Tea Advisor
Aspects of Tea Production
From the earliest days of the East India Company's administration it had been mooted that tea might be cultivated in India. In 1778, Sir Joseph Banks the famous botanist who had accompanied Captain Cook, had suggested that black teas might be grown with success in parts of north India, and had even considered the possibility of recruiting Chinese growers and manufacturers. Banks had received some of the samples sent by Lord Macartney's 1793 expedition. Nevertheless, although the tea plant flourished in the Botanical Gardens at Calcutta, the Company made little effort to encourage commercial production. Some felt that this was because, secure with the China monopoly, there was no incentive for the Company to proceed. There were also doubts as to whether good tea could be grown outside China, and whether the necessary expertise could be found to manufacture a quality product. With the loss of the Company's China monopoly these doubts were examined more closely, and in 1834 a Tea Committee was established to look into the possibilities of importing plants and seed from China, to select areas of India suitable for their cultivation, and to conduct trials. This Tea Committee acted quickly. They immediately sent one of their members, C. J. Gordon, to China, to collect plants, seeds, and recruit experts in cultivation and manufacture. They also issued an official circular asking for suggestions as to where tea might be best grown in India.
Gordon managed to purchase three batches of tea seed. However, much of the seed was dispatched in Gordon's absence, and turned out to be very inferior. Gordon also found it difficult to recruit suitable Chinese. Skilled tea workers were too well paid to want to emigrate. In addition it was illegal for the Chinese to pass on their skills, and Chinese workers were apprehensive lest officials should harass the families they left behind. The Dutch, who were also trying to develop tea in their eastern territories, had only managed to recruit about twelve skilled men, and all had been murdered. While Gordon was endeavouring to overcome these difficulties, a discovery was made in India that transformed the entire solution.
Tea | By Roy Moxham
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