Oct.  I,  i8g6.] 
THE  TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
229 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  RUSSIA. 
It  is  of  interest  at  a time  wlien  we  may  lio[je 
that  Ceylon  Tea  lias  taken  a real  lioUl  of  the 
Russian  market  with  the  prospect  of  a steady 
increase,  to  recall  the  clay  of  small  things — 
the  very  beginning  of  the  attempt  to  get  the 
Russians  to  drink  onr  teas.  This  is  done  in  the 
appended  letter  from  Mr.  W.  B.  Steveni  ad- 
dressed to  onr  senior  in  England.  The  latter 
lirst  met  Mr.  Steveni — a Scandinavian  English- 
man if  we  may  say  so,  and  hrother-in-law  of 
the  well-known  English  artist,  Mr.  T.  B.  Ken- 
nington — at  Vichy  in  1887,  and  there  endeavoured 
to  interest  him  in  Ceylon  tea,  of  wliidi  samples 
were  provided.  What  followed,  so  far  as  Mr. 
Steveni  is  concerned,  is  best  told  in  his  own 
words  ; and  there  can  be  no  doubt  tiiat  he  is 
deserving  of  the  thanks  of  Ceylon  producers  for 
what  he  did  in  tlie  early  years  in  Russia  to- 
wards the  mission  so  energetically  promoted 
since  by  M.  Rogivue  in  a thoroughly  business- 
like and  successful  way.  May  this  enterprise, 
and  all  other  attempts  to  extend  the  use  of 
Ceylon  tea  in  Russia,  continue  to  prosper — and 
more  especially  the  efibrts  of  Russian  tea  linns 
to  trade  direct  in  our  staple — until  its  good 
qualities  become  duly  appreciated  in  every  Rus- 
sian household. 
Meantime,  the  following  resume  of  the  early 
history  of  the  campaign  is  well  worth  putting 
on  record,  and  we  may  hope  that  Mr.  .Steveni 
may  yet  do  further  service  in  making  known 
Ceylon  products — and  especially  tea — in  Northern 
Europe,  seeing  his  peculiar  oiiportunities  as  a 
writer  and  journalist.  Eor,  it  should  be  known 
that  our  friend,  who  has  altogether  lived  twenty 
years  in  Russia,  ha.s  occupied  responsible  jiosi- 
tions  as  contributor  to  the  London  Times,  the 
Contemporary  Review,  Nineteenth  Century,  United 
Serviee,  aiul  American  periodicals.  lie  also 
wrote  a book  about  the  great  Russian  famine, 
the  scene  of  which  he  was  the  lirst  to  visit 
among  English  correspondents.  All  this  should 
increase  our  interest  in  the  writer,  who  tells  the 
story  of  how  he  first  introduced  Ceylon  tea  to  the 
notice  of  the  Russian  dealers  and  people  ; — 
How  1 INTKOUUCKD  CKYLON  TKA  INTO  RU.S.SIA. 
It  is  now  about  nine  years  since  I lirst  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  introducing  the  fragrant  teas 
of  your  island  into  Russia.  Like  many  brilliant 
ideas  that  have  come  to  us  poor  benighted  mor- 
tals, this  one  came  to  me  by  a mere  accident. 
It  happened  that  on  one  wet  drizzling  afternoon 
in  the  City,  when  all  nature  seemed  to  be  in 
mourning,  that  I took  refuge  in  the  office  of 
an  old  City  friend,  Mr.  Robert  Heinekey  of 
Beething  Lane.  Whilst  waiting  there  until  the 
weather  had  cleared  up,  Mr.  R.  tleinekey,  the 
head  of  the  linn  of  that  name,  asked  me  if  I 
would  not  have  “ a cup  of  first-class  tea — Ceylon 
tea ! ” Curious  to  know  whether  that  beverage 
compared  ivith  the  much-vaunted  Kjachta  and 
China  teas  we  got  in  Russia,  1 immediately  con- 
.sented.  The  lirst  time  1 drank  this  new 
kind  of  tea  I wf.s,  to  say  the  least,  con- 
.siderably  astonished.  It  w;is  so  delightfully 
aromatic  and  refreshing  that,  like  David 
Cojiperlield,  1 ventured  “ to  ask  for  more.” 
1 am  glad  1 did ; for  I not  only  renewed 
the  pleasure  of  drinking  whaL  I believe  to  be 
one  of  the  linest  teas  in  the  world,  but  learnt 
that^this  new  aromatic  tea  w.as  grown  on  the 
island,  of  Ceylon,  on  the  estate  of  a relative  of 
Mr.  Heinekey. 
29 
For  about  a year  or  more  I thought  no  more 
about  Ceylon  tea,  tvhen,  by  another  freak  of 
fortune,  I found  myself  in  Aloseow,  one  of  the 
greatest  tea  marts  in  Europe.  It  then  occurred 
to  me,  that  it  would  be  a grand  thing  to  intro 
duce  Ceylon  tea  into  Ru.ssia,  and,  if  possible,  to 
drive  out  the  Chino.se  tea,  as  I found  that  a 
comsiderable  quantity  of  the  tea  consumetl  in 
Moscow  was  of  the  most  wretched  quality  ; in 
short,  that  the  good  reputation  the  Chine.se 
once  had  for  their  teas  was  no  longer  merited. 
Acting  on  this  conviction,  I immediately  im- 
ported through  Mr.  Heinekey’s  son,  about  half- 
a-dozen  chests,  and  sold  their  contents  to  my 
friends,  mostly  members  of  the  English  Colony 
in  M0.SC0W.  The  tea,  however,  did  not  please 
my  countrymen ; as  they  were  used  to  the 
weaker  Chinese  infusions.  I therefore  decided 
to  try  the  wealthy  Moscow  grocers ; but  here  I 
had  even  still  worse  luck.  The  majority  of 
them  would  hardly  look  at  the  samples,  and 
those  who  did  gravely  assured  me  that  my  tea 
was  artilicially  scented,  whilst  others,  who  were 
more  sensible,  said  that  the  te.a  was  too  strong 
for  their  customers.  In  fact,  nobody  would  look 
at  Ceylon  tea ; and  I was  on  the  point  of 
throwing  up  tlie  business,  when  I made  the 
aciiuaintance  of  a verj'  intelligent  tea  taster  on 
the  Moroseika  Sc. — not  far  from  the  Kremlin. 
This  Muscovite,  who  was  well  uj»  in  his  pro- 
fes.sion,  immediately  recognised  the  S])lendid 
qualities  of  Ceylon  tea,  and  ordered  three  or  four 
boxes  on  trial.  He,  however,  assured  me  that 
the  tea  was  too  aromatic  for  his  customers  in 
its  pure  state,  and  that  it  would  be  nece.ssary 
to  mix  it  with  mild  China  tea.  This  he  did 
ivith  considerable  success,  and  brought  out  a new 
bleml,  with  some  unpronounceable  name,  rvliich 
could  hardly  be  pronounced  by  Westerners, 
Thanks  to  the  numerous  advertisements  I and 
my  friend  inserted  in  the  Moscow  papers,  the 
name  somehow  caught  the  fancy  of  the  [urblic, 
and  many,  who  rvould  not  look  at  the  tea  in  its 
natural  state,  came  and  bought  it  under  its  new 
title.  In  f.act,  my  friend  made  a large  itrofit  on 
the  few  chests  he  took  oil  my  hands,  but,  as 
Ceylon  tea  Avas  only  bought  by  the  curious  and 
unconservative,  I did  not  grow  fat  on  the  pro- 
ceedings. I therefore  attempted  to  try  the  native 
tea  merchants  and  imported  still  more  tea,  but 
all  with  poor  success.  Everywhere  I uent  I was 
stopjied  by  a wall  of  Muscovite  suspicion,  obsti- 
nacy and  conservatism,  which,  with  all  my  en- 
thusiasm, I cmild  not  surmount.  1 also  found  it 
extremely  difficult  to  sell  Ceylon  tea  at  a pro- 
fit ; firstly,  because  it  was  pure  and  unadulterated, 
and,  secondly,  because  I could  not  alibrd  to  pur- 
chase it  in  large  quantities. 
In  the  course  of  my  operations  I,  how- 
ever, made  a great  many  discoveries  respecting  the 
mysterious  drugs  of  the  Muscovite  tea  merchants, 
.and  became  convinced  that  it  would  be  impossible 
for  an  honest  trader — without  support — to  com- 
pete with  the  crafty  orthodox-church-going 
“ koopzce,”  who  were  my  most  dangerous  conn 
petitors. 
1,  amongst  other  discoverie.s,  le.arned  that  some 
of  them  mixed  their  tea  with  “ lv.aj)orka,”  a 
kind  of  shrub  that  grows  around  Mo.scow  and  in 
a[ipearance— but  not  in  taste— strongly  resembles 
the  tea  jdant.*  Other  “ .saints,”  famous  for 
their  donations  to  tlie  churche.s,  smuggled 
* Shortly  after  my  departme  fro;n  Moscow  several 
of  those  gentlemen  were  arre.sted  by  the  police  and 
compelled  to  pay  heavy  lines.  The  majority,  how- 
ever, principally  residing  in  the  interior,  are  seldom 
caught. 
