=New Beverages=—An effervescent wine may be produced from tea by forcing carbonic acid gas into the plain liquor as ordinarily prepared, and another beverage is produced by the introduction of an effervescing wine to the liquor only. While a pleasing drink is also prepared by treating the ordinary infusion with a little yeast and sugar, a tea-wine being produced from it differing in color and flavor according to the proportions in which the constituents are combined. Still another being evolved from this by the addition of a little alcohol to the compound. A drink called Rohrer or “tea spirit” is again produced by adding either whisky or brandy to the plain infusion when fresh made. =Paraguayan Tea=—Is prepared in a filter or perforated bowl, known as a Maté, heated with warm water. A thin layer of sugar is first put in and a layer of leaves laid on top, another layer of sugar being added, the leaves being sandwiched between. The vessel is next filled with boiling water, which is allowed to percolate through the leaves and sugar. Before serving it is again sweetened with sugar until it becomes almost syrupy in substance, and frequently flavored with cinnamon, orange or lemon juice. Goat’s milk is often used instead of water, when thus prepared the infusion becomes ambrosial, approaching to that of “Chocolate Italienne” or nectar in flavor, becoming still more palatable when cold, but if allowed to stand too long exposed to the influence of the atmosphere it gets muddy and sours quickly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER VIII. CHEMICAL, MEDICAL AND DIETICAL PROPERTIES. -------------- Tea in chemistry is a complex mixture of a variety of substances, including _Theine_, _Tannin_, _Dextrine_, _Glucose_, _Gum_ and an essential oil known as _Volatile_, which, together with a portion of the ash, pass into the solution when tea is infused. Being a leaf it also contains some woody fibre, the quantity of which as determined by Mulder, ranges from 17.1 in Green to 28.3 per cent. in Black teas. According to Peligot, whose admirable investigation of tea ranks as a chemical classic, it also contains a large quantity of legumen, a nitrogenous substance, sometimes termed vegetable _Caseine_, the percentage of which, as given by Peligot, is about 15 per cent. in tea in its usual commercial state. The woody fibre, legumen, some tannin _coloring-matter_ and a certain quantity of the ash make up mainly the portion of the leaf which is not soluble in boiling water. In its commercial state tea is not subject to much irregularity in a hygrometric condition, there being only about 8 per cent. of moisture in it, which may fall to 6 or rise to 10 per cent. from outside causes.