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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2663, 2 August 1887, Page 2

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(From the Christen urch Press, Juno 27, "mi.) Few of (lie general public are awareof the many processes involving most deli' cate manipulation which ia necessary in order to produce tho proper effect of Mending tea, Messrs Nebm, Moato and Co., who carry on perhaps tho largest business in the colony in tins line, having retail branches in all the principal cities, have been, up till lately, hampered by insufficient room-to conduct their operations: Recently, however, they have acquired the premises formerly occupied, by Mescr3 \\. Montgomery and Co., at the corner of Tuam arid Colombo streets. These have been fitted up as a blending store, and also to carry on ■ the wholesale uarfcof the business, A momber ol our ttalf recently paid a visit to-the building at the invitation :of Mr H. Nelson, and no doubt what-came in'.er his n'otico will be interesting as affording some idea of the' processes' through which the lea ■ passes before breaches the Tho first room vwilod was thai in which the sampling, or, aa it. is.technically called "li.qu6ri.uf>,'.' of the different-classes of teas k carried out. At lirsfc sight it looked as if a tea meeting oiv- : a. large a:ale was projected, Hanged, along r o»j.'a kind of counter at the sidej.of. ilip wall under the front windows: ■\.\reVe a number of cups and saucers;: interspersed hero and there witliismall teapots. 'Eight or nine differehfi.clasßes of leas, Mr Nelson explained, at one time, first singly, cach.' : in,.biie. oi the cups, and- then as the experienced palate of the taster decides- upurKwJiich will probably blend together,' those: are placed.in tho trapis, and .the infusion if the whole totted. It may' -ha noted.thar in forming the. various blends of'-toaa issued by the firm no 'less than.' for'ty-six- ■ different varieties of teas are used. .;;The lei grown in Fiji, to which reference, has already been made, was pointed out -by Mr Nelson. There are three varieties, two bom; small leaved, sorts, interspoised -with''a highly-colored leaf, and. the other a large, black.,leaf, He also produced a large leaf- tea, grown in■ . Northern China, which is in great request at home, hut not much used in- (he colonies, from the .apparatus which is displayed by Mr Nelson' ,ns in use when the operation of blcndiiv.' is being carried en, one cannot but form the opinion that it is entitled to rank as an art. A minuto glass with sand is used to t'liio the infusion to' a second as to when to pour it out, ;md as to the boiling of tho water. The quantities too are weighed with tho scrupulousness of a chemist compounding a mixture, and for this purpose an exquisitely balanced pair of scales are used. All this caro will be understood as being highly necessary' when it is taken into account 'hat. one leaf too much or 100 littlo of,. avcMain kind in a blend will malic.., tin entire difference of flavor, Mr Nelson quotes an instance where -a little over a pound ot tea too much was sufficient to spoil an' entire blending of 4 cwt. In the far corner a copper kettle, heated bv gas, supplies the requisite boiling water for the testing purposes. Altogether the sampling room is the best of the kind in the Colony, being fitted with every convenience for carrying on the work, Passing from this portion of the building the next visited was the packing room The spicyaroma of tea greets one as tho door opened, and gave a view of a busy lot of men and lads all at work packing the various brands if tea into paper bags, tins, and boxes, all bearing the familiar' trade mark of the padoga, which has been' adopted by the lirm. A lift to' the upper floor is in this room, and also a door into tho yard from which tho carts are loaded. Whilst in this portion of tho building, it may be noted that all I ho packing and'mixing of the teas is done here. The branches throughout the Colony are supplied from tho head warehouse in Christchurch, which ensures a similarity of quality in all cases,. Access to the " first floor is gained ' by a • wide ■ staircase which 13 used both as a free store and for the machinery used in mixing thVvarious ■teas. The first machine calling for notice is a steel cutting machine, something like a chaffouttor on an extended scale, having steel knives sot at an angle, This is used for cutting the leaf to the regular size. Close by is the mixer, which sometimes resembles the cutter in shape, but instead of the knives set at angles it has fantJinpcd projections, ensuring a completo mixing of tho teas; with this a ton of tea per hour can be turned out at a.puah. There is a smaller one close by, through which threo quartersof a ton maybe passed in at the same time. The tea, after being mixed, is turned into bins, each holding and labelled with the distinctive names of the various blonds. In these bins tho tea is allowed to stand until, as Mr Nelson says, it ripens and the various descriptions of .tea become thoroughly, blended into one harmonious flavor.. Tho upper floor of all in the warehouse is used as a bonded store. Here the stock, ■ at this season being low, is stored, about 13S tons of tea, A locker's office is provided, and thero is ample space for storage. The amount of busiuess done by tho firm may ho understood when it is stated they, pay oneseventh of the whole duty on tea in New Zealand The fittings of, their shops in Christchurch and Auckland and Wellington, &e., are exceedingly costly and quite unique in the matter of decorations as to vases, &o. We have often

, huaul of the care which various flora |hare to take, of-their voicps. and the self- ■ denial in tho way of. fond, .Ac..; which they have to exorcise. This was forcibly brought to one's mind when Mr Nelson spoke of tho forty six different flavors of tea lie lias to discriminate and duly apportion in the course of his work. Altogether' the arrangments of the firm in their new premises are exceedingly complete, and in these dull times it is refieshihg to find that increasing business--Wa-iTnats-so-ferge fi» improvement. .:" ." -"".