Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-26
THE USE OF COFFEE.
HOW THE BERRY DISPUTES THE
SUPREMACY OF TEA AND BEER.

| COHeo IN european countries /. The
Arabs Method of Preparation-Turkish
CoEee-What Brillat Savarin says-Ef
fects of Excessive Indulgence.
The use of coffee is general in al civil.
fzed countries, but its preparation and
consumption vary considerably. Among
the Arabs it is universal, whether in such
centers of civilization as Cairo, Alexan-
dria and Algiers, or in the desert. The
only exceptions are caused by the poverty
which, prevents its purchase. In France
it is the favorite beverage, though tea is
growing in power. The social and COM
mercial effects in that country of its sud-
den humiliation can readily be imagined.
Tens of thousands Of cafes and a million
of people would find their occupation
gone, and several millions Of Frenchmen
would be seen wandering about after din
ner in an utterly homeless and distracted
manner. In England tea still disputes
the supremacy of the Arab berry. In
Germany it divides the honors with beer,
and in Austria, Spain and Italy it is q
solace and inspiration of the people in
town and city. There is no European city
so small, no village so contemplate, that
|
| often an exceedingly weak imitation, on
those of the Paris boulevards.
| In the United States it's use varies In
| different localities. A quarter of a CEN
fury ago it was the ordinary accompani-
ment Of the first meal of the day, tea
being generally served at the evening re-
past. In the eastern states this practice
continues. In the western and southern
taf 10 Nd in he
rural districts is considered absolutely
necessary to the three meals day of the
farming classes. In large American cities
where there is a late dinner, in the French
fashion, coffee is either served at table or
in the drawing room Immediately after
ward.
In all countries, even in France, good
coffee is the exception rather than the
rule. The visitor in Paris drinks ''real
French Coffee" technically SO called, at
certain places only on the boulevard and
here and there in other parts of the city
at hotels and restaurants In England
poor coffee is the rule, following in this
respect the general inferiority of the
British cuisine In Germany coffee is
generally good at restaurants and railroad
buffets, while at the principal cafes of the
and Buda- Pesth-it is excellent and often
served with cream AT the great cafes of
Italian and Spanish towns it is rarely
more than fair.
In England and America coffee is usually
made by infusion; on the continent al
most always by fltering boiling water
once or twice through the powdered
berry. The Arabs at Cairo and elsewhere
preserve their old fashion; that is, they
simply pour boiling water on to the pow
dered coffee, and after minute or two's
simmering serve it with the grounds.
The pot, which is not covered, is of cop
per or brass, tapering toward the top like
tin teapot and. having long handle.
The berry has been previously roasted
and brayed in mortar. 1t is never
ground. Brillat Savarin, in his learned
work, "The Physiology of Taste" says
that coffee powdered in this manner is the
best, and he adds that, having quantity
Of the roasted berry, he divided it into
two equal parts. one of which he brayed
In mortar and the other ground in a
mill. The coffee was made by filtration,
and a company of connoisseurs to whom
he submitted it all declared that best,
which they were afterward told had been
powdered in the mortar.
The Arabs employ wooden pestles,
which, after long use, are sold at a high
price. Five or six minutes are all that
are necessary for the Arabs or Turks to
prepare their coffee after it is once roasted.
All that is necessary is the simple ma
chinery described-a brass pot, a handful
of charcoal in window seat or on the
ground, and the beverage is promptly
made and served. Travellers invariably
speak Of Arab and Turkish coffee as ex-
cellent, but among civilized nations the
presence of the grounds is always consid-
cred Objectionable, and some means Of
Qualification are invariably used, such rs
the patent pots for infiltration or the
white of eggs, where the process is by in
fusion.
Brillat Savarin, after having tried all
methods of making coffee, declared that
the most efficient for preserving the aroma
and avoiding the extraction of the poison.
Gus principle was by filtration. But hs
always speaks of coffee as beverage, to
be used discreetly by adults and forbid
den to children. In small quantities and
not too strong, it is q healthy stimulus to
the nerves. Used in excess, it produces
disease and sometimes deformity. He
once saw in Leicester square in London a
man who, by its immoderate use, had be-
come cripple. He had lost all sensation
In his limbs-had ceased to suffer, but
still continued to drink it to the extent Of
five or six cups q day.
Every person should be governed in its
use by its effect on himself. AS gentle
inspiration it is valuable. 1t may some
times be safely drank as an aid to intel
lectual labor. Taken at the proper
moment, it will prevent headache re-
sulting from nervous depression. Properly
used after dinner, it aids the digestion and
the heavy effects of wine or
other stimulants. But If it is found that |
it prevents sleep when taken late in the |
day, or that it is an absolute necessity at |
certain hours to prevent nervous reac- |
ton or mental dullness, its use should DO |
for several days, or until the |
system is restored to its normal condition. |
1t must never be forgotten that sleep is |
the great stimulus of the body; is tired /
natures sweet restorer, and that other |
though sometimes useful, are /
like medicines, temporary remedies-that !
is to say, they are usually to be regarded |
as choice between two evils. Coffee is q |
beverage of great power. A man might /
drink two bottles of good red wine day, /
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