Although it _now_ seems somewhat generally agreed that both green and black teas are made from the leaves of the same plant, yet the various writers on the subject are at considerable variance as to the mode in which the difference of appearance is brought about. Some assert that the _black_ being the natural colored tea, the beautiful green tinge is given to the _green_ tea by means of substances used for the purpose of dyeing it; while others hold that the green hue depends entirely on the method of roasting. Among the formers Mr. Fortune, whose account of the “Chinese Method of Coloring Green Tea,” as observed by him, is published in a former number of the INSTRUCTOR (NO. 240, page 91). From that account, it would appear that the coloring substances used are gypsum, indigo, and Prussian blue, and “for every hundred pounds of green tea which are consumed in England or America, the consumer really eats more than half a pound” of these substances. We hope now to present our tea-drinking readers with a more pleasing picture than this; to show that indeed there is not “death in the cup,” nor aught else to be feared. We therefore proceed to explain the modes of manufacture, as detailed by Mr. Ball. And, firstly, the _manufacture_ of _black_ tea. The leaves, on being gathered, are exposed to the air, until they wither and “become soft and flaccid.” In this state they soon begin to emit a slight degree of fragrance, when they are sifted, and then tossed about with the hands in large trays. They are then collected into a heap, and covered with a cloth, being now “watched with the utmost care, until they become spotted and tinged with red, when they also increase in fragrance, and must be instantly roasted, or the tea would be injured.” In the first roasting, the fire, which is prepared with dry wood, is kept exceedingly brisk; but “any heat may suffice which produces the crackling of the leaves described by Kæmpfer.” The roasting is continued till the leaves give out a fragrant smell, and become quite flaccid, when they are in a fit state to be rolled. The roasting and rolling are often a third, and sometimes even a fourth time repeated, and, indeed, the process of rolling is continued until the juices can no longer be freely expressed. The leaves are then finally dried in sieves placed in drying-tubs, over a charcoal fire in a common chafing-dish. The heat dissipates much of the moisture, and the leaves begin to assume their black appearance. Smoke is prevented, and the heat moderated, by the ash of charcoal or burnt “paddy-husk” being thrown on the fire. “The leaves are then twisted, and again undergo the process of drying, twisting, and turning as before; which is repeated once or twice more, until they become quite black, well-twisted, and perfectly dry and crisp.”