Tea-Blending as a Fine Art

All Teas when once they have ripened and become seasoned commence to decay, but there is a vast difference in the time that some varieties will last before the deterioration becomes objectionable in comparison with others. Some kinds, such as Foochow and Formosa Oolongs, keeping for a year or more. China Congous and Souchongs and Japan Teas from six to eight months, while Scented Teas, India and Ceylon Teas, after a much briefer period become dull and brackish, and it frequently happens that when the latter are a year old they are worth only half their original cost.

All Teas possessing a natural aptitude to become impregnated with foreign flavor of any product placed near it, and to absorb the foul odors by which they may be surrounded, should be kept as far apart as possible from any high-smelling articles in the dealer’s stock—such as soap, fish, spices and oils of all kinds—as they very rapidly absorb any pungent odors that may be in their immediate vicinity. And Teas have even been known to completely alter their flavor and character by being placed too close to molasses, oranges and lemons, therefore it becomes important for the dealer not to keep Teas too near any product emitting a foul or strong aroma. For this reason also they should not be dispensed out of freshly-painted bins or caddies, it being much more preferable at all times to deal them out of the original lead-lined chests, replacing the lid until required. Again, Teas should never be mixed in rainy, damp or humid weather, as they are bound to absorb and be injured by the oxydizing influences of the atmosphere, nor must they be kept too near a fire or stove, a dry, cool atmosphere of moderate temperature being always best for them.

Of the numerous commodities dealt in by the grocer there is none so important as that of Tea, this importance being due to its value as a trade-making, trade-retaining and profit-producing article, particularly when furnished of such quality as to give permanent satisfaction to the general public as well as to the regular customer. But notwithstanding its importance in these respects there is no article handled by the grocer the quality and value of which is so little understood by the average dealer. Again assailed as the retail grocery business now is by keen competition from so many queer Teas, the necessity for a better knowledge of and more careful attention to the article is at once apparent if the grocer—to whom its sale of right belongs—is not to find the almost entire withdrawal of this article from his line of business.

To properly understand the selecting and blending of Teas is therefore to be possessed of a valuable and profitable knowledge; but while such proficiency is not within the scope of every dealer, the study of these points to any extent will prove not only lucrative but entertaining and instructive. And while it may be claimed that such a study will occupy too much valuable time, or that it is much more economical to purchase from the wholesale Tea blender, still the great importance of a better acquaintance with such knowledge and experience must be evident to the dealer. For the proper blending of Tea the dealer should be provided with a small kettle and other apparatus for filtering and boiling the water as conveniently and rapidly as possible. Small scales for weighing the samples of Tea to be tested, pots for drawing and cups for tasting, and so start from the beginning.

Samples of the Teas desired having been procured from different houses should then be drawn and tested and a careful examination made of the leaves of each, their size, color, condition and smell being closely noted. In such drawings all Teas of an objectionable character should be set aside, and those remaining on the boards carefully arranged in the order of their value; but should any doubt exist in giving a decision between the several samples as to their superiority, then the drawing should be repeated and the poorer ones rejected, thus narrowing down the contest to the best Teas. Again, where it proves difficult to decide between the cup qualities of those remaining, then the size, style, condition and weight of the dry leaf should be taken into consideration, which will be found helpful in making the required decision. The decision having been arrived at, however, the Tea considered best may also be higher in price than some others approximating to it in style and drawing qualities, and if it be found that it cannot be purchased except at a price considerably higher than others on the table approaching it closely, it will be better under such circumstances to select another Tea, grading second, or even third in quality, at a much lower figure. An excellent plan for the careful Tea blender is to have a “type” or standard sample of the Tea he desires to duplicate and which he has found to be satisfactory, and samples of Tea of the various kinds of known value should always be kept convenient for reference, and in air-tight tins, with their grade, price, character, chop mark and year of production marked thereon.

ART OF SELLING TEA.

The dealer having succeeded in selecting and blending Teas that will please his customers, the next most important consideration for him is how best to bring them before the notice of his trade and the public generally. In this case he must not treat his Tea as a “staple” article, but as an entirely new commodity requiring a special effort for its introduction. Nothing gives such a bad impression to Tea customers as careless and slovenly packing of Tea. All Tea bags should be of fine quality and neatly, if not artistically, printed, and great care should be taken to obtain neatness of appearance in tying them up. The dealer should also have some special and appropriate name for his blends, this brand appearing prominently on the package, together with specific instructions for drawing the Tea. Small hand-bills, brief, pointed and attractive, describing the merits of the blend may also be placed in every purchase of other goods and sugar, and other bags or wrappers should contain special notices so that they may reach others who do not buy Tea, and the clerks or salesmen should also be instructed to talk up the Tea frequently but judiciously as possible.

The dealer should ascertain where customers for other goods get their Tea, what variety or grade it is, what price they pay for it, and, if possible, obtain a sample of it. Then test it carefully and be prepared to show that he can not only match it, but furnish a better one in both price and quality, giving them samples at the same time to prove it. And again, if a tea customer should quit dealing suddenly he should immediately find out the cause and endeavor to remedy it. He should also send out samples occasionally throughout the neighborhood of a line of Teas that he may deem suitable to the locality. But above and beyond all other efforts to increase his Tea trade, he should handle only high-grade Teas, endeavoring at all times to prove that the finer Teas are the most economical and satisfactory to purchase in the end, as the finer grades yield a larger margin of profit to the dealer and better satisfaction to the consumer, while it has a tendency to create favorable comment and win an increasing Tea trade.

Latterly, a new development in the Tea trade has, to the surprise and loss of the older generation of retail grocers and Tea dealers, assumed quite a prominence, for, if the glowing advertisements and startling placards in stores and on fences form any criterion, the public are taking a liking to the cheap and trashy-blended Teas put up in tins, lead, paper and other Tea-deteriorating packages under fancy names which have no relation whatever to the variety, district or country where they are grown, it being an acknowledged principle that Teas blended in bulk and put back again in their original lead-lined chests undoubtedly keep better, preserving its strength and flavor longer than when exposed to the oxydizing influences of the atmosphere during its transference to the tin, lead or paper packets ornamented with a cheap and showy label, which the more gorgeous they are the more apt to communicate the taste of the ink, paste, glue or other foul-smelling material in which it is packed to the Tea they are intended to adorn.

And still another reason why the Grocer and Tea dealer should avoid these blended packet Teas is that the cost of the packages, labels and labor, adds from eight to ten cents per pound to the original price of the Tea, in addition to the cost of advertising and flaunting them before the eyes of the public, an expense which is simply enormous in itself, and which the dealer and consumer must eventually pay for, either by a higher price or inferior quality of the Tea. Again, engaged as most dealers are at the present time in trying to stop the plague of all sorts of proprietary goods put up in cheap and oftentimes ill-smelling packages, which yields them so little profit and makes them only the servants of the packers, it is astonishing, to say the least, that any dealer can be found to adopt the same system with Tea when they can put up some favorite blend, and pack it themselves in cleaner, cheaper and more stylish packages, if their customers should desire it in that form, and sell them under their own brand and name, and not work to make money and a reputation for others who dictate to him as to what he shall or shall not do with regard to selling Teas. For instance, you are paying 43 cents for Package Tea with premiums, if you handle it. You sell this Tea at 60 cents, making 17 cents per pound profit. Now by putting up your own blend and giving your own premiums you can buy just as good Tea, or better, for 20 cents per pound. You can buy just as good premiums to stand you 12 cents per pound, making 32 cents instead of 43, or a saving of 11 cents or 33⅓ per cent. Besides, you control your own Tea trade and have the advertising free.

The art of selling Tea is even a much more difficult one than that of buying, owing to the numerous different and varying tastes to be catered to. For this reason alone the dealer should learn all he possibly can about the article, in order that he may be enabled to suit each particular liking and at the same time answer any and all questions about it intelligently. Find out what grade and variety as well as the desired strength and flavor of the Tea your customers prefer, and occasionally give them small samples of the different blends to try until you have caught their taste. Make a note of same, and always afterwards endeavor to give them as near the same kind and quality. Talk up your Teas in a clear and practical manner, and be sure your scales, weights and scoops are always clean and shining, and keep a small memorandum book in which to mark the kind and retail prices of your Teas, the date in which the caddie has been filled and the quantity it holds, as this method gives an accurate idea of the quantity of Tea sold in a certain time, which will be found particularly useful when Blended Teas are largely sold.

In brief, advertise your Teas freely but judiciously and modestly, never claiming too much for them, that is, let your advertisements be brief but novel, and change the same at least once per week, and always push your high-grade Teas first, last and all the time. Now and then give a Tea-testing exhibit in your store by fixing up a space near the door or window as a Tea-room surrounded by Tea-boxes with fancy faces, hanging some Chinese or Japanese lanterns around with which to light up at night to attract attention. Inside of which place a small Tea-table, a small gas stove, with kettle and cups for drawing the Tea. By this means the dealer will be enabled to prepare fresh-made Tea at all times, with fresh-boiled water, of any kind the customer may desire to taste or to push the sale of any particular blend he may desire to introduce among his trade. But it is advisable at these exhibits to use only fine Teas, using the common grades only by way of comparison. By this means the dealer can conveniently and readily point out to the customer the great advantages to be gained and economy of purchasing only high-grade Teas. Instruct your patrons meantime how to properly prepare Tea for use, emphasizing the fact that Tea must be brewed and not stewed, as is too often the case among consumers.

ART OF PREPARING TEA FOR USE.

It is singular, to say the least, that nothing is ever done by Tea dealers in this country to educate or enlighten their customers in the proper manner of preparing their Tea for use, to study the character of the water or to preserve its aromatic properties after purchasing. Good Tea, like good wine, can be kept intact for years with considerable advantage to the dealer and consumer alike, and there is no valid reason why consumers of Tea should not be as particular and fastidious as drinkers of wine. But to obtain a good cup of Tea, in the first place the consumer should purchase only the best Tea, it requiring much less of the finer grades to make good Tea than of the common kinds, and will prove the most economical in the end.

In the proper preparation of Tea for use, the quality of the infusion is much affected also by the character of the water as well as by the method of making or drawing it. Tea being an infusion and not a decoction like coffee, it should be brewed not stewed, the chief object being to extract as much of the theine or refreshing principle as possible and as little of the tannin or astringent property as can be, at the same time without either boiling or overdrawing it. Many Tea drinkers who imagine erroneously that a very dark-colored liquor indicates strength boil the leaves, while others again spoil the infusion by first putting the leaves in boiling water. Some again place the leaves in cold water, and then put it, the vessel on the fire to boil, prolonged infusion being another serious mistake. All of these improper methods produce the same evil results, viz., that of extracting an increased amount of the tannin, thereby destroying the true color and flavor of the Tea by imparting a blackish color and giving a bitter or astringent taste to the liquor. When Tea has been once boiled or overdrawn, the increased quantity of tannin extracted can be readily detected by the extreme dark color of the liquor as well as by its bitterly astringent flavor. Another reprehensible practice of some Tea makers is that of adding fresh leaves into the tea pot with those that have been already once drawn, as it cannot add to either the strength or flavor of the Tea by putting more leaves in the tea pot after the first drawing, for the simple reason that the Tea water will not extract the theine from the dry leaves of the fresh Tea. Only fresh boiling water will do this effectually, the water once used only increases the amount of tannin extracted, thereby darkening the color and destroying the flavor and merely adds to the quantity of leaves already in the vessel without at all affecting the active principle, theine. So that if it be required to increase the quantity or strength of the infusion already in the pot, some fresh Tea leaves must be drawn in a separate vessel and the liquor poured in that already made.

In the proper preparation of Tea for use, therefore, the object should be to extract as little of the tannin as possible and as much of the theine and volatile oil as can be extracted without permitting the infusion to boil or overdraw. To best obtain these most desirable results, put the requisite quantity of Tea leaves in a covered china or earthenware pot—all tin and metal vessels should be avoided—and pour in freshly boiling water that has been boiling for at least three minutes, and then allow the vessel to stand where it will keep hot, WITHOUT boiling, for from eight to ten minutes before serving, according to the variety of Tea used. There will be a sparkle and aroma about Tea made from fresh boiling water in this manner that it will not receive from the flat, hot water that has been boiled too long or repeatedly. In the stated time while the Tea is drawing only the refreshing and exhilarating properties—the theine and volatile oil—are extracted from the leaves, a longer infusion only dissolving and extracting the astringent and deleterious principle—tannic acid—which impairs digestion and injures the nervous system, for which causes alone all boiled or overdrawn Tea should be avoided.

An earthern tea pot made of Minton, Doulton, or Satsuma ware, is the best kind of vessel to prepare Tea in, but it must first be scalded out with boiling water before putting the Tea leaves in and then set on the range or stove to dry and keep hot for a few minutes. The Tea leaves are then put in, after which they are also allowed to heat for a short time before the boiling water is poured on them, from eight to ten minutes before the Tea is required for use. The character of the water also greatly influences the quality of the Tea, it being almost next to impossible to make good Tea with hard water, so that soft water should always be used when available, and any excess of lime in the water also deteriorates the infusion. But this latter difficulty may be easily remedied by the judicious addition of a little carbonate of soda, as much as will cover the face of a dime being sufficient for an ordinary drawing of Tea.

In moderate strength it requires about one teaspoonful of good tea to a half pint of boiling water and an ordinary half teacupful of leaves to every quart of boiling water, the latter making a fairly strong infusion for five persons. China and Japan Teas require from eight to ten minutes to draw thoroughly, the former requiring but little milk and sugar, while Japan Teas are more palatable without the addition of either. India Ceylon and Java Teas generally should not be allowed to draw more than from five to seven minutes at the outside after the boiling water has been poured on, as prolonged infusion makes the flavor of these varieties particularly mawkish and bitter, while the addition of an extra quantity of both milk and sugar greatly improves their drinking qualities.

JOSEPH M. WALSH

(America’s Greatest Tea Expert.—Journal of Commerce)

IMPORTER OF

PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A.