BLENDING AND PREPARING.
By the combination of different varieties of coffee much better results
are sometimes obtainable than when one variety is used alone, but in
the mixing or blending of two or more kinds together, several points
have to be studied, such as the age, grade, body, flavor, appearance,
and affinity of the coffees to be combined. The public taste for
certain flavored coffees, like that of tea, being an acquired one, it
behooves the dealer to first study and learn the taste of his customers
before catering to it.
The successful blending of coffees may be easily accomplished if only
a fair knowledge of the merits and general character of the coffees be
possessed by the dealer; but tastes differ so widely that it is next to
impossible to give any fixed formulas for any specific combinations.
For this reason the following blends are only given for the purpose of
conveying some idea as to what coffees assimilate best in combination
and also ascertain what body, strength and flavor is required by the
customer or customers before preparing the combination; but a taste
for any fairly good blend of coffees may be cultivated in the customer
with time. And as no definite formulas can be given for combining
two or more varieties of coffee, the dealer must study the taste and
requirements of his trade, noting its peculiarities and experimenting
with it until he has discovered a combination that will suit or please
a majority of his customers which, having once found, he should adhere
to strictly, by being always careful to select, as nearly as possible,
the same grades of coffee, and keeping them up to the same high and
uniform standard.
Though not generally admitted, the testing of coffee is much more
difficult and requires more experience than that of tea, inasmuch as
the sample of tea is all ready to have the water applied to it, while
the sample of coffee is presented in the raw or natural state and
must not only be roasted properly and ground before being tested, but
must also be roasted as precisely as the other samples with which it
is to be compared, in order to determine its exact value. To smell
or taste correctly requires a knowledge of all the properties and
characteristics of the article under consideration, as these senses
convey to the mind their impressions, so that if the mind can analyze
the cause and effect, the senses of smell and taste act in consonance
with the sense of reason. It is thus obvious that to be an expert
judge of either tea or coffee requires a thorough knowledge of the
different varieties and grades of both, and what the most desirable
qualities of each are. It is also further necessary that the dealer
should be well aware of what characteristics and blending of flavors
his customers prefer. Having carefully selected, tested, and purchased
his coffee, the next important thing is to so roast or have it roasted
as to best develop the drinking qualities, which, as stated before, is
a more important and essential process than the hulling and curing of
it, though frequently underestimated by the average dealer, as many
otherwise good coffees are injured irreparably by improper roasting.
Owing to the wide difference in the age, weight and texture of coffees
they should never be blended in the raw or natural state, as old
and dry coffees require a shorter time to roast than new and moist
ones, the same rule applying to what are known in trade as “mild” and
“strong” coffees, as one will be but half roasted or roasted only when
the former is roasted or burned, thus imparting to the combination
a raw, uncooked or burned flavor, as the case may be. The best way
is to roast or have roasted the coffee intended for the blend in
different cylinders, then mix and cover them up tightly immediately
after roasting, in order that the differing characters and flavors
may exchange and assimilate freely while the pores are still open to
receive them.
ROASTED COFFEE BLENDS.
=No. 1.=--(Low-priced). May be made from a fair Rio and Santos,
low-grade Maracaibo or other mild sort, in the proportions of half and
half, or, when three or more varieties are used, in equal quantities.
=No. 2.=--(Medium). Is composed of equal quantities of a large
white-bean Santos and Cucuta Maracaibo or other standard mild growth,
the whole being strengthened by the addition of one part choice Rio, if
considered too weak in body.
=No. 3.=--(Choice). When a really rich, smooth, mellow beverage
is desired a combination, composed of one-third Arabian Mocha and
two-thirds Preanger Java will yield the desired results. While a liquor
equally as good, if not more popular, may be obtained from equal
parts of Cucuta or Merida, Maracaibo, Aden, Mocha and Preanger Java,
particularly when fresh roasted.
For a good coffee the most common practice is to blend a Padang Java
and a Cucuta Maracaibo, or large, yellow, old-bean Santos in the
proportions of 40 pounds of the former to 60 of either, or both the two
latter, the combination answering well for a straight coffee, and for
which it may be safely sold. In fact, one of the most popular so-called
finest Javas in the market to-day is composed of these three varieties,
the addition of the Santos improving the combination, as it lends to it
the essential quality which is lacking.
GROUND COFFEE BLENDS.
In ground coffees the appended specimen blends are given to illustrate
how they are mixed, rather than as laying down any fixed formulas, and
are recommended as being at least non-injurious, if not positively
wholesome.
=No. 1.=--Composed of 20 pounds roasted rye, 20 pounds chicory and 20
pounds ground coffee makes a fairly drinkable compound, when a cheap
coffee is required.
=No. 2.=--A good medium grade may be prepared of 10 pounds rye, 20
pounds chicory and 20 pounds coffee. These proportions may be altered
at pleasure, but care must be taken to at all times have the rye in
excess of the chicory and to thoroughly mix and grind the component
parts together. The dry dust of the rye quickly absorbs the moisture
of the chicory and will also prevent the mill from becoming clogged in
grinding.
=No. 3.=--Better still in the proportions of 15 pounds rye, 10 pounds
chicory and 10 pounds good, mild coffee, the component parts of which
may be still further varied to suit the price and taste of the customer
and to which may be added any of the other ingredients with which
coffees are mixed, except corn or beans, but it must be borne in mind
that only the best grade of coffee must be used in the blend, as what
may otherwise be a good combination may be utterly spoiled by the
introduction of a tainted, stained, damaged or hidey coffee.
But the best and safest of all substances for mixing or blending
with coffee with the object of reducing its cost is chicory and rye,
containing as they do a large percentage of saccharine, which in the
process of roasting becomes carameled, thus imparting to the compound
the flavor of coffee to a much greater extent than any other substitute
known and for which reason it lends itself to the purpose more readily
than any other vegetable substance. Again, it is not injurious to
health, while at the same time it gives up its extractive matter
easily, thus improving the extract yielded by poor coffee and imparting
a dark color to the decoction such as can only be produced by three
times the weight of pure coffee. It has one great defect, however, that
of easily absorbing moisture, becoming hard and lumpy on exposure to
the atmosphere, more particularly when ground fine.
PREPARING FOR USE.
The methods of preparing for the table are almost as numerous as the
countries in which it is grown, and as much of the beneficial influence
which it undoubtedly exerts depends in a great measure on its proper
preparation. This question has given rise to such a maze of psuedo
chemical subtleties and mechanical devices that it is difficult to
arrive at any fundamental common-sense rule for its most perfect
production in the cup. The two principal objects to be sought for in
the proper preparation of coffee as a beverage are: (1) To obtain the
greatest amount of strength and aroma, without extracting any of
its astringent properties, and (2) to produce a rich, transparent,
nut-brown liquor, free from all cloudiness and grounds. The first
requisite in securing these results is that the article be purchased
_pure_ and _fresh roasted_ in the bean and ground personally a short
time previous to preparing for the table, for if roasted too long
prior to its use the beans lose much of their strength and aroma,
becoming tough and difficult to grind. This latter defect, however,
may be remedied in part by reheating in a pan or oven for some minutes
previous to being ground and infused.
The usual methods of preparing coffee for use as a beverage are: (1) By
Infusion or drawing; (2) By Decoction or boiling, and (3) By Filtration
or distillation.
=Infusion=--or “drawing”--is accomplished by first making the
water boil and then putting in the ground coffee, the vessel being
immediately removed off the fire and allowed to stand quietly, in the
same manner as tea, on the stove or range for about ten minutes, in
order to more fully extract its properties. The coffee is ready for use
by this method when the powder swimming on the surface sinks to the
bottom on slightly stirring it. This process yields a very aromatic
beverage, but one containing very little of the extract or stimulating
properties.
=Decoction=--or “boiling”--is the custom in the East, and generally
yields an excellent coffee. The ground coffee is put in the vessel with
cold water and placed on the fire, where it is allowed to boil for a
few seconds, care being taken not to allow it to overboil. If boiled
too long by this method the aromatic properties are volatilized, and
while the coffee will be rich in extract it will be poor in aroma.
=Filtration=--or “distilling”.--By this process the coffee is prepared
in a “percolator,” in which the ground coffee is compressed between
two metallic diaphragms, so arranged as to permit the water to filter
through it slowly. This method often, but not always, yields a cup of
good coffee, as when the pouring of the boiling water over the ground
coffee is done slowly the drops in passing come in contact with too
much air, the oxygen of which makes a change in the aromatic particles,
often destroying them entirely. The extraction also is incomplete, for,
instead of 20 per cent. the water by this process dissolves only from
10 to 15 per cent., the balance being lost by evaporation, while by the
other methods more than half the valuable parts of the coffee remain in
the grounds and is entirely lost.
It is contended by many experts and connoisseurs that to obtain the
full aroma of coffee without extracting its astringent properties, it
must in all cases be prepared as an infusion with boiling water, that
is, “drawn” in the same manner as tea, or simply allowed to reach the
boiling point after infusion, but no more. While others, among whom
is Baron Liebig, maintain that by simple infusion alone much of the
valuable soluble principle in the coffee remains unextracted, being
eventually thrown out with the grounds. To avoid this unnecessary
waste, it is suggested that the grounds of the coffee once used by
infusion should be preserved, boiled and the liquor resulting therefrom
be used for infusing a fresh supply. By this method it is claimed that
the substantial properties of the previously infused coffee, and the
aroma of the new are obtained together in the fresh infusion. In many
French households the coffee grounds are utilized by distillation for
economy’s sake, hot water being poured over them, which, after passing
through, is preserved in a bottle and used as an extract. In fact,
this is claimed to be the method adopted in making the finest French
coffee.
The best method under these circumstances is a combination of the
second and third, in which the usual quantities of both coffee and
water are to be retained, a tin measure containing half an ounce of
roasted coffee beans being generally sufficient for two small cups
(or one large breakfast cup) of coffee of moderate strength, or four
ounces for eight small cups or four large ones. With three-quarters
of the coffee to be prepared after being ground, the water is made
to boil in ten or fifteen minutes, after which the other quarter is
put in, and the vessel immediately withdrawn from the fire, tightly
covered over and allowed to stand for five or six minutes. In order
that the powder on the surface may fall to the bottom more readily,
it is meantime stirred round, and after the deposit takes place the
coffee may be poured off, being then ready for use. But in order to
separate the grounds more completely, the coffee may be passed through
a clean muslin cloth, but generally this operation is not necessary,
being frequently prejudical to the pure flavor of the beverage.
By this process the first boiling gives the strength, the second
adding to the flavor without extracting its astringent properties,
it does not, however, dissolve more than one-fourth of the aromatic
substances contained in the roasted coffee. The beverage, when ready
for use by this process, ought to be of a rich brownish-black color,
semi-transparent, somewhat resembling chocolate thinned with water.
Coffee may be prepared in any kind of vessel, tin cup, iron pot,
earthen pitcher or regular coffee-pot, but the utensil, whatever it
may be, must be thoroughly clean before using. When prepared in a tin
cup or iron pot first heat the ground coffee in the vessel and pour
on boiling water or milk when the coffee is sufficiently heated, and
stir with a spoon for one minute, then allow to stand by the fire where
it will keep hot, without boiling, for another minute and stir again
and then let stand to settle for two minutes, after which it is ready
for use, care being taken when pouring out not to disturb the grounds.
But, if a pitcher be used, it must be first heated with boiling water
and allowed to stand in a warm place to infuse for at least ten minutes
before serving.
There are so many different varieties of coffee and such a wide
dissimilarity of tastes, that it is almost next to impossible to
suggest the special kind of coffee to select for use, even for the
average consumer, the same difficulty also applying to what constitutes
the requisite quantity. Many old-time coffee-drinkers prefer a strong,
dark, or, as they term it, “an old-fashioned Rio.” Others like a good
Maracaibo, or other fine, mild grade, such as Ceylon, Jamaica and
Guatemala; in fact, these are the most popular grades and the choice
of the majority of consumers, not only on account of their intrinsic
merits, but also on account of price. For an exceedingly fine coffee,
however, the best results are obtained from a combination of true
Java and genuine Mocha, mixed in the proportions of two-thirds of
the former to one-third of the latter, _fresh roasted, fresh ground
and fresh made_; while, with regard to quantity, one, two and three
tablespoonfuls to each pint of water is recommended, according to the
number to be served and the strength required.
The degree of strength is altogether a matter of taste, two ounces,
or four heaping tablespoonfuls, of pure, ground coffee, made with
absolutely boiling water, will yield a full quart of average strength,
making a pleasant and well-flavored breakfast coffee. But for four
persons a tea-cup of finely-ground coffee--the finer, the better--will
be required, to be served as soon as made, as the infusion rapidly
deteriorates by standing too long.
* * * * *
In Ethiopia and Southeastern Africa, where its virtues were first
discovered and where it has been in use for centuries prior to its
introduction to civilization, it is used in a _solid_ form, being first
roasted, crushed and mixed with fat or grease, rolled into balls and
eaten. The natives claiming that one of these balls will support them
for an entire day, and preferring it so prepared to a meal of bread or
meat.
* * * * *
While the Arabs, to whom the civilized world is indebted not only for
the first knowledge of the plant and its product, but also for the
first knowledge of preparing it in liquid form, prepare it for use in a
porous earthenware pitcher first set in hot ashes until all moisture is
evaporated and the vessel is well heated, after which freshly roasted
and pounded coffee is put in and a little salt added, both being heated
thoroughly. Boiling water is then poured on, the vessel covered and
allowed to rest in the hot ashes until it settles before serving. A
decoction known as _Kishr_ is also made there from the dried pulp of
the berries, which is prepared by bruising or pounding the raw pulp
with stones and putting it in boiling water, contained in an earthen
pan placed over a slow fire. Ground cardamons and a little cinnamon or
ginger is next added to the decoction, after which it is allowed to
simmer for half an hour before using.
* * * * *
In Turkey, where it is regarded as the national beverage, it is
prepared by first grinding the roasted beans exceedingly fine, almost
as fine as flour, and put in a pot in which cold water is poured
and placed on the fire until it heats up to almost the boiling point
and then, served without the addition of either milk or sugar. But
when only a single cup of coffee is wanted, the requisite quantity is
measured into a small, long-handled brass coffee pot, made expressly to
hold one or two cups, as the case may be, and water enough poured on
to fill the vessel, which is set on live coals until it heats up to,
but not beyond, the boiling point and then served in a tiny cup without
straining or otherwise settling the grounds.
* * * * *
While in Egypt, which is also proverbial for the excellence of its
coffee, it is prepared by first grinding the beans fine, as in Turkey,
and adding an equal quantity of sugar to it, pouring on boiling water,
and placing the vessel over the fire until it is thoroughly boiled,
but removing and allowing it to cool occasionally between times until
it becomes black and rather thick, in which state it is served. Coffee
thus prepared will be found very rich and strong, too much so for
the average taste, but dark, frothy-tipped, and, taken altogether, a
delicious beverage.
* * * * *
In Java, Sumatra and other Eastern coffee-growing countries the natives
make a beverage from the leaves of the coffee plant, the leaves
containing a large percentage of the active principle--caffeine. They
first roast and cure the leaves after the manner of tea, and prepare
them by infusion the same as tea, the natives preferring the liquor
from the leaves to that produced from the roasted beans.
* * * * *
The Dutch settlers in South Africa not only use coffee at all meals
but at all times, the coffee-pot being always on the fire ready for
any visitors and friends who may call. In preparing it they use two
kettles, boiling the water in one and pouring it on the coffee which
has been previously placed in the other; the water is then poured back
and forth several times, a little cold water being finally added to
settle the grounds just before serving.
* * * * *
In Mexico the coffee is roasted, ground and prepared at the same time;
the beans are roasted as required and pounded fine in a bag or coarse
cloth, and immediately transferred to the pot, boiling water is then
poured on and milk added to it, after which it is allowed to simmer or
boil slowly for about three minutes. But in some instances the milk is
added as served, a third of a cup of coffee, or less, and the balance
in hot milk being the customary proportions.
* * * * *
In Cuba, where the most delicious coffee obtainable anywhere is to
be found, the beverage is prepared by first half filling a coarse
flannel bag with finely pulverized roasted coffee and suspending it
from a nail or hook over the pot or other vessel. Cold water is next
poured on the bag at intervals until the entire mass is well saturated,
when the first drippings which have fallen into the receptacle are
poured again over the bag until the liquid becomes almost thick and
very black. One teaspoonful of this novel extracted liquid placed in
a cup of boiling milk will yield a draught of coffee that is simply
deliciousness itself--a nectar fit for the gods. In Cuba this flannel
bag hangs day and night on the wall, the process of pouring on the cold
water and allowing it to drip being almost ceaseless in its operation,
all classes, ages and conditions offering and drinking coffee there as
freely as the Chinese do tea or as we do water.
* * * * *
Coffee constitutes the almost exclusive or “national beverage” of
the people of Brazil, particularly in the regions where it is most
grown. It is made thereby first roasting, as in this country, in small
roasters, but more frequently in iron pans, very high and dark, and is
prepared for use by grinding or pulverizing the beans very fine, almost
as fine as flour, and putting it in a muslin or woolen bag placed in
a pot or other vessel upon which boiling water is poured, and allowed
to infuse for about fifteen minutes. The entire strength is thus
extracted, the Brazilians almost universally preferring their coffee
strong and “black,” that is, without milk, for which reason larger
quantities are also used.
Many connoisseurs maintain that the roasting of coffee is best done
at home, as no doubt it is, all risk of adulteration and stale coffee
being avoided by this method.
So to avoid all risks the consumer should purchase the coffee in a
whole state and grind it personally; but any suspected sample of ground
coffee may be tested by the following simple and practical experiments:
(1). Note whether the ground coffee hardens or “cakes” when pressed
between the fingers, if so, the coffee is evidently adulterated, most
probably with chicory; (2). Place a small sample of the suspected
coffee on top of water in a wineglass, and if part floats and part
sinks it is undoubtedly adulterated either with chicory, roasted
cereals or other analogous substances; (3). If the cold water in which
a sample of the ground coffee has been placed becomes deeply colored
it is an evidence of the presence of some roasted vegetable substance;
(4). But to more definitely detect the presence of chicory or other
foreign substances in ground coffee, put a teaspoonful of the suspected
sample on the surface of a glass of cold water. If it floats for some
time, scarcely coloring the water, it is _pure_ coffee, but if part
sinks and imparts a reddish-brown tint to the water as it falls to the
bottom of the glass, it is adulterated with either chicory, rye, peas
or other analogous matter. Or again, place a spoonful of the coffee
in a white bottle of cold water and shake well for a few moments,
and if the sample is pure it will rise to the top, scarcely coloring
the water, but if adulterated it will sink and discolor the fluid
for the following reason: The pure coffee being enveloped in an oily
substance prevents the grounds from absorbing the water, while the
adulterant being devoid of this feature quickly absorbs the water, and
thus becoming heavy sinks and discolors the fluid to a greater or less
extent according to the proportion used; (5). Spread out on a piece of
glass or other smooth surface a little ground coffee and moisten it
with a few drops of water, and pick out by means of a needle the small
particles. If these particles are of a soft consistence the coffee is
undoubtedly adulterated, as the particles of the coffee-seed or bean
are hard and resisting in nature and do not become soft or pliable even
after prolonged immersion in water. These simple methods will usually
suffice to detect the ordinary forms of adulteration, but to determine
the character and extent of the adulteration science and chemistry must
be resorted to, for which purpose the use of a microscope will prove
the most reliable and powerful auxiliary as a means of detection. The
appended formulas are given as showing the different methods by which
coffee is or may be prepared to suit the varying tastes of different
consumers, which after testing, one may be selected for permanent
adoption.
=1.= Put the requisite quantity of finely-ground coffee in a granitized
vessel and pour on sufficient cold water to just cover it and allow
to stand over night in a moderately warm position. Put it in the pot
next morning, pour in absolutely boiling water and allow to heat to
the boiling point and set back from the fire to prevent ebullition.
By this method the full strength of the coffee will be obtained and
the delicate aroma preserved without the extraction of its bitter and
astringent properties.
=2.= To prepare coffee by filtration without the aid of an urn or
French coffee-pot. Put finely-ground coffee in a thin muslin bag and
place in an ordinary utensil, first heating the vessel thoroughly and
pour on briskly boiling water slowly around the bag, so as to permit
it to absorb and saturate the coffee effectually and extract its full
strength, after which allow it to stand and settle without boiling.
=3.= Another excellent method, known as the “Cold-water process,” is to
mix the finely-ground coffee with the white of an egg and sufficient
cold water to just cover the mass, stirring it well meantime; next,
pour in about one-third of cold water required for the infusion and set
the vessel on the range where it will heat gradually to the boiling
point; just as soon as it approaches the boiling point add another
third of cold water and repeat until it again reaches the boiling
point, then pour on the balance of cold water and allow it to come to
the boiling point again. After which remove and let stand where it
will simmer for a few minutes and settle, which may be hastened by
the addition of a little more cold water; but if in a hurry, boiling
water may be used instead of cold by this method also, but the cold
water extracts more fully the active and refreshing principles of the
coffee without its deleterious properties making a stronger and richer
infusion than the boiling water, as more of the strength and aroma is
carried off in the vapor arising from the use of the latter.
=4.= A quick, convenient and economical method for producing a cup of
good coffee is to first heat some freshly-roasted and finely-ground
coffee--an ounce to each quart of water--in a pan over a brisk fire and
fill a muslin bag with it, then so arrange as to suspend it midway in
the pot, and pour on absolutely boiling water slowly, so as to allow it
to trickle through the bag. After which allow it to stand for about ten
minutes where it will keep hot without boiling, and serve with milk and
sugar. But the simplest, most rapid and effective method is to place
about two ounces of ground coffee in a stew or saucepan, and set it on
a bright fire, stirring the coffee meantime with a spoon until quite
hot, and then pouring over it a pint of briskly boiling water, covering
it over closely for five minutes and passing it through a thin muslin
cloth, warming the liquid again before serving.
=5.= For the “ideal cup of coffee,” take one part genuine Arabian
Mocha and two parts finest Java; roast each separately and blend well
together, and grind fine immediately before preparing. Fill an ordinary
tea-cup two-thirds full of the coffee, with one raw egg and shell.
Place the whole in a strainer or percolator and pour on one quart of
briskly boiling water, then let stand for about ten minutes where it
will keep hot without boiling, and serve with cream and sugar to suit,
or, better still, with hot milk. But should a vessel without a strainer
or percolator be used let the infusion boil up once, and pour in a
cup of cold water, after which let it stand for at least five minutes
to thoroughly settle, and you have a beverage brown, creamy, rich,
fragrant and delicious.
A most convenient, simple and inexpensive method of roasting coffee by
families, travelers or others desiring to roast their own coffee is to
put the requisite quantity--usually about a quarter of a pound--in a
thin glass flask or bottle placed over a charcoal fire and shaking it
well during the process until completed. The non-conducting power gives
this material an advantage over the metal, the coffee being less liable
to burn in it and the coffee can be better observed and regulated
during the progress of the process. But a simple iron pan may also be
used effectively for the purpose, if care be taken to keep the coffee
constantly agitated with a wooden knife or spoon, as a single burnt
bean will impair the aroma, and stopping the operation as soon as the
beans begin to crackle and assume a light-brown color. Before grinding
put the roasted beans in an iron pan or plate and place on the range to
heat until the aroma developed in the coffee by the roasting operation
perfumes the room, after which grind in an ordinary mill and prepare
according to any of the foregoing recipes.
Many consumers connect the idea of the strength of coffee with a dark
or black color and fancy their coffee to be thin and weak if it does
not possess such color. This is entirely erroneous, as good, pure
coffee is never so, the dark color being imparted by means of a little
burnt sugar or other ingredient. The true flavor of pure coffee is
so little known to some persons that many who drink it for the first
time doubt of its goodness because it tastes of the natural flavor,
forgetting that coffee which does not possess the flavor of coffee
is not coffee at all, but an artificial concoction, for which many
other things may be substituted at pleasure. Hence it is that if to
the vile decoctions made from chicory, carrots and beets be added the
slightest quantity of pure coffee, such persons fail to detect the
difference, and which also accounts for the enormous diffusion of such
substitutes and adulterants; such mixtures with an empirical taste
most people fancy to be coffee. Another error of frequent occurrence
in the preparation of coffee for the table, and which results probably
from the habit of tea-making, is that of using too little coffee in
proportion to the quantity of water. More coffee in proportion should
be used than tea, that is, for a full pint of the infusion an ounce to
an ounce and a half of coffee, that being about the proper proportions
for a beverage of average strength.
=Café de Paris=--Or “French Coffee” is most generally prepared by
mixing a cupful of finely-ground coffee with a raw egg and shell in a
quart of cold water and placing the pot over a brisk fire, occasionally
stirring it until the boiling point is reached, after which set the
vessel aside to simmer for a few minutes, then pour on a cupful of cold
water and allow to stand for eight or ten minutes before serving, using
cream and sugar to suit.
=Café au Lait=--or “French Breakfast Coffee” is made by grinding two
tablespoonfuls of coffee for each cup required, and packing solidly
in a regular French filtering coffee-pot, pouring on boiling water
and passing it from two to three times through the coffee-pot. When
serving, boiling milk in equal quantity or to suit the individual
taste is poured into the cup from a separate vessel, after which it is
sweetened to suit. The French usually mix chicory with their coffee,
particularly when used in the form of _café au lait_. For this form,
add half tablespoonful of powdered chicory to two tablespoonfuls of
ground coffee, and after thoroughly mixing, pour on boiling water and
pass twice through the coffee-pot before serving.
=Café Noir.=--A black “after-dinner coffee,” is prepared by adding four
ounces of freshly-ground strong coffee to a quart of absolutely boiling
water and allowing it to stand until it reaches the boiling point,
meantime passing it twice or thrice through the coffee-pot before
serving.
=Café au Crême=--Is prepared by the addition of boiled cream to clear,
strong, fresh-made coffee and allowing to infuse or draw together from
fifteen to twenty minutes.
=Café Glacé.=--To every six cups of freshly-made coffee add one egg
with cream, and sweeten well, then mix thoroughly and place in a
refrigerator until frozen to the consistency of cream.
=Café Demi-tasse=--Is a beverage prepared after the manner of _Café
Noir_, but sweetened to a much greater extent, and to which is added
Cognac, Kirsch, or some other liqueur, but when taken with a small
glass of liqueur it becomes a _Café Gloria_.
=Café Capucin=--Is merely another name for _Café au lait_, served in a
glass instead of a cup, while “Mazagran” is coffee served with water
instead of milk, the coffee which is prepared exactly the same as
Demi-tasse is served in a tall, narrow glass or goblet, a decanter of
cold water being served with it, the consumer diluting to suit.
=Café à la Russe=--Like “Tea à la Russe” is simply strong, black
coffee, prepared after the manner of _Café au lait_, to which a squeeze
or slice of lemon is added before drinking.
=Coffee à la Hollandaise=--Is prepared in a vessel composed of two
detached parts, the lower one answering as a reservoir and the upper
as a filter; the bottom being perforated with small holes, and over
which is placed a piece of flannel to cover it entirely. The requisite
quantity of finely-ground coffee is placed in the filter and firmly
pressed down, cold water being next slowly poured over it, after which
it is allowed to stand until all the water has percolated through it
into the reservoir beneath; the passing of the water occupying at least
four hours, extracting the full strength and flavor of the coffee in
that time. The vessel is high and narrow, so as to retard as much
as possible the passage of the liquid, but large enough to hold the
requisite quantities of both coffee and water at the same time and to
avoid the necessity of an additional supply of water.
=Vienna Coffee.=--The famous Vienna Coffee is prepared in a somewhat
complicated contrivance, resembling a cylinder or urn, fitted with
a coarse sieve, the water being boiled by means of an alcohol lamp
underneath. When the water boils the steam passes through a tube and at
the same time through the finely-ground coffee, which has previously
been placed loose on the top, but protected by several strainers. A
glass top attached to the urn enables the cook to observe when the
coffee is properly prepared, the process securing a perfect infusion of
the coffee, and at the same time preserving its full aroma and other
properties.
=Creole Coffee=--Is prepared by distillation, the coffee being first
roasted until it has assumed a uniformly brown color, after which it
is covered up and allowed to cool. It is then ground and covered up
carefully again until ready for use, when the requisite quantity is put
in a filtered coffee-pot into which it is pressed compactly, a little
briskly boiling water is then poured on and allowed to filter through
the coffee, when more boiling water is poured on, the process being
repeated about every five minutes until ready to serve. The result
of this process is very strong and rich in extract, which is often
preserved in a perfectly air-tight jar or other vessel until again
required for use. A single teaspoonful of which is sufficient to yield
a rich and creamy cup of the beverage when desired.
=Extract of Coffee=--Is, properly speaking, the true “Essence of
Coffee.” It is best obtained by distilling one part of pure ground
coffee with five parts water and keeping them at a temperature of
209° C. in a very close vessel for about ten minutes, steaming and
evaporating it at a low temperature in a vacuum pan until reduced to
one part. Or it may be more conveniently obtained by the Cuban and
New Orleans methods already described, one spoonful of which yields a
delicious cup of coffee instantaneously as desired.
It is not too much to state that more than one half of the beverage
which masquerades and is sold under the name of coffee, is unworthy of
the appellation and that the majority of the people of this country
live and die without ever knowing even the true taste of that delicious
and exhilarating beverage; people being prone to think that they know
all about coffee without ever studying what special qualities the
different varieties possess, or the best methods of preparing it. As
a nation, the American people want the best of everything and expect
to get it, and a country which expends so many millions of dollars
annually for coffee, can well afford to study the best methods of
selecting and properly preparing it. But what avails the best material
if it be not prepared in such a manner as to develop and extract its
most volatile, delicate, subtle and refreshing properties, as the
same properties may be depressing and injurious, or exhilarating and
beneficial proportionately as they are treated?
A large proportion of housekeepers purchase their coffee already
roasted, and many more buy it ground, but if bought whole while still
hot and kept in an air-tight can until required and then ground, the
improvement in the liquor would amply repay for the trouble expended,
as much of the fragrance and aroma of the roasted coffee is lost by
laying too long, there being even a greater loss when the coffee is
ground for too long a time. But, on the other hand, unless the roasting
is done very carefully at home, the coffee will not be good, either, as
a few burnt beans in the roast will invariably spoil the drink. So that
when careful attention cannot be given to the proper roasting of coffee
at home, it will be better to purchase it in the whole bean already
roasted but never ground, using a small mill which can be regulated to
grind coarse or fine as needed.
To roast coffee at home, put the raw beans about an inch deep in an
ordinary dripping-pan, which must be perfectly clean, and hold over
a brisk fire and stir frequently until the beans are sufficiently
browned. When the coffee becomes a cinnamon-brown, and begin to
crackle, add one tablespoonful of fresh butter, stirring well at the
same time, after which remove and place while hot in a can, and cover
closely, again heating the coffee before or after grinding prior to
preparing. Or place one pound of raw beans in a broad dripping-pan,
shaking and stirring it until they begin to brown and crackle, then
turn the pan from end to end rapidly, until they are evenly colored
to a cinnamon or chocolate shade. Then place the pan on a table to
rest, and stir into the coffee the beaten whites of two eggs and a
tablespoonful of fresh butter, glazing every bean, as this preserves
the aroma until ground. When cool shake the beans in a small sieve, so
that they may not stick together, and put them in an air-tight canister
until required.
[Illustration: SORTING COFFEE.]
A combination of one part Mocha, one part Rio and two parts Java or
Maracaibo will yield a heavy, rich, strong-flavored coffee, but not
as smooth and pleasing as if the Rio were omitted, unless for those
preferring it. In other words, when a smooth and delicate flavored
beverage is required, use one-third Mocha and two-thirds Java. When
strong and heavy is desired, use Rio and Maracaibo or temper the former
by combining it with some of the milder kinds. When a rich, smooth
beverage is desired, a combination of one-third Mocha and two-thirds
Java; if a medium, Java and Maracaibo or some other good, mild grade.
But when a heavy body and strong flavor is required, a blend of Rio
or Santos and Maracaibo in equal proportions should be made. Good
Maracaibo being equal to many Javas and is constantly substituted for
it by unprincipled dealers, both wholesale and retail.
A combination consisting of one-third Mocha and two-thirds Java
fresh roasted and fresh ground makes an ideal cup of coffee. Two
tablespoonfuls or one ounce of this blend to each pint of boiling water
produces a beverage that cannot fail to suit the average taste. But for
consumers who prefer a heavy-bodied beverage a combination of equal
proportions of Santos, Caracas and Maracaibo, will be found to yield a
rich, heavy, pungent and fragrant liquor. These quantities are intended
for a strong beverage, but where only a moderate degree of strength is
desired it is best to use only half these quantities of coffee to the
same quantity of water.
Some recent experiments in Germany confirm the opinion that coffee,
which is an aid to digestion, should be an infusion and not a
decoction, for which particular reason alone the after-dinner coffee
especially should be an infusion, as the _caffeine_ of coffee, which
is the element most stimulating, is best drawn out by keeping the
coffee at the boiling point, but without boiling, for a few minutes
before serving, as prolonged boiling extracts the astringent property,
tannin. There seems to be, however, a general tendency in favor of the
filtering process, by which the use of all foreign substances, such as
eggs, isinglass, hartshorn, codfish and sole-skins, to clear and settle
it, may be dispensed with altogether.
To make filtered coffee with cold water, put one teacupful of
finely-ground coffee in a small pan and heat over the fire. Stir
constantly until hot and then put the hot coffee in the filter of the
coffee-pot, placing the coarse strainer on top and pour in a cupful of
cold water by degrees, then cover and let stand for half an hour. Next
add three cupfuls of cold water, a cupful at a time, and when all the
water has passed through the filter, pour it out, and pass it again
through the filter, cover closely and heat it to the boiling point
before serving. The coffee prepared in this manner will be perfectly
clear and sparkling in liquor, smooth, rich and fragrant in flavor, or
mix the coffee with the white of an egg together, then pour one-third
of the requisite quantity of cold water and set the pot on the range
where it will heat up gradually until it begins to boil; then add
another third of cold water, and when it again begins to boil add the
balance of cold water and allow it to again reach the boiling point;
remove and let stand for a few minutes to settle before serving. By
this method boiling water may be used instead of cold if so desired,
but the use of cold water makes a richer and stronger infusion, as none
of the aroma of the coffee is lost by evaporation, and the refreshing
properties are better extracted by the slower process.
Filtered coffee should never be boiled; so that by placing the
coffee-pot in a vessel of boiling water it keeps the coffee at the
boiling point, but prevents it from boiling. Coffee made by the
cold-water process is invariably stronger than when made with boiling
water, and is, in the opinion of many connoisseurs, much better, so
that a reduced quantity of coffee will answer. Another advantage of
using cold water in the filtering process is that the coffee may be
prepared from it at any time and heated as required; but if to be
served after dinner it will be better if made with three cupfuls of
water instead of four.
But no matter what method of preparing is adopted, or what kind of
vessel the beverage is prepared in, the result will be satisfactory if
the coffee be pure, good and _fresh roasted_, _fresh ground_ and _fresh
made_ with _fresh water_, _fresh boiled_ and _fresh served_. But always
serve with whipped cream or hot milk, heating the milk to the boiling
point, _but never allow it to boil_.