The Placer herald., 1864-04-02
How to Make a Good Cup of Coffee.

HOW 10 Make Il GOOO CUP Oh COuee.
subscriber to the American Agricultur
ist, IF. g." gives the following directions:
The best coffee is usually Java, Mocha, OBJ
tained from the city of that name, is no
doubt best, but there is so little in market
that it need not be considered here. Mar
acaibo is good coffee with small bean,
and it will brown well and take on good
gloss-which not all coffee will do-and This
is an indspensabiliiy, A good article of
coffee will be clear, and free from all tan'.
coffee has slightly bitter smell of It's own.
Let the coiiee be as old as possible and it
is improved by age, though old coffee is
very apt to have taken on foreign odor
FIRST, remove all imperfect berries, gravel,
dirt, etc, and then put into dish as much
as can be successfully Drowned at one roast
ing. Unless you bave regular coifee-brown-
er, use a flat iron dish, one somewhat thick;
it should be thicker than sheet-iron, unless
the bottom is very even and sits evenly on
the oven floor. A dripping pan is not so
good as a spider or frying skillet. Set on
the stove until the moisture is evaporated.
A hot fire is required for this. Put it into
the oven, which must be somewhat hotter
than is necessary to bake bread, and keep
closed except when necessary to stir the
coffee, which should be done every minute,
always being careful to keep it well and
evenly spread on the bottom of the vessel.
With knife or spoon, stir around the edge
OF the dish in a circle two or three times,
and several times across. BE sure not to all
low the grains to burn on the bottom, where
the vessel touches the oven. The operation
of stirring should be done IS quickly as pos
s'be, for it is necessary to keep the heat as
uniform as possible. A more convenient
way would be to cover the skillet with pan
and then keep it shakng-ED A slight
smoke at first, gradually increasing, will
soon conclude the roasting. Just at this
point is the critical time. A little too much
heat, and you have coal, which gives coffee
bitter taste. Rather, for the first few roast
ings, have a little less heat so as to brown
the coffee in twenty, instead of fifteen or
twelve minutes as may be done. AS it is,
you will be apt to get into the coal now and
then. But generally this is slight, and effects
only few grains. Pick these out and also
the yellow berries, which are imperfect, and
have bad taste.
When the coffee is done, it has the color
of a chestnut, which is darker than the
Drowned coffee of commerce; this a so needs
the above sorting. Such coffee is seldom
Drowned enough, and is greatly improved
by browning over, giving it the chestnut
tinge which will increase its strength and
develop its flavor that is still latent Heat
will set free this hidden aroma from the cells
but it will escape and be lost, unless arrested,
This is done By at once removing the coffee
from the oven when it is done, and putting
it into tight vessel, corking it well. We
like bottle BEST as tie berry will show dis
tlnctly, and the process of improvement may
be noted; for coffee like wine, improves with
time, both before and after browning.
Coffee, when Drowned as it should be- will
have coating of oil. which will gather more
and more, and in spots This is the fragrant
oil that gives its fine aromatic, no. pungent
taste. Exposed to the air. all this escapes,
as is the case with the Drowned coffee of
of oily perspiraton, no fragrance, only a
harsh, grocery smell. We have kept coffee
thus bottled and corked for year or mora
and found it better than at any previous
time.
The coffee yet TO be made. Take out
what is wanted, and cork it tight again.
Grind as fine as possible. This is important.
An old, wellworn mill is best at least so we
find it. Mix as much OF the white Of fresh
egg as will just moisten the coffee, without
making it umpy, otherwise there will be
less strength obtained, as the egg when cook
ed will. prevent the water from reaching the
coffee. Next, fill with what hot water you
want; put in the coffee, and boil four or five
minutes. If ground very fine, a little less
time will do. Then set off, and in minute
or two pour out. Immediately add sweet
cream and pure white sugar. If you have
no cream use boiled milk.-ED And now
for point not generally understood: Let
the coffee stand five minutes, stirring it oc-
casionally: then drink. 1t takes five or
more minutes for the cream to unite with
the liquid; if drank at once, the cream is
readily tasted. lfpermtted to stand, it will
gradually deepen its color, until quite brown.
The cream has then disappeared, and you
have co6ee
PETRIFIED BODIES AN Australian cor.
respondent Of an English paper wrtes:-"ln
stony creek, fifteen miles from Castlemaine
were found the bodies of three aborginas,
quite WHOLE and not wanting in the smallest
details, but which were petrified into solid
marble. When | last saw them, thought
they were actually alive, until, on going