The chief and only advantages that India and Ceylon teas possess over those of China and Japan are their great strength and thickness in the cup, which are due mainly to the modern methods of fermentation and firing by steam and machinery. China and Japan teas excel them in flavor and aroma, occupying in regard to them a position analogous to that of French wines, in comparison with those of other countries. The product of the latter may be stronger and heavier in body, but for richness of flavor and delicacy of aroma—essential qualities in both wine and tea—the French grape and China tea-leaf stand alone and unrivalled for their intrinsic merits, as well as for their being the only true teas, in all that constitutes tea. Broadly stated, the predominant features of India and Ceylon teas are _body_ and _strength_, those of China and Japan _flavor_ and _aroma_. There is also this difference between them, that while a given quantity of India and Ceylon teas will yield a larger amount of a darker-colored liquor and stronger in flavor than that of a similar quantity of China and Japan, they still lack the richness and delicacy of the latter, if not indeed the properties of a true tea altogether. Again, as to how much liquor an equal quantity of the former will yield in comparison with a similar weight of the latter, is another mooted question. As far as quantity, color and body are concerned, it must be admitted that India and Ceylon teas are once and a half greater. But in flavor and aroma, the essential qualities that constitute and are most appreciated in tea, China and Japan teas far excel them. Thus if one pound of China or Japan teas yields five gallons of extract of a certain weight, strength and color, one pound of India or Ceylon will produce seven and a half gallons of a similar beverage, but will be devoid of that fragrant flavor and rich aroma so characteristic of the China and Japan product. The value of tea, intrinsically and commercially, depending principally upon the character and flavor of the infusion, as well as the aroma imparted to it by the volatile oil.