Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1867-05-18
From Godey's Lady's Book, for May.I
Good Coffee, and the True Method
OF fRreDariup IL

GOOD Coffee, and the True Method
OF preparing il.
| ,Nothing Is more common than COM
plants of poor coffee" and there is Ger.
tainy nothing in the louschold economy.
either so little understood or SO grossly
neglected, as the preparation of this article
OF luxury, which has now become an actual
necessary OF life, This has long been felt.
ana hence the numerous efforts to correct
the evil by means of new.faneled Coffee
| pots, as if the evil was in the pot, and not
in the preparation of the coffee. The not.
which Is of minor consequence, seemed to
engross all their attention, while the roaster.
the really important agent in making good
coffee, was entirely ignored or overlooked.
J Charred or burned coffee, like any other
charred or burned vegetable substance, will
never make good coffee no matter how it is
! prepared, or what kind of pot is used Ex-
| cept as matter of convenience, the style or
kind of pot is matter of little consequence.
[ One thing, however. should always he ob-
served the vessel should be so constructed
that 1t can be kept perfectly clean, and free
from all the lees or grounds of the coffee
! previously used. This rapidly becomes STALE
and imparts most disagieeable flavor to
the fresh coffee o fact which should, of it.
self, convince the most skeptcal that coffee
should be roasted only in quantities neces-
sary for present use.
! The great secret of making good coffee ia
almost entirely in the roasting, and when
| we speak of roasting, we do not mean the
| process OF baking it by slow heat in an
oven, or when 1t is partly burned or charred
by improper roasting from one or the 9TH
! er OF which causes poor coffee must always
| IOilow as necessary consequence.
! To make good coffee it should be freshly
roasted, freshly ground, and quickly made.
! The useful and agreeable properties of cof-
I fee are easily extracted and impaired to the
| first waters of the infusion, and therefore,
coffee requires but little or no boiling
Those, therefore, who desire to have coffee
in its perfection, should have it roasted,
! ground, and put into the pot, before it is
entirely cooled, if possible Or, when it
canEot be roasted Immediately before break
fast, to do so at least the night previous.
But why cannot five minutes be devoted to
the preparation OF this article, when twice
as much time is often consumed on articles
much less Important Let any one COM
pare stale with freshly roasted coffee, and
his olfactories will soon detect the differ
ence. This is no secret in French restau-
rants, celebrated for good coffee. To roast
coffee rapidly with strong heat, as it should
be, is no easy task, as it is liable 20 be
charred or partially burned. This has been
the great difficulty, even with the best rotary
roasters, and the principal objection to fire.
quent roasting.
This difficulty, however, has been re-
! moved by recent invention, al ingenious,
but cheap and simple mechanical contIi-
vance, called NaSSer's Fire Minute C9boe
R0aster, manufactured by Messrs. Hadden,
Jenkins d Maginnis, of this city, at their
establishment in North Second Street The
chamber, or receptacle for the coffee, is
shallow cylinder, the upper half made Of
sheet iron, the lower half and bottom of fine
wire cloth, which is surrounded by conf.
cal fange to concentrate and deHect the
heat of the stove-plate. In its outward
shape it resembles saucepan, and is quite
as convenient. By active stirring, coffee
can be uniformly roasted at any stage of
heat without danger of burning or charring
1t, even when the stove-plate is red hot, if
the stirrer is actively kept in motion. In
inch roaster cup of green coffee enough
| for family of dozen persons) can be
roasted by strong heat, in .Itrs minutes.
Half that quantity has actually been well
! roasted in three minutes. In the same
| roaster double the quantity can be equally
well roasted in about tea minutes but as
the object is to roast it as it is wanted, no.
thing is gained by roasting more than is
needed for the occasion. The process is
plain and simple, and the construction of
the roaster is such that the least experienced
person can readily determine the proper
moment when it should be removed from
the fire. The fine wire cloth transmits, but
retains no heat, therefore the coffee cannot
be burned Dy coming in contact with any
heated metallic substance, and when re-
moved can be aired by simply stirring until
cool enough for grinding.
| Coffee should be roasted with a uniform
heat, sufficiently strong 10 swell the bean.
! If roasted slowly, with an insufficient
amount of heat, it will be merely baked or
dried out, and scarcely increase any in bulk.
| If roasted rapidly it will develop its aroma,
appear oily, and increase in bulk fifty per
cent or half If not roasted sufficiently,
it will be tough, and possess raw and dis
agreeable flavor of greenness. If roasted
! too much it loses not only its strength and
! flavor, but also in weight. the point at
which the aroma is best and most freely de-
/ veloped is when the color is dark cinnamon
or chocolate brown; and 20 determine
that point, without difficulty, as well as to
avoid burning the coffee which at this
stage is almost as combustible as tinder, has
always been a difficulty in all ordinary
roasters. -
The aroma of coffee, when roasted, passes
off more rapidly than the fragrance of the
| most delicate flower. 1t should, therefore,
be roasted only in quantities sufficient for
each meal, Immediately before it is wanted.
1t is not only much more agreeable, when
thus freshly prepared, but more economical
and wholesome.
Roasted coffee is q powerful disinfecting
agent, and is sometimes used, when ground,
| for the purpose of deodorizinG or purifying
| foul places. When freshly roasted and
ground, it rapidly absorbs moisture, and in
creases in weight. This simple fact alone
should be sufficient to prevent the use of
stale roasted coffee. Unfortunately. those
that can least afford it, are the greatest suf.
ferers. They purchase their coffee, general.
\ ly, ready roasted, and often ready ground,
and of course are losers, not only in quality,
out in strength and substance, to say no
| thing of the fact that it is less wholesome,
and certainly less palatabie. ..a. e
A PLANT, which has all the qualities Of