Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-10-26
LOOKS LIKE +
But ID Proves to be Only a Wicked Imita-
ton.
FINN tg N,tr York UUl

tlDhs
From Bs NsW York .HdR.
That is not coffee" said the reporter.
Who said it was?' replied the jolly,
ro~sy-cheeked grocer. Are there any
marks on it to indicate that it is Coffee
NO, not particularly; but it certainly
foods like coffee and tastes entirely differ
cnt."
"Ah, YOU have hit the nail on the head
continued the grocer with a smile. 1T
would not do to let everyone know Il, As 1t
might shake peoples confidence in their
grocery store. That bag, 4 few beans
from which YOU have Just tasted contains
an imitation OF coffee. Ii is nothing more
than -four, poor flour ut that, which has
been shaped like 4 coffee bean and baked
brown. lfyou will take the genuine coffee
bean in your hand and put il alongside the
unit alton YOU can see that there Is Il diff
ference i'm the color. The shape is also
different, but this is nothing, Us the var
iOuS kinds OF coffee vary in size and shape.
The flavor, ~OfcOurSe, IL not there, but the
way the imitation is sold does not require
its presence. The grocer is not n foolish
man. He does not sell those flour beans
for coffee. This would give the business
away. But when trade is dull and the
grocer must have something to occupy his
mind, il is 4 pleasant recreation for Ill to
mix Il quantity Of the flour beans with the
genuine coffee. Then it cannOt be easily
detected. Only just enough Of the flavor
less bean is used to make Il little profit.
This is not quite Onc-halt. When the
honest housewife who buys whole coffee 50
rs to have it pure grinds up this mixture
and the OdOr steals out from the mill, her
ewes snap and she laughs ut the people who
are foolish enough to buy the coffee which
is ground ut the store, and can be easily
aduiturated. The taste of this compound Is
not unpleasant and it will not lnjure any
one. Even the baby AN take 1t with lm-
punitv. II the coffee were drank plain Its
weakness would be noticeable, but being
taken with milk and sugar, the fraud Is
not detected. Years ago all the coffee was
ground in the grocery, but adulteratiOn
was carried on so extensively that the
p~ractice was established of buying the
whole bean. THIS led some inventive
Yankee humanitarian, who believed hat
too much coffee lis bad for the nerves, to
bring out the flour bean.
Here is something else interesting.
See these beautiful samples of cloves and
peppers. Imported? Well, no, not exact
iy. They are homemade to suit the trade.
They look good but there is but little fla
yor to them. Some IN thought 1t was a
shame 10 waste the beautiful and nOurish-
ing c%ocoanut shell, and conceived the idea
of heating il, and then grinding 1t to a line
powder. This when a~rtiScall ymixed with
various oils makesa good spice for pies and
other good things. 1t is a growing indus
try and well ~patrOnizcd. Some OF this
powdered shell, after being favored anu
made into a stiff paste, is pressed through
moulds into the shape Ofpeppersand cloves.
These. when mixed with quantity OF the
genuine article, gives all the flavor that 1t
is safe for a person to take, and the grocer
does not lose anything, bat goes on paying
his pew rent and building rows OF houses
the same rs if there were IA little cream IN
the cheese, 4 small quantity otSugarl IN the
glucose, and 4 faint Of butter in the cleo
margarine"