a heavy one, for the sale of any article 
without a license. 
This is to show what the general public think of 
these teas and that they would buy them if they were 
to be got anywhere in Russia, in retail. And I can 
say, that to only friends and acquaintances, here 
and' St. Petersburg, I could, at once, sell over 1,000 lb. 
of tea at a good and very profitable price, if I had a 
stock and a license. 
Mr. Hadimiroff (in Nijni) head partner in the 
large firm of A. Dousentzofl k Co. bus taken special 
trouble with ray samples and pronounced himself very 
pleased with their quality ; he is of opinion that Oeylon 
teas wi'l have, before long, their time iu Russia and 
he drank exteii'-ively all 0V( r the country, will sell vvfcll 
au'l replice advantageously the Chinese kinds, which 
arc getting now so bad and inferior in quality, lie pro- 
mise'! me In give a trial order of some importance, 
on l,i-> return to Moscow — in ahoui a week’s time — hut 
ra .'s, tint ii would not do for his Firm to advertise ami 
mak'e a Iteclaiuo tor the tea ; Large and vvellknown 
I'll ms (wholesale) in Kusida it appears, do never advor- 
tiso. — This I do not understand ami Iain ntreidthnli, 
hero again, — even with a laigc ordi r from Uiis l''irm 
we shall miss our object in bringing the article, as 
“Pure Oeylon Tea,” within the direct reach of the 
consumer. 
I have already written extensively on the question. 
I consider that I have also done a great deal of good for 
the object of my missions, althongh it is nothing when 
considering what remains to be done, — and I come now 
to the conclusion that, the only way of introducing 
“ Pure Oeylon Tea” in the country, quickly and surely, 
is to give the public the opportunity of buying it as 
such, and this is only feasible by opening here. 
Moscow is the centre of Russisn business and the 
largest market for tea. And for other places, depfits of 
Oeylon tea and retail warehouses for its sale. The first 
enterprising man to do it will make his fortune in no 
time. It will be objected, I am sure, that the very fact 
of his doing a retail business might influence the whole- 
sale trade in combining to shut him out of the market 
altogether ; this may be correct but, 1 repeat it, the 
importers, although perhaps willing to give a few orders 
will only use Ceylon tea for blending purposes and will 
never introduce it to the reach of retailers and con- 
sumers — for its own merit, whatever it may be, good or 
bad, — to prejudice another article they have already in. 
troduced, and are selling easily and advantageously 
and, supposing even that some of these importers give 
some orders of a few hundred chests during the 
year, just as they did, through London houses, before 
my coming here, mix the tea with some other 
kind and take perhaps one year to sell that quantity 
and order a fresh lot, here ends the business and the 
aim your Association proposed, in sending me here, 
is not attained. 
In accordance with the foregoing remarks, what I 
would like to do, is; — 
1st. To have here, in Odessa, Riga, St. Peter.sburg 
and even Varsovie, stocks of Ceylon tea in low 
medium and fine qualities of pekoe and pekoe souchong, 
very little broken pekoe, — say about 2,000 lb. of sorted 
in each place to begin with, of well made teas, not 
too black, of good aroma, mild, mellow and soft flavor 
and liquor, not too pungent, but of somewhat dark- 
reddish coloured liquor. 
2nd. To open a small office in Moscow, and 
3rd. A few retail warehouses at above-mentioned 
places, in ordertosell tea by packets of J, J and 1 lb. or 
ruore voluminous packets, by chests and otherwise, and 
4th. To start a well conducted Reclame by means 
of Government analysis — published in newspapers, 
advertisements, circulars, placards, pamphlets, etc., 
circulated and distributed all over Russia. 
In my opinion, this would be the only possible way 
of obtaining success and, I am sure, would prove, 
before long, a very good and most remunerative busi- 
ness, which could also be extended to other products 
of Ceylon and export of Russian produce. 
Duty paid Chinese teas, mixtures or others, are 
sold in the country from Roubles 3’50 kop. down- 
wards to Rbl. 1’25 kop. per Russian Pound, as per qua- 
lity, and taking a Ceylon pekoe or pekoe souchong, 
superior in quality to the lowest Chinese or mixture 
tea, sold here at Rbl. 1 25 kop. Something for in- 
stance equal to my sample “ Kuruwitta ” pekoe sou- 
chong, bought in London, first cost at 9d per Eng. lb. 
charges to Odessa" Riga or St, 
Petersburg l|d „ „ 
about J penny per lb. to be added 
for railway freight to Moscow lO^d „ „ 
and say Rbl. 8'30 per £ str. aver- 
age rnte of exchange, equal to 37 kop. „ „ 
plus 89 „ ., „ 
for duty, customs and other charges would cost 
Rbl. l‘2t) per English pound or (1/lOlh less for Russian 
pound) Rbl. P1.5at any of the above sea ports or Rbl. 1‘17 
iu Moscow, which tea selling at only. Rbi. 1'25 here 
woo'd leave a gross jirofit of 8 kopecks per pound. 
This calculation is based on the clearing at St. 
Petersburg of my 671 lb. samples, but duty, customs 
and other charges could be considerably reduced 
on a larger quantity imported at a time and of 
course duty alone being the same on ordinary and 
fin eteas, the profit would be much larger on the 
latter qualities. 
