The tea-float is a very useful addition to the tea-pot. The tea is
placed in the fioat, and the float in the tea-pot. Boiling water is
added as in ordinary tea-making. The float rises to the surface and
thus retains the tea at the hottest part of the water, instead of its
sinking to the bottom, which is the coldest part. By this applica-
tion of natural laws and the chemistry of tea-making all the strength
of the tea is withdrawn, and the infusion is far stronger than when
prepared in the usual way. A smaller quantity of tea is theiefore
required when the tea-float is used. The float can be procrrpd of
any grocer or tea dealer. Some consider high priced teas less desir-
able for general use than the medium qualities, both on account of
their prices, and because, owing to their purity and strength, they
abound in deleterious properties.
The tea-pot should not only be emptied after being used, but
made perfectly clean inside as well as outside. After a thorough
wiping turn it upside down, that the drops may run from the spout,
and when ready to be put away twist the comer of the towel and
wipe the inside of the spout, and put the tea-pot in its place with
the cover raised ; when it is again required pour in boiling water to
heat it thoroughly. It is well to keep a small tea-kettle for the
express purpose of boUing wat«r for tea, thus surely avoiding for
this delicate drink the water which has boiled and re>boiled repeat-
edly during the day for filling up the various kettles.
The green teas are the Gunpowder, considered the best, and
Hyson sorts, with their different varieties, both of which are manu-
fitetured in China and Japan, while only the former is obtained from
DRINKS. 183
Jfrva. The black teas are manufactured in China, Assam and Java,
and from the two former countries come the Congo and Pekoe sorts
under the latter of which the Oolong, a general favorite, and
Souchong varieties are classed. Java exports the Congo, and also a
black tea made up into little ball? the size of a pea, known as the
Imperial. India gives the English Breakfast and Caper varieties.
As is now well known the difference between green tea and black
lies in the fact that in the former fermentation has been arrested by
" firing, " the color of the leaf being in this way partially preserved
and fixed, while with the latter, by a much longer process, fermen-
tation up to a certain point is permitted, and the leaves are not "fired"
until they have become oxidized by exposure to the air. Only green
tea is manufactured in Japan, and is considered superior to that of
China and Java, where the black teas are principally produced. The
Chinese give an artificial coloring to the green tea6 exported, em-
ploying for this purpose native indigo and gypsum. In Japan, tea is not
grown for export only, but isthechie. article of home consumption ;
and the domestic teas as pr^^cured in that country are probably the
only samples of unadulterated green tea to be had, and are known
as the green Japan and uncolored Japan. In common usage Japan
tea means the green variety, which is used largely in tea mixtures,
while the uncolored is used more often by itself as is also the Gun*
powder and Hyson.
Page 151
Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The tea-float is a very useful addition to the tea-pot. The tea is placed in the float, and the float in the tea-pot. Boiling water is added as in ordinary tea-making. The float rises to the surface and thus retains the tea at the hottest part of the water, instead of its sinking to the bottom, which is the coldest part. By this application of natural laws and the chemistry of tea-making all the strength of the tea is withdrawn, and the infusion is far stronger than when prepared in the usual way. A smaller quantity of tea is therefore required when the tea-float is used. The float can be procured of any grocer or tea dealer. Some consider high priced teas less desirable for general use than the medium qualities, both on account of their prices, and because, owing to their purity and strength, they abound in deleterious properties.
The tea-pot should not only be emptied after being used, but made perfectly clean inside as well as outside. After a thorough wiping turn it upside down, that the drops may run from the spout, and when ready to be put away twist the comer of the towel and wipe the inside of the spout, and put the tea-pot in its place with the cover raised ; when it is again required pour in boiling water to heat it thoroughly. It is well to keep a small tea-kettle for the express purpose of boiling water for tea, thus surely avoiding for this delicate drink the water which has boiled and re>boiled repeatedly during the day for filling up the various kettles.
The green teas are the Gunpowder, considered the best, and Hyson sorts, with their different varieties, both of which are manufitetured in China and Japan, while only the former is obtained from Java. The black teas are manufactured in China, Assam and Java, and from the two former countries come the Congo and Pekoe sorts under the latter of which the Oolong, a general favorite, and Souchong varieties are classed. Java exports the Congo, and also a black tea made up into little ball? the size of a pea, known as the Imperial. India gives the English Breakfast and Capers varieties. As is now well known the difference between green tea and black lies in the fact that in the former fermentation has been arrested by " firing, " the color of the leaf being in this way partially preserved and fixed, while with the latter, by a much longer process, fermentation up to a certain point is permitted, and the leaves are not "fired" until they have become oxidized by exposure to the air. Only green tea is manufactured in Japan, and is considered superior to that of China and Java, where the black teas are principally produced. The Chinese give an artificial coloring to the green teas exported, employing for this purpose native indigo and gypsum. In Japan, tea is not grown for export only, but is the chief article of home consumption ; and the domestic teas as procured in that country are probably the only samples of unadulterated green tea to be had, and are known as the green Japan and uncolored Japan. In common usage Japan tea means the green variety, which is used largely in tea mixtures, while the uncolored is used more often by itself as is also the Gunpowder and Hyson.