TEA AND ITS EFFECTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 140, 15 June 1932, Page 6

TEA AND ITS EFFECTS.

The common beverage, so highly praised (as by the planter who said the other day that it was a cause of the magnificent Australian phvsique), so heavilv abused, has a history dating back (Chinese legend) to 2737 B.C. It came to England by way of Japan, and the first English mention of) it was in 1615. The first supply to England came through Java in 1658 or thereabouts. Throughout the civilised world the infusion of the tea leaf is a common drink, and whilst there are, here and there, persons to whom tea is not beneficial, there is ample evidence that it does no general harm. In Japan the liquid is made the object of a strict ceremonial preparation, the drinking following fixed rules. In China the peasantry scatter the dried or crushed or powdered leaves upon boiling water, and thus obtain the freshest possible infusion. In Russia the urn, or samovar, takes the place of the English teapot. The "billy tea" of Australia is probably the crudest form of vegetable drink, for the "billy" may hang upon the tent pole all day, the tea become black, harsh and bitter, but the sturdy bushman uses it freely, and if he is any the worse he does not show it. The qualities of tea vary from the finest "tips" of Darjecling to the lowest grade of leaf from Ceylon. Darjecling tea i the luxury of the Chinese aristocrat, but its pale, delicate appearance and flavour are not appreciated by the less educated palate. There are three pickings of the leaves, the first in early spring when the leaves are young and tender, a second about a month later, and the. third when the leaves are fully grown. The bud and the topmost leaves of each small tree are usually chosen. The latest picking is that most freely exported to England and America. There are. many ways in which the leaves are dried. Sometimes partly in the sun and afterwards upon hot, plates, and there is a sweating or ripening process between the dryings. The quality of tea varies according to the soil in which it is grown, the age of the leaf, the climate, the method of drying, and the manner of blending. There ia a richness and colour in the Ceylon tea which makes it the favourite with most colonials. The tea taster or blender samples the tea by its aroma when dry, and by comparative infusions. He has a number of small teapots_ in which the infusions are made, each sample being given an exactly similar time to infuse. The leaves from each pot are examined, and the infusion tasted. The taster does not swallow the tea, but rolls it round his mouth, and ejects it into a spittoon. In this way the expert can place a value upon each variety and also decide upon the adjustment of varieties in a blend. The active principle (theinc) in tea is extracted by boiling water in three minutes, and the albumen being°coagulated (like white of egg) by boiling water, the tannin is held in the leaves, no more than one-fifth of the tannin of the leaf being found in the infusion. Prolonged boiling, reboiling or soaking for an extended period extracts tannin. It is tho theine which has stimulant and diuretic qualities and closely resembles the caffeine of eoffee in therapeutic action. Tannin is not a poison, but retards digestion. In 6ome persons tea produces flatulent dyspepsia and disturbance of the heart's action. Tea gives its best, most stimulating and most comforting physical action between meals. It is refreshing when either hot or cold, particularly if no milk or sugar is used but a slice of lemon placed in the cup. "Tea," says one authority, "is a good cxense for taking food in the form of milk and sugar," J>u tea drinkers generally prefer to have an expensive tea of good flavour rather than have to mask the flavour with sugar or with milk. —H.A.Y.