Compressed Tea Dust - Specimen details
| Catalogue Number: 66355 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Image | Plant Name | 28.01 THEACEAE Camellia sp | Entry Book Number | 8.1890 | |
| Artefact Name | Compressed Tea Dust | Vernacular Name | |||
| Iso Country | China | TDWG Region | China | ||
| Parts Held | Compressed Tea Dust | Geography Description | Hankow | ||
| Uses | Compressed Tea DustUse: FOOD User: Man | TDWG use | FOOD | ||
| Storage | Bottles, boxes etc | Related Items | |||
| Donor | Moncrieff Col | Donor No | |||
| Donor Date | Donor Notes | ||||
| Collector | Collector No | ||||
| Collection Notes | Collection Date | ||||
| Exhibition | Expedition | ||||
| Number Components | Publication | ||||
| Notes: | Label source: Exported from Hankow to Russian Siberia Letter 'Tablet Tea' from Col Moncrieff, extract from a letter from Col Moncrieff to Sir Joseph Hooker dated 15 Vicarage Gate Kensington June 24.1890 - 'My Chinese correspondent Mr Gardner HM Consular, Hankow informs me market tablet tea is in use throughout Russian Siberia. It is manufactured at Hankow - the larger tablet from common tea dust and adheres after being strained in a pudding cloth for a moment by hand pressure ie the quanity of the dust r, equired is placed in the bag and after being strained is poured into the wood mould and is pressed to the required consistency by a means of a heavy mallet wielded by one of the labourers. The cost of the common tea dust is 3 and a half Chinese ounces of, silver - say 15 shillings per pearl = 133 lbs per ....?..... The cost of manufacture, export, duty, packing etc amounts to a further 15 shillings per pearl. The bulk when packed is only one sixth of the bulk of an equal weight of tea as ordinarily packed., The small tablet is made of the finest tea dust, the selection of which is made with great care - the original cost of this tea here is about 84 shillings per pearl. It is manufactured into tablets by steam machinery in a steel mould. The proper amount of, dust is panned into the mould dry without steaming and has pressure bought to bear upon it, 2 tons per tablet, considerable care is required in the manufacture and packing of this tea and the cost is comparatively great. | ||||