The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-17
COFFEE IN MANY DISCUSSES
ADULTERATION AND MANIPULA-
TION TO WHICH 1T Is SUB
JECTED.

Substitution of Cheap for Costly
Grades and Treatment by Differ
ent Observation-Disclosures of Detec-
tiOn.
From the New York Tribune.
Now that the artificial coloring Of the
coffee bean has attracted the attention of
| the courts. II is interesting 10 note the
various forms Of manipulation AMI So
phistication habituaI with the cofIee-deal-
ers. From the time of picking and prepar-
ing for market until il finally reaches the
/ table OF the consumer, there is probably
no article of diet subjected to as many
forms of manipulation. substitution and
adulteratiOn as coffee. The producer mixes
one variety with another. the old and in
ferior with the new and choice; the COM
mission agent at the shipping ports mani
pulates 1t again by changing the grade. or
altering the quality by running one grade
with another in order to complete his con-
| signment. Again, on its arrival in the
consuming countries. IL is frequently emp
tied out of the original packages. sepa-
rated or run together as required. the bags
! turned inside out. and the marks altered
in order to conceal any stained OF dam
aged in transit. All the damaged coffee is
picked over, the musty beans milled.
cleaned, rematted or rebagged and even
tually sold as sound. but no process of
roasting or glazing can restore their orr
/ ginal value.
Light Rio coffees are converted into dark
by the application of a preparation of
"boneblack," changed to yellow or golden
/ by the use of chromate Of lead. and into a
| green by a combination Of both COM
pounds. This practice is resorted TO in
order to cater to the prejudices Of dealers
! and consumers in various parts OF the
country for dark. green and golden
| Rios, as the case may be. The cosmetic
| Is best detected by the simple process of
washing in a little warm water and rub
bing with dry towel thus exposing the
natural color Of the bean, or by cutting
the bean in half and seeing II the color
runs through.
Java coffees are generally either sub
stituted, mixed, sweated or colored arti-
| hcially. In the first case any large, whit
ish, yellowish or brownish variety, such
/ as Maracaibo, Savannilla and Santos is
used for the purpose, and can be detected
! only by familiar knowledge of the gem
uine bean. The paler, cOmmoner grades Of
| Java are generally colored- or sweated
for the purpose of Importing an aged APP
pearance or the so-much-desired brown
color. other spongy bean coffees. that
absorb easily and would readily retain the
cOloring matter, are frequently subjected
| to the same processes. The higher grades
| Of Java are often substituted one for the
| other by changing the mats, replacing a
Preanger with a Tinour. an Ankola with
| Padang, or Singapore. II the suspected
bean is cut open with a pocketknfe and is
not the same color to the core, 1t Is I'M
dOubtedly doctored. .. .
Another method of detection, when the
Java is suspected of being mixed with a
light bean coffee, is to put sample of the
| beans in vessel Of water. The solid bean
Java VIII sink to the bottom and the light
| substitute float on the surface. Javas are
Drowned by placing any light-colored va
| riety, such as Lahat, Macasser or Jamaica
in zinc or iron lined room OF case sur
/ rounded on all sides by pipes through
which steam passes. The intense heat
causes the small quantity OF volatile oil
this class Of coffee contains TO exude and
fmpart a dark, muddy to the beans.
This capitalization Is best detected by
the unnatural, repulsively reddish color
Of the bean, by their light weight and un-
! slightly appearance In the hand, as well
as by the almost sickening flavor produced
by the volatile oil and zinc, evidently high
ly prejudicial to the health OF the con-
sumner.
Probably there Is no single variety OF
coffee grown more generally coupterfeited
| or adulterated than Mocha In the raw, or
unroasted state, owing 70 its limited sup
| ply and high commercial value. At the
ports Of export it IS mixed with the small
| bean Wynaad, Malabar Ceylon. Bourbon
and other African varieties annually ship
ped to Alden for the specific purpose of
conversion into Mocha, and this practice
is so common that it is difficult to deter
mine what is true Mocha and what IS not
| The substitutes are first separated from
! the regular crops and then carefully picked
over and assorted by hand, the better 10
adapt them to their respective markets.
| They are then packed in the
unique and peculiar packages
which distinguish the true ar
ticle from all others. At one time II was
considered as next to impossible to tamper
with or initiate these packages without
| detection, composed as they are of coarse
vegetable material, and sewed with a
| hard and tough with age Modern in
so, first by a process known to the initia-
ted as ''stove piping" by which portion
of the genuine coffee is run out of the
| original package by means of an iron tube
| resembling a "coffee-tryer," Inserted at
| one end of the bale, and a spurious grade
| of coffee of some small-bean variety poiIr-
ed in it's place and the puncture closed ut
Another ingenious method is to soften
the forous cord of which the withes are
made, and with which the bales are sewn
by process known as "steaming" They
are then easily drawn out. the bales OPEN