Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-03-17
The Bogus COTE Bean.

Is O.OOO,OOO DoScSi -
per annum. Experts estimate that
fully twenty per cent of the COTE
sold to customers is bogus, which
raises the consumption to 2l6'V9O'
900 lbs. Taking thirty cents per
pound as the average retail price,
the people of America pay 65'ooo-
600 every year for this one article
Of food. of which 100000 is paid
for roasted and ground beans, peas
rye, or a manufactured article In
no way resembling the Brazilian
berry. To this must be added the
production and sale of what are
called "coffe substitutes" SO ex-
tensive is this business that it is
quite safe to say that consumers
nav $4,000, COO for what they be-
lev to be cheap coffee. This rails
es the total expenditure to S77,00c,
900. anlit represents a sale OF 276
000,O00 pounds, for the substitute
coffee usually sells at twenty cents
per pound. It will thus be seen
that 9G,O00,CO0 pounds Of bogus
coffee are sold in the United States
every year, and some estimates
place it at 10000 pounds. TAX
ing the lowest figures, 100000
are received for substances which
can profitably placed on the market
at six cents a pound. The manu-
facturers, therefore receive $6,OO0,-
600 for their goods, while retailers
gain a profit of slS,O0o.OOOe There
are two kinds Of bogus coffee. an
imitation bean and the ground ar
ticle. The bean is the most diff
cult to produce, and it is only re-
Gently that actual success in TINS
direction has been attained. The
bogus bean must not only Look like
the genuine berry when raw, but 1T
should be capable Of taking a prop
er color when roasted. The
American beans are supposed to be
composed Of rye flour, glucose, and
water, they are made to resemble,
! in size and color, moderately good
sample Of roasted coffee beans, and
by the introduction of few genu-
inc beans, are made to pass as the
aroma of coffee. The ground arti-
c'e is very easily produced in the
proper color, and an aroma is infus-
ed by using strong decoctlons OF
coffee essence.
When mixed with real coffee
even the expert eye and tongue
may be deceived, while to the ordi-
nary consumer it seems to be the
genuine product. Bogus coffee
beans have only slight resem-
blance to the natural berry, for
though they possess proper form
the ccatrice on the inner face Is
too smoot /. Then again the gray
color Of the raw bean is not quite
up to the mark, but when these
manufactured beans are roasted
with five per cent Of genuine coffee
they find a ready sale. These bo-
gus beans can be made at q cost o.
$4,000 per / 600 pounds, and when
mixed with fifty pounds of pure
coffee the whole 1850 pounds cost
$3.50, or 81 cents per pound, sc
that profit of nearly 100 per cent
is the resule. Though mauufac u
rers may be beyond the penalties OF
the adulteration law, they should
be suppressed, for without them
coffee adulteration by retailers
would be impossible. When it is
remem bered the American people
are compelled to pay S25,OOO,0W
for ingredients that can be manu-
featured for one fifth the sum re-
ceived by coffee growers, the neceSl-
ty for the suppression Of this ne
farious trade is apparent. Oleomar-
garine cannot lie sold as butter
neither should coffee substitutes
be made to masquerade under the
name of Java, Mocha, or Rio.
The production Of artificial coffee
has also received some attention IN
Germany, where an imperial decree
has been issued forbidding the
manufacture and sale of the machi-
mes for producing the artificial
,,,L;ob oort,;n Garooon newS