The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-04-15
COFFEE.

"4 on promised to say something
about Coffee" says one of our lady read
ers, "and 1 write at the repeated request
of my husband to remind you of your
promise" All, yes we did say some
thing of that sort in the early days of
this column, but such flood of letters,
asking questions of various kinds, and
suggesting topics, raking the whole
field of domestic economy together,
with the pressure of fireside cares, made
us forget, not coffee, for that we have
every morning, but the promise. We
thank the lady for reminding us, and
also for the words of appreciation with
which she concludes her letter. We
propose, in this brief space, not to go
into the abstract or chemical niceties OF
coffee-making, but simply to furnish di-
rections by which an excellent cup of
this aromatic infusion may be set by
every plate at the breakfast table, and
by which the riley, bitter, puckering
concoction often passing under the name
of coffee, may be banished from the
eating-room. We have tried coffee pots
of various patterns, the Heckla, the Old
Dominion, the Eureka, and others, but
have settled down, after all, on the old
fashioned big tin coffee-pot, with the
white of an egg to clear the beverage.
Every part of the process of coffee
a perfect cup is expected. The selection
with, is of inferior quality only failure
can be anticipated. The kinds most in
use are Java and Rio, or South .Ameri-
can coffee. The former is large, yellow
and entire, when of good quality; the
latter smaller in size, and of a greenish
tint. If coffee is drank for its tonic eff
fects, and in a chilly, malarious country,
Rio is best; if for its aroma and exhil-
Grating qualities, Java should be select
ed. But appearances are deceitful, as
we know by experience. Not long
since we purchased a sack of"Old Gov
eminent Java" beautiful to look upon,
clean, golden, plump berries they were,
and tried repeatedly, but in vain, to
make good coffee. The parching and
sleeping were conducted with the ut
most care, but a strong, bitter, sourish
drink was all we could make of it. The
truth was that the coffee had lain in the
hold of some vessel, and been stepped
in the brine of old ocean, till the last
sent it back, and procured a good arti-
Gle, and have had no complaints of the
morning meal since. The parching
should be conducted slowly at first, to
expel the moisture when the berries
are light brown let the fire be increas-
ed, and the coffee remain over it until
the oil in the berry is drawn by the heat
to its surface, and the whole looks shin
ing and of uniform color. Then remove
it at once to a close vessel, and grind
only as much at time as is required to
be used. Allow for each cup a heaping
tablespoonful; put it into the coffee-pot,
with the whole OF part of the white of
an egg add enough water to moisten
the whole, stir all we'll together, and set
on the stove till it is nearly at a seald-
ing heat, then pour on the boiling wa
ter, and let it boil two or three minutes.
Remove from the fire and serve imme-
diately. Two or three particulars must
be carefully attended to. The old coffee
and grounds must not stand in the cof-
fee-pot, but as soon as breakfast is over
let them be thrown out, the pot washed
clean, scalded and dried. In winter let
the milk be boiled, and if teaspoonful
even of cream can be put in each cup,
the infusion will be so per cent better
than with milk only. If any is left
over let it be poured off from the grounds
into a close earthen vessel, and when
reheated it will be nearly as good as
when fresh made. 1t is not claimed that
better coffee than this cannot be made
with Heckla's French drippers and 9TH
er expensive patents; but we do say
that by following the directions given
above every family may have a clear,
palatable and excellent drink with COM
paratively very little trouble.-N. Y.
| Tribune.