Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-12-22
GOOD COFFEE Is RARE
WHERE IT rs OBTAINED AND HOW
IT MAY BE CONCOcTEp.


the Price, Especially When Sold by
the Cup in Fashionable Restaurant,
Scientific Way to Sweeten II.
1--WE done more lying about domestic
after dinner coffee than any other subject
under heaven" said the man at the club
ms he carefully balanced his spoon on Tbs
edge of his demitasse, so that the half inch
cube Of white sugar should just touch the
surface of the coffee.
The man did not do this in preparation
for pouring brandy upon his sugar, for,
popular impression to the contrary not
understanding, men Mt clubs do not habitu-
ally burn brandy with after dinner coffee
His object in thus placing his sugar in re-
lation to his coffee was far more scientific,
being nothing more nor less than for the
purpose OF bringing the sugar in contact
with the highest and hottest portion OF the
coffee, which portion, having dissolved
some Of the sugar and thus increased its
own specific gravity, should sink to the
bottom Of the cup and make room for an
other portion of coffee, which in turn
should dissolve some OF the sugar and like
wise sink. Thus the man managed quickly
to dissolve bis sugar and to obtain a cup of
coffee equally sweet throughout.
What the man had to say wss pictur-
esque expression OF the fact that after din
ner coffee in most households is weak
and CHASTITY caricature Of what it should
be, and liquid to which the adjective
black cannot be applied in strict accord
with truth. The man might have gone on
to say number of other things about cot
fee as served in this town, whether in pri-
vate houses or at restaurants and like
places of public entertainment. The truth
is that, although more millions of bags of
coffee are imported into New York than
into any other city in the world, this is not
a coffee drinking town. New Workers long
ago banished the good old English word
and thing, coffee house." and in adopting
the French equivalent OF the word they
have utterly failed to get back any sort of
equivalent to the thing.
The very last drink that n man calls for
in a New York cafe of the native order is
coffee, and the man who should order cof-
fee in one of these misnayncd resorts would
probably repent of his tcmerity. There
arc genuine cafes in New York, but they
are confined chiefly to the central European
quarter Of the east side, where men VINO
are not rich inexplicably find time to sip
coffee and play chess il the middle OF the
afternoon.
Coffee has a curously wide range of
price in this town. You may buy it at one
cent cup from the coffee stands or at
twenty-five cents 4 cup at restaurants
where one must pay for gorgeous appoint
ments, obseQuious service, and even the
view from the windows.
It has been found, too. that tho quality
of coffee is not to he judged by its price
To be sure one oaunot get good coffee at
one cent cup, but, on the other hand. one
cannot be assured against bad coffee at
even twenty-five cents a cup, and there are
east side cafes where the coffee is perfect at
five cents cup. New York has become so
cosmopolitan that enc may dine in almost
any language and have onc's coffee served
according to the national custom of any
one of half q dozen countries.
On the whole, these best and cheapest
coffee IS served in the German and Wen
nese cafes OF the cast side. Between Sec
ond avenue and Avenue b, First street and
Tenth, there are at least q score OF cafes
where almost perfect coffee, with milk, is
served ut five cents cup. The coffee
black, strong and clear, is served in q coarse
china cup along with enough hot milk to
Gil the cup exactly to the brim. The COM
plexion of the compound is that of a dark
mulatto, and its flavor is sweet and fresh
In the best OF these cafes a cup of poor
coffee is never served, and the demand is
continuous from morning to midnight.
The true Viennese coffeepot is brazen
affair. so contrived that the water is forced
in vapor through finely powdered coffee
and condensed in porcelain vessel fitted
| as jacket about the metallic cone contain
ing the water. All the parts are SO ad-
cd tbot o-o fojfor--x1
perfect coffee must result.
4 few French restaurants serve cafe au
lait much as it is served in the cremaries Of
Paris. The waiter brings big bowl, a long
handled spoon, three Jumps of sugar and
two pitchers, one filed with black coffee
plentifully adulterated with chickory, the
other with an equal quantity of hot but not
| boiled milk. When the two are poured to
gether the BOWLS nearly filled with a gray
ish brown liquid, delicious to the taste and
mild enough for the most sensitive nerves
Cafe au lait, French bread and good but
ter make a most wholesome and nourish-
ing light breakfast.
Turkish coffee may be had in the so
called Arab quarter OF Washington street
When properly made it is extremely strong
and thicl; with grounds from long boiling
over a spirit lamp. The oriental custom
of Offering cup of coffee to shoppers in
the bazaars holds to some extent among
the Syrian merchants in Washington street,
and should stranger offer to pay for this
coffee his money would be firmly declined.
The coffee Of the east side cafes is good
and cheap because it is made with wise
economy from sound berries. It is stronger
and less adulterated than the cheap coffee
served at down town luncheons, because the
customers of the east side cafes are habit
ual coffee drinkers, who take coffee, not
necessarily as part of a midday meal, but
as stimulant at all hours OF the day.
Poor coffee may be served year in and
year out at the luncheon places without
driving away uncritical customers, but no
east side cafe making any profession of de-
cency could lower the quality Of its coffee
without riskiDg the loss OF custom.-New
Vort