Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1867-01-24
MlisfelIaneuns Artifles.
From the American Artisan.
THE PREPARATION OF COFFEE.

THE PREPARATION OF COFFEE.
In the weekly papers a great deal has been said
and written of late on the preparation of an almost
indispensable beyerage-cofee but the remarks
have been confined to the treatment OF the ground
coffee beans-that is to say the preparation OF the
extract while the greater attention should be paid
to the preparation Of the beans for this process.
For all methods of preparing this beverage the
beans should at first be assorted by hand, IN order
to remove foreign substances as chips OF wood
feathers black and spoiled beans, all of which, i
roasted with the coffee in even en- small quantities.
materially injure the favor Of the beverage.
Very dark colored beans are generally colored ar
tifcially and ought to be washed in small quantl
ty of water and dried in cloth before roasting This
latter operation is of the most vital importance to
the quality of the beverage. 1t ought to be carried
only to such point that the cofeebeans lose theil
horny appearance, and may be ground easily on g
sharpened coffee mill Coffee contains chyrstaline
body called caein or THEM, because it is also an es
sental part of tea, which is volatile and becomes
disspated if the roasting is done too rapidly at toe
great rate of heat or in the roasting ought to pos
sess light brown color. :,
In dark brown coffee no more cGte,n Is contained
and if the roasting is continued until the beans are
black, the beverage made from them does not de;
serve any more the name OF coffee. Ihe roasted
beans lose their aroma by keeping through the In
fuence of theair, which permeates them consequent
oxydizes the volatile aromatic oil. This deeterou:
change must be obviated by throwing small quan
tity of powdered sugar into the roasting drum, al
ter the beans have become thoroughly roasted ano
Immediately before emptying the drum. Half az
ounce of sugar for every pound Of coffee is sufh
Gent quantity. The sugar melts and forms coa
or caramelaround the beans impenetrable to thealr
The beans then look bright, like vanished; los*
their odor entirely, which, Of course reappears up
on grinding. Where this is not done, it Is bette
to roast but small quantity of coffee Immediately
before using it. After roasting, the beans ought tt
be spread out in thin layer, so as to cool rapidly
rapidly by absorption of air, and sweat or even lg
mite. The roasted beans must be kept in dry
place, as the caramel coating easily absorbs mols
ture. By roasting to chestnut brown color the
beans lose fifteen to sixteen per cent Of their weight
while the extract prepared from the same amounts
to twenty or twenty-one per cent of the weight o.
the raw beans In roasting to dark brown, OF
black color theoss in weight increases considerably
While the weight diminishes, the volume of the
beans increases greatly by roasting
On an average one hundred volumes OF raw beans
give from one hundred to one hundred and sixty
volumes of roasted beans After roasting, the
beans are ready for the preparation Of the extract
by maceration, infusion of boiling. One ounce o.
the ground coffee gives about five cups Of beverage
of moderate strength. 1t ought to be brown anc
not black, and should be turbid. This property i
chiefly caused by fat contained in the coffee, which
is partly destroyed by roasting but may be removed
by isiinglass The coffee oug ght to have the aavo
Of the beam in order to have the beneficial effect
promoting digestion generally ascribed to it. Fb
excessive roasting or boiling this be destroyed th
beverage will be no better than that prepared from
the various coffee substitutes. 90.