The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1894-11-07
BOGUS COFFEE.
Made of Molasses, Rye Flour and
Other Ingredients.
How the Counterfeit Bean is
Manufactured for the Market.

The adulteration of food in these
days of keen competition and cheap
production has given rise to pecu-
liar industry, which, in spite of its
claim of legitimacy, is enshrouded
with nearly as much mystery ns the
work of the alchemist in the dark ages,
says the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The new industry is the manufac-
ture of coffee compound or artificia.
coffee.
The compound is manufactured
in the shape of coffee beans, made TO
initiate MS closely as possible the nat.
ural article. II is sold TO wholesale
dealers and is mixed with the common
er grades of coffee. The bogus coifeo
Is sold at about one-third the price of
the natural product, and this allows n
big margin of profit when the "com-
pound is mixed with the genuine ar-
ticle. Molasses, rye flour, chickory
and other ingredients enter into the
composition or the bogus coffee, and
it is claimed that it contains nothing
Injurious to health. The secret of the
preparation, however, is jealousy
guarded.
The manufacture of the bogus coffee
berry is commenced on the third floor
of the factory, otherwise known as the
mixing room. At one end of big
room n huge tub is located, where the
different ingredients are thoroughly
beaten up-the mixture looking very
much like children's mud-pie batter.
II is next placed in sort of grinding
machine, over which young girl pre-
sides. Her work is to see that the
preparation is thoroughly ground, and
TO look after tho long, brick-shaped
cakes as they come from the oven.
The putty-like substance is now
ready for tho next machine, which
merely rolls it out in thin sheets, sim
liar to pie-crust. A third contrivancc
cuts these sheets into long, narrow
strips about an inch in width.
Up to this point the composition
has not the slightest resemblance TO
coffee. II tastes very strongly of mo-
lasses, and is slightly bitter. The
next process is the stamping of the
long strips into beans. The machin-
cry that does this work is very intri-
cate. There are number of wheels,
about six inches in diameter, and en-
circled by brass band. At even in
tcrvals there are indentations Just the
size and shape of the convex side of
the coffee bean. The fiat grooved
side of the bean is formed by another
brass-banded wheel, stamped iu n sim.
liar fashion.
The long thin strips are run into
this machine and are divided by
knives into two or three strips, the ex-
act width of the bean. In running
through the wheels the beans are
stamped out with bewildering rapidity
falling into square sieves placed direct
ly beneath the machine.
The beans are carried to the floor
beneath, where the drying room is
located. A long double tier of clos
cts extends from one end of this
room to the other. Inside of these
closets are steam pipes. The sieves
containing the stamped coffee beans
are placed in the closets and the steam
is turned on. One hundred and thirty
degrees is the temperature required,
aud the bean is left for several hours
to thorougly dry.
The bean is, of course, still very
rough, and would easily be detected
as spurious were it not smoothed
down. For this process a dozen re-
volving sieves are required. The bean
is taken from the sieves, and is
smoothed and polished by friction.
In the bottom of each sieve there is
fuanel-shaped trap through which
the beans fall into a receptacle on the
floor below.
The compound now tastes like cof-
fee, and were it not for slight mo-
lasses flavor it would be almost impos.
sible TO distinguish it from natures
product. The final process is to roast
the bean in the same manner as the
genuine article. Any desired shade
can be obtained in roasting, thus imi-
tating the various brands of coffee.
The entire process of manufacture
l.