THE BLENDING AND MAKING OF TEA.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVIX, Issue 3006, 18 December 1896, Page 4

THE BLENDING AND MAKING OF TEA.

Description ot a Visit to Nelson, Moale and Co.’s Hew Warehouse.

Yet ttgun baa Nature’s verdict been endorsed, and another large concern come to acknowledge practically Wellington’s valuable position in tbo Colony as a receiving and distributing centre. The*© are hundreds, r even thousands, of New Zealanders who, I when debating their tastes in tea. energetically declare they wore “ brought up on Nelson, Moato and Co.’s tea from their youth,” and they are not stretching history or fact in making so wide a statement, for it is full many a year ago since the firm took a hold upon colonial taste with their blends and mixtures, and who is it in Maoriland within that time has not drunk of Nelson .Moate’s ? A review of the history of this firm affords a record of tea-making and its drinking in New Zealand, It was in the year 1880 that Mr Horatio Nelson brought into the Colony the first Ceylon tea ever imported hither. Today there are no less than 48. firms .in this country packing and sending out] each their special mixture ; yet Nelson-Moato have year by year bad to meet a growing trade for their stock, until now they have boon compelled to make Wellington their headquarters, and take up hero one of the largest of this city’s premises as a factory and warehouse. The policy of the New Zealand Times leans largely towards the encouragement of all industries which employ our own people, and a visit to the premises of Messrs Nelson, Moat© and Co. not only proved interesting and instructive, but showed that the ranks of the clerical, the export, the manual, the brain and muscle of our community, were more largely drawn upon than we had even been prepared to find, and it says much for the activity in the manufacturing ‘ life of Wellington to know, upon Mr Nelson’s statement, that be cannot got enough'hands hero to enable him to keep‘pace with his trade. A glance at the various floors of the warehouse showed a busy scene. As in the life of a man, so thoro may be said to bo seven stages in the material building up until the final liquidation of ft packet of tea; and, after watching tbo process in a round-about way, wfc will here attempt to give the natural order of its preparation. Imported direct from the gardens in large chests, the tea goes into a four-story bond warehouse at the roar of HempthornoProsser’s late premises, opposite the Times office, and even that space is not sufficient for Nelaon-Moate, so the Queen’s Bond is also used.' From thence, as required, the chests are taken to the warehouse, whore the expert manipulation of Mr Nelson and hia tasters comes into play. The blen ing or tasting room is a small chamber, but highly important is its function. Here a row of some dozen fusing cups stand, further along another row of ordinary cups and a teapot, and immediately behind the tasters, who “ line up ” for their tea, is an electric clock which notifies to a fraction the time taken in brewing, &0., a strict record of which is kept. Testing goes on morning and afternoon, and as Mr Nelson has record tins in this room with numbers ruuuingup to 245, each containing blonds of Indian and Ceylon teas, the reader can grasp some idea that there mustbo a busy time for the tasters, A curiosity-hunt among the many tins leads to our being shown some China teas (in which Nelson, Moato and Co. do no trade whatever now) valued at 20s and 25s per lb. Having decided to a nicety upon the blend, the bulk from which the teat is taken goes up by lift to the top floor, and we follow it. It has now reached the mixing department, and one gets bewildered at the bum of machinery, the cracking and splitting of oases, the rush of busy foot, boys jostling men ; each full of the importance of hia share in the business. A largo, box-liko machine which has “ first gt ” at the froeh-from-tho-gardens tea is the latest of the Bartlett patent combination cutter, sifter and regulator, and a peculiarity of its internal arrangements is a row of 14 magnets, each one of which would delight the heart of a schoolboy. The duty of those “ attraction ” is to fascinate and hold on to any pieces of nail or metal which by chance might got into the loose tea. The Bartlett automatically sends out four sizes of tea as the result of its sifting. These are then taken to a neighbouring machine of quite a different make and shape—the mixer, fitted with a series of arms and fans, and having a working capacity of thoroughly mixing some two tons an hour; The much-driven article of commerce takes a short spell, for it goes into enormous bins, which are quite a curiosity. Each bin holds 60001 b, and those on the top floor can enfold 40,0001 b. Whilst lying in tbo' bins the tea is classified again,

and made up into tho firm’s standard. It then goes to another machine, a regulating cutter, which contains a aeries of solid stool rollers, and works from sawt to Gcwfc at a timo. This ends tho machinery stugo, the driving power for which is supplied by a 4 h p. Otto gas ongino. The tea now gets another rest in the bins, when it goes to the next floor below for packing. Hero one looks around for girls, but there is not one in sight on tho whole premises,' nimble-fingered boys and youths, under; tho watchful eye of Mr J. Gibbons, doing the parcelling and tho wrapping and the packing. There are piles upon piles of packets, tins, half-chests and chests of tho firm’s pure Indian blends in tho well-known blue and rod label, aud the “Jumbo” and the blue and red Ceylon, tho “Oya” lead packets, the Cingalese blends, and the X and XX brands, as wc wander round tho room we ar? suddenly struck by a X9odeg. atmosphere, and for the moment thought a Turkish bath was kept upon the premises. It was only the drying-room for the labels. Wo were quite dry enough, thanks, and sought another and cooler corner, whore the information was gained that the Indian chests were made;by N. M. and Co; themselves, and tho cases by Mr Chalmers, a well-known local manufacturer. Another descent, and wc are upon tho main floor of the. business. A fine central rail encloses the handsome stairway, and lying around upon tho carpeted floor are gigantic vases (fit to shelter. All Baba and hia scamps), ferns, pot plants, pictures, and other tasty decorations, and flitting hither and thither, wearing busy looks, are several well-known City of the Plains men. There in his office is Mr J. I roat, erstwhile accountant in the Christchurch office, now secretary to'the company, and located in this city, whilst a step oyer to the sales department, and Mr Hyman is soon in charge. Next door to his suite of rooms is tho directors’ board room. A step across into the further portion of tho hall, and a tin-making department shows that the firm are up-to-date folks, in that the safest and' best plan, that of blocking, is in use by them for tho packing of their delicate wares, tho* blocking being done by high - pressure machinery.’ . Altogether, after tho hour spent in going the, whole rounds, of the newly-established .headquarters of Messrs Nelson, Moate and Co., the writer is convinced that statisticians must be right when they tell ns that in pro-’ portion to population New Zealand is a .champion tea-drinking nation,. and Wellington should be happy in tho possession of such afirraasN.M. and Co., one more fortunate having come to increase our prosperity and own to the facilities of city and port for trading purposes. . . The prosperity and advancement of all such firms and 1 industries means the advancement and prosperity of tho cicy and tho land in which wo live; therefore it is patriotic to wish long life and prosperity to Mr Horatio Nelson and his Company. *