Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-08
MAKING GOOD COFFEE
Bit of An Art Not Always
Understood.
A RIGHT BLENDING
A HOMEMADE RoAsTER AN
sWERS VERY WELL.
Process Described in Detail to Secure
the Best Re-
suits.

It Is perfectly safe to say that not one
cook In five can make really good and
arpetizing cup of cafe au lait, while over
the cafe noir 1t is safer to draw a veil
This may seem al first sweeping asser-
ton. but If one will consider for a moment
the hideous corrections called coffee by
courtesy they will admit that the beverage
which 'comforteth the brain and heart and
helps the digestion has not always carried
out its mission.
And yet In itself coffee making is as easy
as any culinary process can be- The fact
Is that the making of good coffee depends
entirely upon the attention to details so
small that few persons think them worth
considering. The French particularly excel
In the brewing of this delicious drink, and
airy French peasant woman with no other
accessories than kettle of boiling water.
a saucepan and a jug will make a cup of
coffee which will linger long in Fragrant
remembrance. Her process is simplicity it.
self Having the boiling w:.ter ready. sh,
scaids out the jug. half fills pan with the
boiling liquid, stands the Jug in this To
keep 1t hot then lays a piece of muslin
over the mouth Of the jug. with the reauir-
ed amount of freshly roasted and ground
coHee on this. and pours some more boiling
water through 1t very slowly to extract
every particle of Its aroma AS soon as an
the water necessary for the quantity of
coffee has run through the coffee is re,dv
to be served.
This is. of course. the crudest form of
coHee making and is cited merely to show
no" simple the process really is when
properly done. 4 strange contrast ia this
prllnltive method to the wonderful machines
brought out year after year in this co,In.
try FOR the same purpose many OF them
preventing the making of good coffee rather
than proving an aid.
Mocha and Java.
A point that needs more attention than
IL usually receives is the blend Of the cof-
fee used. which varies with almost every
consumers taste. The best coffee comes
from Alden and is called Mocha A blend
OF one part Java to three parts Of Mocha
Is accented by connoisseurs as an ideal
combination. although a number of people
aeciare IN favor of Mocha pure and simple,
Whlch IS undeniably the most delicate
though wanting in body" Another addi-
tion TO coffee is chicory, which is though.
by some housekeepers to add to the diges.i-
bliity Of their pet beverage though nar
haps the lengthening of the supply by s,ch
an addition has something to do with its
favor. When chicory is used, the French
variety should be bought. The proportions
vary according to taste from one mart chic
DRY with two parts of coffee to one part of
the former with eight parts Of the latter.
Inc chlcory is added at the time of making
Most persons, however. prefer their coffee
straight and excellent test as to the
coffee merchants honesty is to shake a
teaspoonful of ground coffee with little
water in bottle. If the coffee is pure the
water VIII be only Slightly discolored and
the coffee will float when chicory is pres
ent it Will sink. carrying some of the coffee
with it. Another test is the following:
Spread some coffee on plate. pouring over
1t a few drops of water. If the mixture
becomes pasty on being pressed or any iso-
lated grains become pasty when touched
the coffee Is impure
Having chosen your coffee and settled the
blend, Its roasting and grinding are next
to be considered-and it is surprising how
seldom the housewife has her coffee roast
ed at home, trifle that more than any
thing else makes for good cup of this
stimulant.
Home Roasting.
An elaborate roasting machine is not nee
essary. and thick iron frying pan is the
best utensil to use In the absence of a re-
volving drum. When employing this put
very small piece Of butter into the pan or
brush it over with a little good salad OIL
Place two or three tablespoonfuls of the
berries Into the pan and stir them over A
slow fire until they turn a rich brown color
Remember while they are cooling to look
them over carefully. for II you leave In a
single burned berry 1t will spoil the flavor
Of the whole. The French add to every
three pounds Of roasting berries a table
SPOOAlui each VI DutteE ana powdered
sugar, the Drowned sugar giving a caramel
flavor which is delicious. The operation Of
roasting is rather nice one simply be-
cause 1t requires attention.
Brillat Savarin, that brilliant culinary
theorist Of past century. says that the
Turks do not use mill in which to grind
their coffee, but break II up in mortars and
pound with wooden pestles." This may be
fine method for a person who has plenty
OF time, but we OF the strenuous today re-
sort to the coffee mill Gs a grinding ma
chine. This mill must be perfectly clean.
for II by chance any OF a preceding grind
aroma of the fresh coffee. The pot in which
the coffee Is made should DO Immediately
clean. as many a cup Of coffee meets its
Waterloo from being cooked in an unclean
pot
The Clearing.
The leans having been ground. they are
next cleared with well brushed eggshell
Two or three Of these shells are sufficient to
clear found Of ground coffee Needless to
say. the coffee should be kept in an air-tight
can and ground only as required
There Is an old adage to the effect that
coffee boiled Is coffee spoiled" and the
most important point in making this drink
is to use water at the first boil The pro-
portions also require lots Of thought The
usual quantity Is two heaping teaspoonfuls
OF coffee for each breakfast cup of water
for cafe au lait. while for cafe noir a level
tablespoonful is reckoned for each cup. For
this some cooks allow an extra spoonful for
the pot. as in tea making.
An old-fashioned biggin Is a better utensil
In which to manufacture coffee than all the
newfangled machines ever invented. See
that yOIr cafetiere Is we'll scalded out and
that there is a pan Of boiling water in
which tc stand 1t while the water Is per-
colatins through the straincr. After plac-
ing the required amount Of finely ground
coffee in the pot pour the boiled water over
it slowly until you have the desired guam
tity. Then II your coffee Is good freshly