Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-11-25
Misfellaneous.
The Coffee we Drink.
Boston Herald.

THE DIFFERENT KINDS AND QUALITIES Dr.
sCRIBEp.
Boston Herald
MANY Of the readers Of the Herald ~ll
sit down TO their cup Of fragrant Mocha or
Java coffee this morning without stopping
To think Of the importance and magnitude
Of the trade that their "cup or two" is help
ing on. Each family buys pound or iwo
now and then. and gives the matter no
further thought, unless, perhaps. to blame
the grocer If the favor of the new is not
equal 10 the last consumed and vet these
single pounds Of coffee aggregate in a year
a very large and important trade To give
some idea Of the quantity Of coffee now be-
ing used or passing through the trade here
in Boston is the object Of this article. So
far as the United States are concerned, the
quantity OF coffee consumed is simply euor-
nous The country Of Brazil. which pro-
duces more than one-half the coffee Of the
world, finds It's principal market in the
United States. We are nation Of coffee
drinkers and the habit is growing upon Us.
In the year 1872 1874 .2ls 900 pounds OF
coffee we're imported from Brazil alone, and
reckoning this quantity at a little more than
one-half the total importation of the year
we find that there must have been imported
into this country for that year at least $780,
0o0.O0 pounds of coffee. This produc,
could not have been valued at less than
Si2 100000. Then. when We come TO con-
slider that the consumption of coffee has
greatly increased in this country since 1872
We begin TO realize the importance of the
commercial value of one of our principal
table drinks.
In the year 1879 there were imported into
the United States over 2OO,O 900 bags of Bra
zil coffee alone per month. or a total of over
2,i00. 900 bags for the year. The bag OF
Brazil coffee weighs 1872 pounds accordingly
We imported last year 3l6. 500 900 pounds
that kind Of coffee. But the consumption
of Brazil coffee has so greatly increased in
this country since our civil war that il would
be reasonable now to estimate that product
ing the place of about one half of our
importations of coffee Hence in the year
1879 we must have imported no less than
422 ,0oO, 900 pounds of coffee into the Uni'ed
States. Each individual, as he stirs his
Mocha, Java or Rio to-day may consider
that he is helping to swell trade which, in
the whole United States, must amount TO al
least
800 ZOO, 900 PER ASSUM.
A great many people who drink their cof-
fee, or rather the decoction obtained from
the coffee of commerce, do not stop to con-
slider that it is the seed of berry, which,
in the country where it thrives. is very sweet
and palatable when ripe. Two of the coffee
kernels or seeds which we see SO often grow
against each other fa;wse inside the pulp
Of the berry. In the West Indies and South
America the berries are gathered by hand,
and dried in the sun, after which the stone
is removed by pounding the dried up fruit
or passing it between rollers and the chat is
removed BY ~innowing. But in Arabia
where no rain falls in the ripening season,
the fruit dries up on the trees. when the
coffee fallsSat easily, and is then gathered
by shaking upon cloths spread beneath the
trees. In the East Indies and Java. the
fruit is gathered and dried more slowly in
the shade. Each of these methods has, Of
course, its influence upon the favor of the
coffee, as does the soil rnd climate where it
is grown.
Mocha coffee, which is the best, comes
from the province Of Zemen, in Arabia.
The seeds Of the Mocha are small, and of a
dull yellow color. The Java, which comes
from the island bearing its name, and also
from Sumatra and Borneo, is the next best
in quality. The seeds are larger and of q
psler yellow color. The coffee Of the West
Indies and Brazil is tinged with faint blush
or greenish tint Experts have no difficulty
in distinguishing these coffees by their color
ss well Is by their favor. There is a good
deal of deception made use Of by importers
Of coffee. The Mocha found in the market
is often only the smaller seeds Of the Rio
growth near the tops of the trees. and more
often better quality of Java A little care
in gathering and curing changes the color
and improves the favor, but the educated