London,16
December 1948
Turkish Tea
Your sample
has been examined and tasted here by my colleagues and myself with
great
interest.
At first glance,
the very pretty, tightly twisted leaf with its tip suggested Darjeeling
F.O.P. On closer examination it was found to contain a good deal of
fanning
and dust. If this could be eliminated by more careful sorting the value
would be considerably enhanced.
The liquor
is of good quality, bright, clean, and natural, but thin and rather
metallic,
the infused wet leaf has bright attractive colour denoting quality.
From Formosa
we are getting F.O.P. with similar leaf, rather full dofter cup at
2/5d
2/7d C.I.F. North Continental Ports
Everything
points to good Jat having been used and to fairly high altitude. Was it
grown from Darjeeling seed?
Efforts should
be made to get stronger, cup and rather harder leaf, either by
improving
the soil or by methods of manufacture which you will be able to
indicate,
but our general feeling is that the factory has only been started, the
product reflects great credit on all concerned and shows great promise.
Robert O.Mennell
(R.O.Mennell
and C.Ltd.)
London, 1950
Dear Dr.
Mann,
I am
sorry to have been so long sending a report on the teas from Rize,
Turkey, but I thought it well to send out
to get an independent opinion from a tea man of the very first rank. I
enclose
his report on the individual grades. He adds more general observations
as
under:
“Frankly
I am surprised at their excellence from an appearance point of view. I
only
wish that many of our producers in India and Ceylon would turn out similar tea. The
liquors are inclined to be dull and plain and have what I would
describe as a
terai or mongrel Darjeeling character, but they are quite sweet and
pleasant. Swimming up, I would say that from the point of view of Ceylon, India and Java, it is just as well that Turkey is not in a position to export large
quantities of similar teas.”
With
these general remarks I am in full agreement, but in detail I find
myself
differing somewhat:
F.O.P.
July manufacture has the blacker leaf and rather more character than
the August
tea which has finer quality and its smoother in the cup. I like the
reddish
bloom on the leaf , both resemble plain Ceylon teas.
F.O.P.B.O.P.
1-July manufactured again has more pungent character than the August
tea which
latter has full smooth cup and what a blaze of tip much more than in
July.
O.F.B.O.P
1-July little tip but definitely pungent strength in
the cup. August again has more tip, also brighter in fusion, it gives
full rich pointy liquor and creams better. This is the finest at the
whole set.
In general, I should say that the sorting leaves nothing to be desired
ans should like most heartily to congrulate Asim Bey and all others
concerned on producing remarkbly good results.
Yours sincerely,
Robert O.Mennell
(R.O.Mennell
and C.Ltd.)
To be
contiuned....