OF VARIOUS KINDS OF TEA. 
II 
ing tray is somewhat aromatic. The sufficiently steamed 
leaves are immediately tumbled over a wooden table or upon a 
straw mat, and cooled, without delay, by means of a fan. By 
this means, the steam imprisoned between the leaves is driven 
out, thus saving much time and labour in the subsequent 
process of drying. The leaves thus treated are carried to the 
firing room. 
Rolling and Drying. These two operations are, for the most 
part, performed at the same time, since rolling is done in the 
furnace itself. Rolling is intended to give the leaves a curled 
appearance, and at the same time, to impart to them the pro¬ 
perty of being easily infused. It is, indeed, during this simple 
mechanical operation, that the juice is expressed from the 
cellular tissues of the leaves and impregnated upon their surface. 
An investigation has shown that such tea is much more easily 
infused than the leaves simply dried. It is also during this and 
the following operations that the fine aroma so characteristic of 
tea is produced, since it does not appear to be present as such 
in the fresh leaves. We are in complete ignorance of the origin 
and formation of this appetite-exciting ingredient, nay of the 
nature of the latter itself. It is, however, highly probable that 
it originates from an oily substance, somewhat volatile or 
decomposable under the boiling point of water, and soluble 
both in alcohol and ether, certainly existing in the inter-cellular 
spaces of the leaves, since I have observed that the tea prepared 
from leaves either unduly steamed, or extracted with either of 
the above solvents, is entirely destitute of pleasant scent. More¬ 
over the production of aroma is not caused by oxidation, but 
more probably by a simple decomposition of the substance by 
heat, since I have observed that the fine flavour is engendered 
either when the leaves are heated in a current of carbon dioxide, 
or in one of ozonised air. 
As to the practice of rolling and drying, the apparatus first 
requires mention. It consists of a furnace of simple construc¬ 
tion, built of bamboo and mud, being generally 6 shaku long by 
3 shaku broad, and 3 shaku high. Six or eight such furnaces 
