530 
CHINESE  METHOD  OF  SCENTING  TEA. 
not  unfrequent.  I  did  not  observe  this  precaution  taken  at  Canton. 
Besides  the  men  who  were  thus  employed,  there  were  many- 
others  busily  at  work,  passing  the  tea  through  various  sized  sieves, 
in  order  to  get  out  the  caper,  and  to  separate  the  various  kinds. 
This  was  also  partly  done  by  a  winnowing  machine,  similar  in 
construction  to  that  used  by  our  farmers  in  England.  Having 
taken  a  passing  glance  at  all  these  objects  on  entering  the  build- 
ing, I  next  directed  my  attention  to  the  "scenting  process,  which 
had  been  the  main  object  of  my  visit,  and  which  I  shall  now  en- 
deavor to  describe. 
"  In  a  corner  of  the  building  there  lay  a  large  heap  of  orange 
flowers,  which  filled  the  air  wTith  the  most  delicious  perfume.  A 
man  was  engaged  in  sifting  them,  to  get  out  the  stamens  and 
other  smaller  portions  of  the  flower.  This  process  was  necessary, 
in  order  that  the  flowers  might  be  easily  sifted  out  of  the  tea 
after  the  scenting  had  been  accomplished.  The  orange  flowers 
being  fully  expanded,  the  large  petals  were  easily  separated  from 
the  stamens  and  smaller  ones.  In  100  parts  70  per  cent,  were 
used  and  thirty  thrown  away.  When  the  orange  is  used,  its 
flowers  must  be  fully  expanded,  in  order  to  bring  out  the  scent ; 
but  flowers  of  jasmin  may  be  used  in  the  bud,  as  they  will  ex- 
pand and  emit  their  fragrance  during  the  time  they  are  mixed 
with  the  tea.  When  the  flowers  had  been  sifted  over  in  ,the 
manner  described,  they  were  ready  for  use.  In  tke  mean  time 
the  tea  to  be  scented,  had  been  carefully  manipulated,  and  ap- 
peared perfectly  dried  and  finished.  At  this  stage  of  the  pro- 
cess, it  is  worthy  of  observing,  that  while  the  tea  was  perfectly 
dry  the  orange  flowers  were  just  as  they  had  been  gathered  from 
the  trees.  Large  quantities  of  the  tea  were  now  mixed  up  with 
the  flowers,  in  the  proportion  of  40  lbs.  of  flowers  to  100  lbs.  of 
tea.  This  dry  tea  and  the  undried  flowers  were  allowed  to  lie 
mixed  together  for  the  space  of  twenty-four  hours.  At  the  end 
of  this  time,  the  flowers  were  sifted  out  of  the  tea,  and  by  the 
repeated  sifting  and  winnowing  process,  which  the  tea  had  after- 
wards to  undergo,  they  were  nearly  all  got  rid  of.  Sometimes  a 
few  stray  ones  are  left  in  the  tea,  and  may  be  detected  even  after 
it  arrives  in  England.  A  small  portion  of  tea  adheres  to  the 
moist  flowers  when  they  are  sifted  out,  and  this  is  generally  given 
away  to  the  poor,  who  pick  it  out  with  the  hand. 
