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Tea Leaves by Francis Leggett
page 39 of 78 (50%)
and credit given to their authors.

Teas may conveniently be divided into the three classes which
have so long been recognized by the American tea trade, namely:

Green teas, the first remove from the green leaf.
Oolongs, delicate Black teas, having properties further developed
than those of Green teas.
Souchongs, and Congous, both of which have been called "English
Breakfast" teas by Americans, because the former teas were the
customary breakfast beverages of the English people before the
advent of Indian teas.
In these latter teas, fermentation and firing are prolonged beyond
the treatment of Oolongs. The smoky flavor sometimes apparent is
owing to careless and extreme firing.

In making Green tea, the object seems to be to expel the watery
juices of the leaf and to cure or dry it with the least delay.
Hence, the leaves are not exposed to the sun, but are first dried
in the air for a short time. They are next exposed to artificial
heat, which renders them flaccid and pliable, and prepares them
for the third operation of rolling, which twists the yielding
leaf as seen in manufactured tea, rolls it up into balls, and
squeezes out a considerable portion of its watery juices. It is a
singular fact that in the Chinese methods, they endeavor to get
rid of the exuding juices, while in the Indian treatment,
according to Mr. crole, the manufacturing expert, effort is made
to preserve the sappy juice, and it is continually taken up again
by the balls of leaves. The balls are now broken apart, and the
scattered leaves are submitted to the final drying process by
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