Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-07-11
NO. 1877.
A CUP OF COFFEE.

There are about one hundred millions OF
people on the face of the globe who would
regard the loss of their daily cup of coffee
as one OF the greatest privations they
could endure, although it is only for the
last two hundred years that coffee has been
generally known to the civilized world.
Coffee is popularity supposed to have
been first used by the Arahians, but care
ful research leads us to the knowledge
that the Ethiopians and Abyssinians knew
OF its strengthening and invigorating quail.
tiles for many years before the natives Of
Arabia used it, 1t is said that the savages
OF higher Ethiopia pounded the parched
bean, as they would grain, making a
coarse flower from it, which they mixed
with grease, and separated into little balls.
Two or three of these balls would support
man whole day, and were therefore,
as they took up little room, in high favor
with the warriors while out on marauder-
ing expedition.
Arabia, however, had the honor of first
introducing it to the civilized world. It
was introduced then by the Persians, who
had procured it from the Ethiopians. The
city of Alden was the first place where it
became popular as beverage. From
there it spread rapidly all over Arabia and
Turkey. and led to the establishment of
the coffee houses which are to be found
in almost every part of the world.
The coffee plant is an evergreen, and if
allowed would grow to height of sixteen
or seventeen feet, but in extensive planta-
tions it is topped and stunted to about five,
so that the berries can be picked with
greater convenience. The stem of the
tree or shrub is from ten to fifteen inches
in circumference, and the bark whitish
and somewhat rough, while the leaf is
long and graceful, covered with silvery
furze on the underside and resembling in
general appearance that of the citron tree.
When full grown it looks like small APP
pie tree. When the tree begins to grow
old the lower branches bend and extend
themselves in round form somewhat
like an umbrella. As on the nutmeg tree
blossoms and green and ripe fruit may be
seen on each shrub at any season of the
year.
When the blossom falls off there springs
from under il a small fruit, first green but
becoming red as it ripens. This is very
like cherry and quite pleasant to eat.
The pit of this cherry is the coffee of COM
merce. We are wrong though in calling
it pit, it is rather bean inclosed in a
thin skin which holds the two halves to-
gether. When the bean is perfectly ripe,
the cherry or tleshy outside, which was be-
fore good to eat dries and forms deep
brown pod for the berry, which is then
ready to pick.
The coffee berry when ripe is, in the
West Indies, Java, Ceylon and South
America. prepared tor market by ma
chine process called pulping and wash
ing, which greatly expedites matters, and
turns out quality of coffee much pre-
terred by dealers. as it makes clearer
and brighter bean. 1t is fact not gen.
orally known to consumers, however, that
the old fashioned process OF curing, SIS it
is done in Persia and Arabia, is much SUI
perior. and the same quantity of coffee
that is cured in the pulp by the action of
the sun will produce much stronger de-
coction than that which has been pulped
and washed. for the mucilaginous sub
stance which is washed off by the pulping
process is absorbed by the bean when
cured the other way. This gives strength
to the product, and enhances its aromatic
flavor.
Another fact not generally known about
coffee here is that the leaves contain the
same essential principle as the berry, and
that a beverage made from them is equal
if not superior to the infusion Of the berry
itself. During a visit to Sumatra. some
years since, we had hunting expedition
into the interior of the island. While
stopping at village we observed ma.
tive making an infusion of some dried
leaves, and curious to see what beverage
he was concocting we tasted it. and found
to our surprise that it was most excellent
coffee. For small piece of tobacco we
bought several pounds of the dried leaves.
and used them entirely during the remain
der of the expedition, as we found they
made much superior coffee TO the beans
we had brought with US, besides being
much less trouble to prepare.
The consumption of coffee in the United
States is nearly double that of any country
in the world, and the increasing consump-
ton throughout the world threatens to
make the demand more than the present
sources of production can supply. For
some years past Mexico has exported
small quantity of a very superior article,
and through our wonderful State of Cali
fornia wild coffee shrubs are plentiful,
and pronounced by experts to be capable
of producing under cultivation very su-
Il