Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-06-19
Coffee.
Washington Post.)

A French chemist has analysed the SUBJ
stance sold in Paris as coffee, and has
discovered that II is composed OF adul-
terated chicory. beetroot, turnips, pars-
nips, carrots, dandelion, acorns, horse-
chestnuts, hasel-nuts, figs, prunes, couch
grass, pistachois, almonds, walnuts, pea
nuts, dates, apples, and pears. All or
these articles, usually in a damaged con-
dition, are mixed together, ground roast
ed, and added to little real coffee. This
mixture is what they drink in Paris ana
imagine they are using coffee.
There is no sure foundation on which
to base the assumption that the Partisan
coffee-dealers know more about the adul-
iteration OF coffee than do our dealers III
this country. Some of the articles enter
ing into composition Of French coffee
would appear 20 the American mind as
unnecessary, not 10 say extraVagant,
such as walnuts, almonds, pistachlo, ana
hazel-nuts. These things may be cheap
over there, but in our country beans and
sweet-potatoes would be found more eco
nomical. Adulterated chicory Is also
something new to us. Chicory has been
long used as an adulterant to coffee but
adulterated chicory is an innoVatlon- .
1t cannot be doubted that the tofree
furnished our army by contract bears
something OF a resemblance to the French
article. our list OF ingredients may not
be so large and elaborate as that OF the
French. but 1t Is more than likely that
the proportion OF genuine coffce Is just
aa small. The French are great at iancy
dishes, composed of many different Things:
A IittIa Of this. q trihe OF that, dasn OF
the other, are part OF French COOKERY,
Our ways are simpler, and our allegeo
cnfsAe is hardly up 10 their numerical
standard yet our feeble imitation IS as
effective is suppressing actual coitee:
II our soldiers are supplied with bogus
coffee. and they doubtless are. there IL
blame somewhere. The contractors can
hardly be blamed. They go into the mar
ket. find what they can BUY cohee VI
what Is called coffee for. and make their
hide accordingly. What passes muster
for coffee is furnished them, and lhey
t,,rn Il o,er 20 the officials. who In turn
mass Il over 70 the soldiers. IL the ma
tsrtals OF which this sham coffee Is COM
nosed are sound and free from fermentd-
tation and decay, there Is no probability
az evil results from their use; but IL Is
not coffee, and Is, to that extent q irduu'
There IS only one way 70 have the gem
nina article, and that is 20 buy green
coffee and roast and grind 1t yourseii.
Few II any successful limitations or green
coffee have been made. Parcneu cohee,
been sold, which, upon investigation, was
not ground, but IN The whole beam has
found 10 be paste Of unknown antece-
dents pressed in moulds and presenting
the appearance OF, the real bean. tne
ground and ut-up-in-packases conee ID
eorething 10 be dreaded. II may be any
thing or everything except coffee. IL
can almost always be brought for less
than the wholesale price of green eofee.
sun. people buy it and will continue 70
do so. That is their happy privilege. but
IL ought not TO be furnished TO the SOL
dIers. Good coffee is a fine thing. Not
necessarily the fancy coffees or the hum
bug Mocha, but good, honest, unadul-
terated coffee-plain Java, Il Guayra'
Rio. Cordova, or any Of the staple KINDS.
But parched. ground, and ready-for-use
coffee-please excuse US.