The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-22 00:00:00

ADULTERATION OF COFFEE.

In continuieg to expose the adulterations practised
by Landon tradesmen, the Lancet during the past
few weeks has given the result of some renewed in-
vestigations regarding coffee and chicory. Out of 42
fresh trials of coffee adulteration was detected in 31
samples, and very often under peculiarly disreputable
circumstance. In some cases, for example, houses
professing to sell pure coffee or coffee and chicory
mixed, according to the wish of their customers, are
discovered, nevertheless, to vend an adulterated article
on all occasions. Qne house, which parades its desire
to enable its friends to obtain genuine coffee by fur-
nishing them with mills at cost price, so that they
may grind it for themselves, nevertheless does not
hesitate to palm off the spurious mixture whenever
reliance is placed upon its own honour. Another,
which reminds the public that "quality is the test of
cheapness," sells a compound of which chicory is the
principal ingredient ; and the same is the case with
a house which is noticed as attracting customers
by expressly cautioning them against that "in-
iquitous " system. In fact, the most specious
puffs uniformly accompany the worst specimens,
and the words " warranted genuine" are used
to dispose of the vilest trash. The price at
which these preparations are sold is from is. to Is.
4d. per lb., and their real value being about 6d. to
Bd., the extent to which the poor are defrauded may
easily be estimated. At the same time it appears that
under the encouragement of the Chancellor of the
Exchequer the resort to chicory is increasing, while
the revelations of the Lancet have succeeded in check-
ing the use of roasted corn, beans, and other cheaper
though not more objectionable substances, which
cannot be defended by the plea of Government pa-
tronage. The most daring delinquencies, however,
occur when the article is sold in canisters, packages,
or bottles--a circumstance which was to have been
expected, since, although the canister, &c., cost 2d.
or 3d., there is no difference in the price charged.
One adulterator upon a large scale calla parti-
cular attention to his signature, " without which
none is genuine," and another, who adopts a similar
plan, adds, "to counterfeit which is felony."
Some stuff described as the " celebrated Exhibition
coffee, consisting of a combination of the finest
coffees of all nations," contained scarcely anything
besides chicory, except a vegetable substance resem-
bling mangold-wurtzel. The taste and odour of an
analogous compound, called the " True Parisian
Coffee," were also very disagreeable. Out of 29
specimens purchased in this form the whole, with
only a single exception, were adulterated with chi-
corv, so as frequently to consist of little else, while
in five cases roasted wheat and substances resembling
mangold-wurtzeliand acorn were likewise detected.
In some degree, however, justice is now likely to be
done, since the Lancet boldly publishes the name and
address of every one of the parties, and although the
majority belong to poor districts, where it is not
likely a medical journal will extensively circulate,
yet there are many well-known west-end and city
shopkeepers included in the list. At the same time
mention is made of the firms whose coffee has been
found genuine. These are—Mr. Betts, Oxford-
street (second trial) ; Knight and Sons, Grace-
church-street (second trial) ; Ridgway and Co., King
William.street ; Henry Sharpe, Bishopsgate-street ;
E. Deane, Shoreditch ; k'ortnum and Mason, Picca-
dilly ; Branscombe and Co., Pall-mall ; Dann, John-
ston and Co., New Bond-street; G. Payne and Sons,
Regent-street ; Staniforth, Oxford-street ; and W.
Holland, Oxford-street.
While coffee is adulterated principally with chi-
cory, chicory is understood to be in turn adulterated
with carrot, mangold-wurtzel, dog-biscuit, red-earth,
horse chestnut, acorns, tan, mahogany sawriust,baked
horse's and bullock's liver, and burnt blood. Out of
23 samples tried by the Lancet, eleven were found to
contain spurious ingredients—such as roasted carrot,
wheat, and acorns, mahogany sawdust, mangold-
wurtzel, and Venetian red. With respect also to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer's defence of this
" wholesome and nutritious root," the public are
again reminded that apart from its inherent worth-
lessness, it is regarded as an aperient and diuretic,
and a question is raised whether the great increase
which is known to have taken place of late years in
renal disorders may not probably be traced to its use.
A belief is also expressed that from its narcotic cha-
racter it produces injurious effects on the nervous
system, and it is said that Professor Beer, of Vienna,
the celebrated German oculist, is so convinced of this
fact tint he has enumerated chicory-coffee as among
the causes of amaurotic blindness.—Times.