The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-02-09

| bWllWoH AtNA
"The best cup of coffee that ever
drank" said leading coffee broker in
this city to u Nelps reporter, was made
from coffee raised in New Moxico,"
"Was it fne2"
"As fine MS silk"
These remarks followed a conyeraa-
tion concerning the merits OF Mocha
and Java cotIees, 1t appears that there
is very little Mocha coffee now i'm.
ported, The crop is very small, and
cuts no figure whatever in the market,
Neither does Java, for that matter, as
the trade here and in New York is
chiefly occupied with the Rio and
Santos crop, which come from Brazil.
Mocha coffee is small, nearly flat
berry, closely approaching circle
when II is laid upon a fiat surface, tits
bright in color. But there are cotiees
now coming from tho northern part OF
South America and from Central Amer
ica which closely resemble Mocha, and
IL is hard to tell the difference between
them, On account of this similarity of
characteristics it has been doubted by
some persons whether there Is now any
coffee imported from Arabia But
coffee does come from there, though it
may beNdulterated with some American
collee which has boon taken out to the
Orient for that purpose because Of its
near likeness to tho real Mocha. There
is hardly any way in which such adult
teration, ii practiced, could be detected,
for the coffee from the east is packed in
tho manner peculiar to that country,
and bears all tho outward appearances
OF being genuine.
The Mocha crop Ia now worry small,
because Of the natural exhaustion Of the
soil. Coffee exacts great deal from
the earth, and after about 20 years new
trees have to be set out on new soil.
This is the plan pursued in other coun-
tries but in Arabia they are not SO pro.
gressiye, or the amount OF ground at the
disposal OF the cotiee-growers is limited,
aud the crop Is shrinking. Thus there
may be causes for temptation to adul-
terate.
The Islands OF Ceylon, which used to
be q great producer OF coffee, now raises
but little, as most OF the coffee lands
are exhausted, The planters there are
cultivating tea with great success.
Java coffee is grown not only on the
island OF Java, but on the island OF
sumatra as well. The latter is essen
italy tho same coffee US that from the
island OF Java, but to the trade it is
known as Padang crop. Old Govern
ment Java is raised on the plantations
OF the Dutch government. 1t comes in
large bags, whilethe coffee from Sumatra
is mostly packed in mats Most oil the
Java comes marked "private growth" "
to indicate that it was not raised on the
government estates.
Though Java is mild-tasting, agree
able coffee, the berry will make more
cups OF coffee to the pound than any
other variety. A strong coffee is not
necessarily rank coffee; II need not
have the peculiar flavor OF q Rio coffee
to be strong. Neither must it be sun
posed that all cofTees having rank
taste are strong; some oil the cotfees
having the strongest ilavor--pungent,
1t might DO called-are not strong any
more than tobacco OF rank flavor is
strong.
Very little Rio coffee is sold in Eu.
rope on account OF tho peculiar taste.
Three.fourtha OF the Rio crop comes to
America. But the port of Santos, 200
or 800 miles south Of Rio, exports about
three.fourths OF iti coffee to European
ports, Hayre is the great coffee port OF
Europe. Tho Santos coffee is very DIFF
ferent from the Rio article. It's flavor
is moro like the eastern coflees TO which
Europeans are accustomed. 1t Is also
winning favor in America, and the ship
lnents OF Santos coffee to American
ports are steadily increasing.
LaguRyra coffee. which used to be inn
ported into the United States in con-
siderable cargoes, does not come here
much now, because OF the duty OF three
cents pound upon it. 1t comes from
Venezuela, and we have no reciprocity
agreement with that country. This
makes Its cost disproportionateiy higher
than that OF Rio and Santos coiees.
Maracaibo is also little seen, for the
same reason.
Statistics OF the trade show thnt the
Central American states are coming to
the front as producers OF fine grades OF
coffee. The climate in these countries
is said to be very favorable to the rails
ing Of the higher qualities, and the eX-
perience OF planters who have tried cot
feo are already prominent factors in
making up the worlds supply. Mexico
is raising considerable coffee, but is not
extending her plantations US tho grow
ers in Central America are doing.
Tho total production Of co1eo in the
world for the lust two years has been
100000 bags, and the total consump-
ton during this period was from Ill
100000 to Il, 800, 900 bags.
"The reason why many people fail TO
mako good coilec," said the broker al
luded to at the beeinningo this article
"is because they do not put enough cot
foo in the pot. 10 supply each member
OF family OF sovon or eight persons
with cup OF good coffee there ought To
DO at least coifec.cup full Of ground
coffee put into the coffco-pot, and II
should not he drowned with water, i
you not enough coffee into tile pot yor
arc likely to have good coffee, no mattel
what sort OF coflec you use"
III tho last edition Of Chambers Ency'
clopedia the following appears concern
ing the preparation OF cotlOo;
"Iho question whether coffee shoulC
DO boiled NJ ali or simply Infused like
tea by pouring boiling water upon
II, has been much discussed. The
writer has observed that In countries
whore pure coffee Is used, boiling II
practically in favor This suggested
some experiments which have shown