The Portland daily press., 1880-11-05
Boston Herald.

l9f, f,Zlo,0UU POUNDS OF COHee were imported
from Brazil alone, and, reck oning this quant-
ty at little more than one half the total i'm
portation of the year we find that there must
have been imported into this country for that
year at least 350,0OO,00O pounds of coffee. This
product could not have been 7alued at less
than $40, 100000. Then, when we come to
consider that the consumption of coffee has
greatly increased in this country since 1872,
we begin to realize the importance of the COM
mercial value of one of our principal table
drinks.
In the year 1879 there were imported into
the United States over 100000 bags of Bra
zil coffee alone per month, or total of over
100000 bags for the year. The bag of Brazil
coffee weighs 132 pounds; accordingly we i'm.
ported last year 3l6, 100000 pounds of that kind
of coffee. But the consumption of Brazil cof-
fee has SO greatly increased in this country
since our civil war that it would be reasona-
Bile now to estimate that product taking the
place of about one half of our importations of
coffee Hence in the year 1879 we must have
imported no less than 422,000000 pounds of
coffee into the United States Each indiyidp-
al, as he stirs his Mocha, java or Rio to-day
may consider that he is helping to swell a
trade which, in the whole United States must
amount to at least
$100000000 PER ANNUM.
A great many people who drink their coffee,
or rather the decoction obtained from the cof-
fee of commerce, do not stop to consider that
it is the seed of berry, which, in the country
where 1t thrives, is very sweet and palatable
when ripe. Two of the coffee kernels or seeds
which we see so often grow against each other
flatwise 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 chaff is removed by winnowing. But
in Arabia where no rain falls in the ripening
season, The fruit dries up on the trees, when
the coffee falls out 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 in
fluence upon the flavor of the coffee, as does
the soil and 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 paler yellow color The
coffee OF the West Indies and Brazil is tinged
with a faint blush or greenish tint Experts
have no difficulty in distinguishing these cof-
fees by their color as well as by their flavor
There is 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 flavor, but the educated
drinker cannot be imposed upon. The real
Mocha he recognizes i'll moment A good
quality OF Rio is frequently put upon the IN ar
ket for Java, and when it is roasted it is ard
to discover the fraud.
Sometimes one of the two berries in the
fruit proves abortive, and the other grows al
commerce as the "male berry, It is more
commonly found in the Java coffee; it is
claimed to possess a superior flavor and extra
strength, but whether such is really the case
or not remains for those to decide who have
tested both the double and single seeds from
the same plantations, grown and cured in the
same manner. Naturally it would not be ex-
pected that these double or overgrown seeds
should possess more strength than the ordina-
ry ones any more than that the overgrown or
double ears OF corn or vegetables grown to-
gether should possess any better qualities than
the true plants. The male berry coffee brings
from three to four cents more per pound in
the market, however.
A picul of coffee weighs 1873 pounds, and two
Java grass mats make a picul.
THE JAVA COFFEE
is generally transported from the plantations
and imported in these half-pcul mats or pack
ages. BY the package is one method of distin-
gushing the pure Java. The Mocha is put up
in Arabia in smaller jute packages, made of
finer twisted threads and very strong. There
are three sizes, one-eighth, one-quarter and
one-half picul packages. But the empty bags
,1x- hoxyo t<>h h.,r nl
| be filled with the smallsized seeds to deceive
even the shrewd dealers.
At the present time all kinds off coffee are
little off price and liable to go still lower 1t
is asserted upon good authority that there are
| 1000, 600 bags of Rio coffee alone now in New
| York and vast quantities on the way and still
to come. The coffee trade of Boston is good
and increasing, but the product is also rapidly
increasing. In fact the raising of coffee is
the chief agricultural interest of Brazil to-day
The recent heavy failures of coffee firms in
New York, wherein some $500, 900 is involved,
are cited by some of the newspapers as causes
which will tend to raise the price of coffee;
but this is mistake. The opinions of the
best dealers go to show that these failures
will rather have depressing effect. There is
just as much coffee upon the market since the
failures and, indeed, it is more in the trade;
for one of tho causes of the failure is believed
to have been the hold ng OF large quantities of
coffee above the market.
state that she imports but very little coffee
preferring rather to receive her coffee through
New York importing houses. But if only a
little coffee is imported by the way of Boston,
still considerable is ground here and goes into
the market put up in packages. OF this coffee
and its purity we have nothing to say, except
that one of the principal men in the coffee
grinding business was once approached by
gentleman interested in the culture of beet
sugar with the inquiry as to whether beet pulp
could not be used in coffee as we'll as so much
chiccory. The beet raiser and coffee grinder
entered into consultation, but whether they
ever came to negotiation is not known.
OF ANOTHER QUALITY OF COFFEE
it is pleasure to speak. Strangers in Boston
often notice, when in certain sections of the
city, very pleasing aroma of coffee pervading
the atmosphere. To an early arriver by rail
or steamer this aroma brings pleasant sense
of breakfast-about ready. This pleasant sense
of the possibility of a shining coffee urn and a
beautiful presiding genius in handsome morn
ing wrapper comes from the coffee roasting es-
tablishments of which Boston has now II in
operation. A visit to each one of these will
give an idea of the quantity of coffee going in
to consumption, and also of how coffee is
roasted by machinery. Many people have seen
coffee roasting done at the domestic hearth in
the good old-fashioned way, but the most of
us have no conception of u coffee roaster capa
BILE of roasting nearly a ton and q half of cof-
fee in 45 minutes But such is the
fact, and a visit to single estab-
lishment in the city will convince the unbe-
lieving. Imagine long, iron cylinder, Two
feet in diameter, revolving by steam power,
in an iron oven, under which hot fire is kept
burning, and you have a coffee rooster In
the more extensive establishments strong
cold air blast cools the coffee in 10 or IL min
utes after the door of the cylinder is opened,
and the coffee is thrown out into great iron
pans holding 100 pounds A double worm or.
screw throws the coffee out of the cylinder
when the door sopened and also keeps the
coffee moving from one end of the cylinder to
the other. An elevator fills the cylinder again;
and thus the roasting goes on, requiring about
45 minutes to the batch, a batch weighing 100
pounds. Some of the cylinders are made Of or
covered with soapstone to make the heat more
even, and to better retain the aroma of the
coffee, and also lined with silver to prevent
any injury from contact with an iron surface
THE BUSINESS OF ROASTING COFFEE
is peculiar one and exposes the workmen to
great deal of heat. 1t also gives them all the
smell of coffee they want and is said to destroy
the desire for coffee as a drink
In order to give the readers of the Herald
an idea of the quantity of coffee passing into