OF VARIOUS KINDS OF TEA. 
17 
leaves are ground to powder and drunk with the infusion for 
which a solemn tea ceremony (cha noyu) is required. Hence 
this kind of tea was much used by priests and nobles to whom 
time was not money. 
IV. Black tea. 
The method of preparing black tea here practised is essen¬ 
tially the same as that employed in other tea producing coun¬ 
tries, and consists of the following operations. 
Withering. The agent for withering the leaves in the 
preparation of black tea is the sun, fire being seldom used, 
and steam never. This is important, since the steamed leaves 
can not be properly fermented. As to the practice of with¬ 
ering, the fresh leaves, immediately after they have been 
gathered, are spread in a thin layer upon a straw mat or large 
tanned thick paper and exposed to the sun, being frequently 
turned over so as to be uniformly withered. The duration 
of sunning is dependent, as well upon the thermal intensity 
of the sun as on the character of the leaves. In general an 
hour’s exposure is sufficient. This simple mechanical opera¬ 
tion aims also, in this case, at depriving the leaves of their 
elasticity. It is also of vital importance to wither the leaves 
properly, for the judgment of which the following points may 
be mentioned. 
1) . Fresh or under-withered leaves have elasticity enough 
to spring back to their original shape when pressure is removed, 
while properly withered leaves take any form whatever. 
2) . The petals of fresh or under-withered leaves will break 
upon bending them double, while those of properly withered 
leaves will bend without breaking. 
3) . Fresh or under-withered leaves give a peculiar cracking 
noise when pressed together in the hand and held near the ear, 
while properly withered leaves do not do so. 
In practice, however, even these simple tests are unneces¬ 
sary, since a little practice will enable the layman to judge the 
