"TEA FAKING" REVIVED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 55, 27 November 1937, Page 14

"TEA FAKING" REVIVED

"lVe have Uever heard of a case of tea-fakihg in this country." This was the reply given by Mincing-lane dealers when their attention was drawn to a statement that this pfaetice was being xevived in India, *. It is a practice, the London Observer representative was informed, that is invariably xesaxrected in India when, as at present, the price of tea is on the upgrade. It consists of doctoring up ,the the leaves of certain wild plants to look like tea, or alternatively of obtaining used tea leaves from hotels or restaurants and drying them for sale as new tea. Vendors of this concoction obtain from friendly printers copies of tho Srrappor* nsed by the owners of famour

!> ■tea blends and uhcier tius guise Succeed in duping the unwary Iudian shop keepbr^ whose doubts are placated oy a substantial ' ' cut ' ' in the priee. Occasionally the authorities are able to step in and protect the consumer, but it is extremely - difficult to bring home the delinquency to the actual vendof, who isx eareful to hide his tracks. It is quite clear, however, that nothing of the kind happens in this country. All the tea sold here comos throilgh the recognised market channels and is tested and blended by experts Erom the English liousewife's point of View, therefore, it inay be said that the1 leaf from which she brews her tea e--ters the pot without a stain on its character.