486 ORCHID TEA. 
which it is packed, as well as upon the circulars accompanying them. 
The headings of these circulars run as follows : — " Faham from the Isle 
of Reunion, imported from and manufactured at Reunion." There is 
also a rough, but not at all a bad cut of the plant producing it. The 
circular itself begins by saying that tea proper has never been well re- 
ceived in France, owing to the wakefulness resulting from its use, which 
has caused many persons to reject it altogether, while many of those 
who do use it drink it in default of a better substitute. The circular 
then goes on to state that it is for the purpose of remedying this state 
of things that the new infusion is intended ; not to replace tea, which 
has indisputable advantages, but to afford an opportunity of choosing 
between two beverages, equally beneficial and useful. " Faham is not 
a new production. From time immemorial the natives of the islands of 
Reunion and Mauritius, though situated as it were at the very gates of 
China, have preferred it to tea ; every traveller has partaken of their 
preference ; one of our most illustrious writers, George Sand, eulogises 
it in the midst of the fine description which she gives of the Isle of 
Bourbon, an eulogy which cannot be suspected of puffery, inasmuch as 
it was written upwards of thirty years before the introduction of Faham 
into France was thought of. Every work on botany of any importance 
similarly places it into the foremost rank of the beneficial productions 
of this favoured clime. The difficulties experienced in the gathering 
and manufacture of Faham on a large scale, and consequently the al- 
most impossibility of procuring a sufficient quantity to recompense the 
labour of obtaining it for consumption, and also its very high price, 
have alone prevented until now this valuable article of diet from being 
imported into France. After many fruitless attempts, these obstacles 
have been overcome. 
" Faham belongs to the family of orchids ; it grows upon the high 
slopes of the Island of Reunion, in the midst of almost inaccessible 
forests. It possesses a taste differing greatly from that of tea, and is 
preferred by the majority of persons who have tasted it. It can be 
used as a substitute for tea on all occasions, as it combines its tonic and 
digestive qualities, free from the sleepless effect. It possesses an aroma 
of great delicacy, capable of being rendered more or less pungent ac- 
cording to the quantity used, and it gives forth a most agreeable per- 
fume ; after being drunk it leaves a lasting fragrance in the mouth, and 
in a closed room the odour of it can be recognised long after. This 
beverage has the further advantage over tea, which requires to be drunk 
at the time of making, that it can be reserved for a future occasion if 
requisite, and may either be taken cold or made hot again. Milk, or 
spirits in small quantities, especially rum, serve to develop its aroma, 
and, lending it additional delicacy or greater strength, render it a deli- 
cious drink. Lastly, this valuable plant is made use of to flavour 
custards and ices, to which it communicates its delicate fragrance. 
