human senses any hint of the agreeable or valuable qualities for
which tea is esteemed, and which have been developed by the art
of man. A leaf of any one of the mints, or of the sassafras tree,
or of the wintergreen vine, after being bruised in the hand and
applied to the nose or the mouth, makes instant impression upon
the senses of taste and small, and at once informs us of its
distinctive qualities. Not so with the tea leaf; a hundred
valueless plants impress those senses more vividly than the leaf
which is worth them all. Infuse the green leaf of the Tea plant
and the prized properties of "Tea" are still wanting, but in
their stead, positively deleterious qualities are said to appear
in the infusion. Commercial Tea must be regarded as an artificial
production. A certain degree of artificial heat, of manipulation,
and induced chemical changes, are the agents which develop the
flavor and aroma of the tea leaf. And the nature of man's
treatment and manipulation determines in large measure not only
the desired flavor, but the distinguishing character of the tea,
its rank as a green, a black, or an "English Breakfast Tea,"
all three of which may be evolved by skilful manipulation from
the same tea bush, at the same time.

Much has been said and written in contention upon this latter
assertion, and books may be quoted upon either side of the
question, but we make the statement without qualification and
upon unquestionable authority.

As Chinese teas became known to the inhabitants of other parts of
Asia, and to Europeans, curiosity and commercial interests
impelled other races to seek information concerning the origin
and treatment of different Chinese teas. The prices obtained by