The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-12-08
Sister Mayy,S Kitchen
BY SISTER MARY

 The perfect cup of coffee! Many meals have been saved from the commonplace and many hostess has gained her reputation by this finishing touch-clear, fragrant coffee.
 It is quite possible to serve con sistently good coffee if certain pre- cautions and rules are observed. Accuracy is as important in the making of coffee as in any other | branch of cookery. The blend, the method of procedure, the choice of the coffee itself all are determin- | ing factors in how good the coffee | tastes day in and day out. In these days the blend is de- ter4nined largely by the brand name. Experts originate the vari- ous brands or blends on the mar ket and the mixture is calculated to please individual tastes. With out good coffee to begin with one cannot hope to secure a delicious beverage. Consequently this choice | of the brand is of first importance | Roasting Affects Flavor | The roasting of the coffee berry brings out the flavor and makes the berry brittle enough to grind. There are several different degrees of roasts-heavy or dark, light, medium, Italian and French. As might be expected the degree of roasting affects the flavor and color of the beverage.
 Grinding is done so that all the the finished cup of coffee. There are several grinds, too. The grind possible flavor can be drawn into chosen, is of course, determined by the method of making the bever- age.
 Careless handling in the home often injures those qualities which have been so painstakingly devel- oped by the manufacturer. Expo- sure to the air means los of flavor. Coffee should be kept in air-tight containers in dry cool place.
 And the care of the coffee pot! Next to the selection of the brand, this is most important. The cof- fee pot should be as odorless and free from any hint of coffee as the coffee cup itself. It should be emp tied as soon as possible after using in order to prevent discoloration. Wash it thoroughly in clean hot soap suds and rinse it thoroughly in lots of clear boiling water. Be sure that every nook and corner of the entire coffee pot, percolator, dripolater, filterer and what-have- you-is thoroughly washed and rinsed. Wipe dry with 8 clean tow el and let remain open to- air. A stale odor which affects the flavor of the beverage develops if coffee pot is put away dramp and kept closed. The pot which is used only occasionally should be washed and rinsed early in the day and allowed to air thoroughly. Always scald any coffee pot just before making the coffee.
 Measure Water Carefully No matter how you make your percNiating, fiittering or drip meth cd, both coffee and water must be measured accurately and the boil ing or percolating stopped at the proper time. The drip and filter methods require only the precau- tion of keeping the beverage hot until ready to serve.
 Another important point in cof- fee making is the necessity of serv- ing coffee as soon as possible after it is made. The longer it is hot the more flavor it loses.
 Naturally, the proportion of cof- fee to use in making the infusion depends upon brand and individual taste and when the coffee is to be served. After dinner coffee always is much stronger than coffee serv- ed with a meal. However, two tablespoons ground coffee to one measuring cup of water makes a beverage agreeable to the average taste for average occasions. Two thirds of a measuring cup is call culated as serving of coffee. Con- seQuently four measuring cups of water will make enough coffee for six ''coffee" cups,