March i, iSqj.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
633 
ia nn iilmOBi equal decree. The publio, in purcliaFiug 
either Ceylon or Indian, obtain a great deal more for 
their money than they did when they bronght Ohii a 
tea, and they do not require to uae the whole of 
what they buy. Let me add that a • ooey ’ is a very 
bad thing, unless to keep the tea warm after it baa 
been poured into another vessel, which is the x>roper 
way to treat tea after it is brewed,” 
After this interriew I thought it just to tberepre- 
sontatives of the China trade that they should have 
the opportunity of explaining their position, in face 
of the threatened exiinction of this old-established 
source of supply. 
“Yes,” said one gentleman — the beat authority upon 
the subject — “ there is no doubt that Indian tea has 
supplanted China tea; but at the same time there are 
some symptoms of a reaction which is attributed to 
the medical aspect of the qncstion. You have seen 
what Sit Andrew Clark baa said. Here is a copy of 
bis address on tea, and here also, is the report of Dr- 
Hale White of Guy’s Hospital, upon an aualjs’a of 
Assam, finest Cbii a, and common Congou tea, witli the 
result that be fouud in the Indian, after fifteen minutes’ 
infusion, I7'73 per cent, of tsnnin, as compared with 
7‘97 percent, in the host China, and 11 15 per cent in 
the common congou. Dr. White adds: “The result 
IS what might have been expected, as tannin is very 
soluble ID hot water, and notody who las dmuk 
Assam, or any other Indian tea, and the choicest 
China, would require any scientitie analysis to tell him 
which would bo most like'y to disorder the stomach 
and nerves. It ia of coutS ’, true that any tea which 
has been infused for some time has a more marked 
effect than tea which has been iiitnaed a shorter time; 
but this difference is due not so much to the tannin 
as to strength. The moral, therefore, for persons with 
weak digestion is to select the best China tea they 
can get, and nut to drink it strong ; to be satisfied 
with flavour, and not to desire intoxication. They 
must bo particularly careful, also, to see that tho tea 
is not blooded.” 
“ It ia qoite certain,” continued the speaker, 
“ that the delotrious property of tea is the 
tannin, and the less yon have of it in the beve- 
rage the more wholesome it will ho. You must boar 
in mind that it was not until 1H89 that tho ooosump- 
tion ot Ibdian tea began to exoeeil that of China, 
although the Indian bad been gradually displacing 
the letter (or some years. Ceylon tea is of still more 
reoi nt iotroduotic n. The doctors are hegiuuiiig to 
differeuliate between Indian and China teas, and to 
see there is a superabundant quantity of tannin in the 
teas trnni India ami Ceylon, due to the mode of 
preparation. Tho piibl 0 are not yet aware of it, and 
now you will never convert the masses; their taste 
is too degraded. No one who knows what guod tea 
is will drink Indian. The Kusaians drink Chna 
tea only, and they have lately got it diroot from tho 
Ningchow Dislriot enuaing a falliug-otl in our exports. 
There is a divine tea. We, ns people, are noiorious 
for our roarso la-tc. Do not lower clasos smoke shag 
tobaeco P Now Indian tea is a pungent, strong, coarse- 
fiavoured article, and it has boon forced upon the 
public and popularised heenuBO it is ‘British grown’ 
and economical. But look at this tumbler. It is full 
of a muddy yellow liquor — that is due to the excees 
of taouin, for it ie an infusien of Indian tea; but see 
this elear pert-wine fluid — quite cold — that is China 
tea simi'aily prepared.” 
“ Where can you gi t good China tea f ” 
“Unfortunately, owing to tlie course of trade, there 
'? otitcely aihop in London where you cau get good 
China lea; for they will tel >011 it does not exist. 
Ai. ther (.rjiidice against it is that it requires much 
grrater care in making, and the water mis! be just 
o 1 the boil. Yon cannot expect to buy Chiua ti a such 
as IS drunk in Bussia under Us per puund retail. As 
milch a- six roubb s (I’is) is given at Moscow for tea 
per pound, and the Uussian pound is 10 per cent 
ess than ours, Ilus-ia is t-king an iiioreastug quan- 
tity of the finest teas whinli China prodnoes every 
year, and prioes ate paid for it which are beyond the 
ISoghsh market.” 
“ Is tho China tea export to England doomed to 
extinction P" 
‘•Everybody who enjoys a good cup of tea should 
hope not. There iias been a further deoline during 
the past year, it is true, the arrivals to May SIst 
next being estimated at ten million pounds less than 
the quantity to iiaud daring the twelve montha pre- 
ceding; hut the shrinkage has not continued in a 
progressive manner, and is not to large as was expected. 
Wo hope the worst lias been seen.'’— Daily Telegraph. 
No fault can be found with their representative giving 
the views of a China tea-dealer as well as those of 
Messrs, (low, Wilson & Stanton ; but it is ridiculous 
of tho former to speak of 17'73 per cent “ tannin" 
arising from lo miniitet’ infusion of Indian tea. 
The simple answer, of course, is infuse only ford 
or 5 minutes and use fat lees ot Indian or Ceylon 
tea nod you can have as little tannin as suits 
your taste or as China tea yields ! You see how 
Sir Andrvw Clark is trotted out again to injare the 
reputation of Indian and Ceylon teas as compared 
with China. I got Sir William Gregory to promise 
this week that he would, along with Sir Arthur 
Birch, use bis influence with their personal friend. 
Sir Andrew Clark, to give a fair trial to good 
Ceylon tea, properly infused, and to express an 
opinion whiob can be used to oounteraot the 
effects ot hiB foolieb speech as placarded in Begent 
Street and eleewbere. If this does not suooeed, 1 
must try to plan a “ Csylon Deputation" to sit on 
Sir Andrew and bring him to reason, 
" ’I'he proof of the pudding is," however, ‘‘ in the 
eating ” ; and as Mr. Leake put it to me the other 
day, the best answer to Sir Andrew and other 
fogies or critics, is found in the wonderful way 
in whiob Ceylon tea has gone into consumption 
daring the past year. Still, however high the 
percentage of increase, it is possible 5 to 10 per cent 
more might have keen gained, save for tho foolish 
utterances of Sir Andrew and others deterring those 
who may pay attention to them. 
Here ie another paragraph on our teas which 
appears in the Dat'lg Chronicle and two more from 
the Daily Graphic, a very enterprising journal to 
whiob Col. Howard Vincent is contributing letters: — 
Indian and Ceylon Teas.— M r. C. S. Hicks (mem- 
ber of the Ceylon Association iu London) writes: — 
With reference to the criticisms on tea now appealing 
in tho press, I sliali be glad if you will allow me, oa 
the Isu'gest shipper of Cejdon tea “ packed in Ceylon,” 
to say a few words on the subject. Ceylon tea ia 
produced from both the Indian and the China variety 
of tho tea plant, and possesses very varying qualities. 
Some of the Ceylon tea shipped ia very near akin to 
Indian tea. and possesses a very largo amount of 
astringency, while other gardens produce ten in which 
tho China characteristics are predominant; and in 
all Ceylon teas which are of any value at all flavour 
ia the great characteristic, wliile astringency is nota- 
hie by its absence. In Indian tea, on the contrary, 
there is a great absence of flavour, and a great pre- 
dominance of astringency and thickiiosB. China tea 
is practically out of the question for the ordinai-y con- 
sumer (who must really be considered), as the ijnes- 
tion to lie dealt witli is not what tlio connoisseur 
buys, who is able, out of a very small area, to make 
his selection by paying any fancy iirice heolioososto 
indulge in, but wmit the ordinary everyday people 
of tins country are able to pay to satisfy a doinand 
for a really good tea. With this end in view there 
is no doubt that Ceylon tea at any given price will 
beat any Chinn tea that is offered hotli for flavour, for 
purity, and for absence of all forms of tannin in 
proportion to its strengtli. The oiie_ great teat of tea 
wliich ia avaiiahle to everyone who is a tea drinker 
is tho comparison of tlih infusion, and tliero is not a 
tea-taster in Miiicing-laiie wlio would dare to contra- 
dict tliis. Tho loaf of all good tea, when infused 
changes to a bright copper colour; absolutely bad tea' 
when infused, is of a block colour, or very dark brown’ 
Chromcle. 
