58
[Class II.
SUBSTITUTES FOB TEA—COFFEE, COCOA-SEEDS, AND NIBS.
Lastly, there are specimens of die plant itself, leaf,flower, and hud; models and drawings to illustrate theprocesses employed in its manufacture, packing, andshipment; samples of the materials used for scenting;tea-pots, cups, &c.
Another collection of merit is that of W. P. Hammondand Co.* (2, pp. 418, 419), which has also been awarded aPrize Medal. This contains, in 40 boxes, the variousteas more or less abundantly imported into England: andis further illustrated by good paintings of the processesemployed in the culture, husbanding, and manufacture.
2. Java Tuis. —Exhibited by the Singapore Com-mittee of the Honourable East IndiaCompa.vy. Theseteas are good of their kind, but not equal in flavourto the Chinese , or even to the Kemaon. In respect offlavour, they resemble the Assam , but are inferior instrength.
3. Kemaon Tax. — Exhibited by the HonourableEast India Company (p. 872', are not very fully repre-sented. In flavour these rank next to the Chinese teas;and as a class, have rather the Ankoy flavour: being betteradapted for green tea than black. The manufacture ismuch improved of late. Three samples are exhibited ;imperial hyson, young hyson, and souchong; for the twolatter of which a Prize Medal has been awarded.
4. Assam Teas.— Eight boxes are exhibited by theHonourable East India Company (p. 872); all full ofwell-made strong teas, superior in this respect to the Chi-nese , but much inferior in flavour, roasting, and scent.In point of manipulation they equal the Chinese . Formixing with the Chinese article they fiud a ready sale inthe English market; and are in every respect superior tothe ordinary tea, than which they command a muchhigher price. The quantities exhibited in these boxesare too small, and have consequently lost much of theirflavour during the voyage and subsequent exposure.
The grey flowery pekoe is the best sample exhibited ;in appearance and flower it cannot be surpassed by anyChina tea, but is rather wiry in the leaf, from the budshaving been gathered too young ; whence, perhaps, alsoits deficiency of flavour. It is of a much higher classthan that of Kemaon and Java, and would command ahigh price in the English market. A Prize Medal isawarded to it.
5. JSrick 'Tea of Tibet. —A sample of this curious pro-duct is exhibited by the Honourable East India Com-pany (p. 872'. It is formed of the refuse tea-leaves andsweepings of the granaries, damped, and pressed into amould, generally with a little bullock's blood. The finersorts are friable masses, and arc packed in paper; thecoarser, as this, sewn up in sheep-skin. In this form,it is an article of commerce throughout Central andNorthern Asia, and the Himalayan provinces; and isconsumed by Mongols, Tartars, and Tibetans , churnedwith milk, salt, butter, and boiling-water, more as asoup than as tea proper. Certain quantities are forcedupon the acceptance of the western tributaries of theChinese empire, in payment for the support of troops,&c.; and is hence, from its convenient size and form,brought into circulation as a coin, over an area greaterthan that of Europe .
6. Assam Tea. —Sent by the Assam Company, and ex-hibited in the British Department (143, p. 193*). Thiscollection is contained in twelve chests : it is admirable,and in perfect order. As the indigenous plant has beenmanufactured in Assam , and the China plant has alsobeen introduced and cultivated for the purpose, the ex-hibitors have judiciously sent samples of the differentkinds of tea from each; thus enabling the Jury to esta-blish the superiority of the introduced Chinese plant overthe indigenous (or native Assam '), for the manufacture.There is a decided advantage in point of flavour pos-sessed by the Chinese leaf, though the manipulation ap-pears perfectly equal in both.
A Prize Medal has been awarded to the Assam C 031 -pany for this valuable collection of admirably-preparedteas.
* These exhibitors’ names appear in list of Class IX'.,by winch Jury they were also awarded a Prize Medal.
Of these the Exhibition contains hardly any examples.One specimen of mate or “ Paraguay tea ” {Ilex Tara-<juayensis ) is exhibited as a curiosity. This beverage isin universal use throughout Brazil, Uraguay , Paraguay,the Plate district, Chili, and Peru .
Dr. Gardner’s prepared coffee-leaves(142, p. 193*) areworthy of notice, as affording a really palatable drink wheninfused as tea is ; more so perhaps than coffee is to theuninitiated. That this preparation contains a considerableamount of the nutritious principles of coffee is evidentfrom the analysis; but as the leaves can only be col-lected in a good state, at the expense of the coffec-bush,it is doubtful whether the coffee produced by the ber-ries be not, after all, the cheapest, as it certainly is thebest.
C. III. —Coffee, Cocoa-seeds, N’ibs , &c.
Under this head the Jury have considered chocolatesprepared for use, when plain, or if only sugared, forordinary use; and have excluded such as are made intopates, as more properly belonging to the ConfectioneryDepartment.
Many good samples of coffee are exhibited from variousparts of the world, and amongst them some of excellentdescription from British colonies, which have never be-fore been known to produce this article. On the otherhand, there is a deficiency of specimens from the mostimportant producing countries, as Jamaica, Dominica ,Berbice , St. Domingo, Costa Bica, the Brazils, Manilla,and Java.
Of cocoa the same may be said : the best producingcountries export the choice of their produce for the mar-kets of Mexico, Spain, France, and Italy ; the high dif-ferential duty obliging our manufacturers to be con-tented with the inferior products of Trinidad, Granada ,St. Lucia , &c. In chocolates (manufactured cocoa),France alone is well represented : England cannot herecompete, for the reason just stated (under coeoa\ andvarious adulterations are hence prevalent, the chief ofwhich are potato-flour and sago.
1. Great Britain.—1L Snowden’s patent purifiedcoffee-nibs (28, p. 202) are the produce of an improve-ment in the method of preparing coffee for the table.The berry is split, and the husk <ghat formerly adheredto the whole berry), which is usually removed from allbut the slit, is here extracted from that also : after whichoperation the berry is better adapted for roasting. Thecoffee thus prepared is of the finest quality. The illustra-tion of the process is complete, and ample specimens areexhibited. A Prize Medal lias been awarded to Mr.Snowden for his new method of separating the toughmembrane from the folds of the seed.
J. S. Fry and Sons’ case of raw and prepared cocoaand chocolate (31, p. 202) has been awarded a PrizeMedal. This series is extensive, and of fine specimens ;illustrating fully, by drawings and samples, the prepara-tion of cocoa and chocolate of various kinds ; also theplant in its natural state, with its history and manufac-ture, mode of packing and transport. The cocoa seedsand nibs are exhibited from St. Lucia, Caraccas, Trinidad ,New Grenada, Guayaquil, Bahia, Peru , &c.
The chocolate of L. A. Montetro (34, p. 203) liasbeen awarded a Prize Medal for its excellent quality. Itis, perhaps, a little over-roasted, if it has a fault.
Honourable Mention has been made of W. A. Bf.n-ham .'.38, p. 203) for good chocolate. G. B. "White (32,p. 203) for the same.
Other chocolates of fair quality are exhibited by theParis Chocolate Company ^30, p. 202), but the speci-mens are too sweet. Benjamin Grets’ cocoa (36, p. 203)is fine, but appears rather to be Magdalena than Carac-cas, as it professes to be. J. T. Bcdds’ extract of cocoa(37, p. 203) is apparently damaged by exposure. W. B.Lane’s essence of coffee (35, p. 203! is worthy of notice,and lias been pronounced equal, if not superior to anysimilar preparation, though still not so good as coffeeprepared by the usual process.
2. East Indies. —The recently extended cultivationof coffee throughout our eastern possessions renders this