The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-17
FACTS ABOUT COFFEE,
Improves With Age, Like Wine, ana
Americans Like 1t Weak
From the London Standard

From the London Standard
IL may surprise some people to learn,
on the authority of a consular report Is
sued recently, that Brazil can claim to
rank as the greatest coffee producing coun-
try in the world We generally associate
coffee with the East, but at the present
day the new world grows a far larger
quantity than the old. The plant is cuI-
tivated from Mexico to Brazil, including.
of course, the West Indian Islands-in
fact, over DR. Wallace's neotropicaI region.
excluding its southern and colder por-
ton. In most parts the industry Is in
ecreasing rapidly. Brazil alone produces
more than 100000. 900 pounds of coffee per
annum. 1t Is. indeed, believed to have fur
nished in 1898 more than three-quarters
of all the coffee raised in America, though
that continent contributed SO per cent.
of the total quantity grown on the globe
So great, indeed, Is the output that there
Is danger of supply exceeding demand
The statistics of the trade are curious
The United States import largely-in fact
they are Brazils principal customer; but
they are by no means at the head of the
Est of consumers, the annual amount be-
ing just under ten pounds per head But
as II happens, the principal coffee-drink-
ing nations are small and the Americans
differ from them in liking their coffee
weak.
The Dutch are the greatest consumers
twenty-three pounds head being the al
lowance in Holland Denmark is second
but with a long interval, and Belgium fol-
lows. The French seem to be losing the
taste-is not the cafe giving place every
where Ia the braGGaria p md uia
the list, consuming only three and quar-
ter pounds per head Germany beats them
by couple of pounds. We ore nowhere
for in Great Britain the consumption In
less than three-quarters % pound a
head. The majority of us know neither
how to buy nor to make it. According to
the old saying, you must first get your
berry, and then cook II, and the quality
of the former varies greatly. The beet
of all is Mocha, grown in Yemen and
other parts of Arabia but not a little East
Indian coffee sails under false colors. be,
ing shipped TO Mocha and sent off as the
genuine article. The true Mocha berry rs
small and dark yellow in color, the i'm
posters are larger and much paler. But
some of the Venezuelan varieties closely
resemble Mocha. and so do certain of the
best Brazil and the West Indies This
fact is directly shown by table of aver
age prices. II Is not headed by Arabia
but by British Honduras, Cuba coming as
a good second. Arabia third. with the
Dutch East Indies close behind Brazil
though so far ahead in quantity and not
without fine varieties, must produce a
great amount of second-rate quality, see
ing that she is at the end of the list.
While the average price of Honduras cof-
fee is 20 cents pound. that of Brazil ia
only q little over cents. But 1t is not
enough TO obtain a berry of fine qualify:
much remains TO be done before a good
cup of coffee can result We are told
that, as with the best wine, taste and
aroma improve by keeping.
In a thoroughly dry atmosphere perfec-
ton is supposed to be reached in the eighth
year The berry, moreover, must be roast
ed 10 turn; that Is seldom done in Eng
land. for the retailer is generally the roast