The dried and roasted berries of the coffee plant make an agreeable and
exhilarating beverage, which does not produce the same dire results as
wine or alcohol, although it affects its votaries in other ways. It
stimulates the nervous system and, if taken to excess, produces tremors
and irregular action of the heart. It increases the frequency of the
pulse, removes the sensation of fatigue during exercise, and also
increases the action of the waste-eliminating organs.
Coffee contains an aromatic oil (which gives to it its distinctive
flavour), a peculiar drug principle, called caffein, and also dextrin
and mineral salts. The aroma of the oil is brought out by the roasting
process.
In England, coffee is usually made from a poor quality of bean, served
up tepid and muddy, and drowned in a deluge of water. Probably it was
prepared in this way, when first introduced into this country, since in
a petition against its use in 1674 it was described as “a base, thick,
nasty, stinking, puddle water.”
It is always wise to pay a good price and obtain the best quality and
then prepare it with due care and attention.
Coffee should preferably be taken either as a pure infusion called
“Black Coffee,” or with an equal part of hot milk. Two teaspoonfuls or
more of whipped egg cream greatly improve its flavour.
Above all, cane or beet sugar should not be added to it, as these spoil
the characteristic flavour of the beverage and eventually ruin the
digestion of the person taking it.
How to Infuse Coffee.
Coffee is always at its best when the berries are freshly roasted as
wanted, and then immediately ground and used. This roasting process,
however, takes up much time, which few people are prepared to give.
The roasted beans keep fairly well, even for months, if packed in small
air-tight hermetically sealed tins or bottles. A slight warming or
parching of the beans, or of the ground coffee, is a fair expedient,
although nothing can compare with the fresh roasting immediately before
the coffee is made.
From 2 to 4 dessertspoonfuls, or 1 to 2 ounces, of coffee should go to
the pint.
Fast boiling water, or milk at a temperature of 180° to 200° F., should
be poured over the infusion, and it should then be allowed to stand for
a few minutes with occasional stirring or shaking until ready.
It has been found that coffee gives up 19 to 25 per cent. as an
infusion, but yields up from 30 to 35 per cent. if prepared as a
decoction. To get this extra value out of the grounds the latter are
often boiled with more water after the infusion has been made. This
decoction is then added to the next lot of fresh infusion to give it
colour and body. The objection to this is that the boiling process
extracts much of the undesirable caffein and astringent matter, which
it is unwise to drink.
In some restaurants, coffee is made in an enamelled saucepan, a pinch
of salt is added to increase the flavour, and boiling water is poured
on. It is set back on the fire, stirred well at intervals and allowed
to come to the boil without actually boiling. The lid is put on and it
is set on a slow fire till a scum arises. It is now lifted from the
fire. Lastly it is allowed to settle and the process repeated.
This is a common (and undesirable) method usually adopted when a
maximum amount of coffee has to be made from a minimum amount of
berries.
Pale Roasted Coffee.
This is a favourite beverage among Food-Reformers. When coffee has
been lightly roasted the caffein is said to be undeveloped and thus
passes away in the grounds. According to the late Joseph Wallace, pale
roasted coffee corrects fermentation, and, unlike ordinarily roasted
coffee, removes dyspepsia and sleeplessness; it is also antidotal
to food poisoning and cholera. Pale roasted coffee, taken in strict
moderation, may be safely looked upon as a distinctly useful beverage
in spite of what may be said against it on the score that it contains
caffein (which is a xanthin or uric acid type of substance).
In preparing pale roasted coffee, the correct way is to use 1 ounce or
4 dessertspoonfuls of freshly ground berries to each pint of water.
It must not be boiled. Infuse in warmed earthenware pot. Pour on fast
boiling water, stir with a wooden spoon, pour backwards and forwards,
then allow to settle. Distilled water is the best to use. When the
coffee settles and goes to the bottom of the pot it is ready.
How Coffee is Spoilt.
A poor cup of coffee is produced as a result of:
(1) Inferior quality, or bad roasting.
(2) The purchase of too large a quantity of ground coffee which thus
loses its aromatic oil as a result of prolonged keeping.
(3) The use of an insufficient or excessive amount of coffee to
the quantity of water used.
(4) Not allowing it to stand long enough or, on the other hand,
boiling it or permitting it to stand too long.
(5) By not serving either coffee or milk thoroughly hot.
Turkish Coffee.
To make this, put into a little metal pot, two large tablespoonfuls
of very finely ground coffee and ½ pint of boiling water; sweeten if
necessary with a tablespoonful of honey. Bring to the boil three times,
then pour into small hot cups without straining.
French Coffee.
The so-called “French Coffee,” as usually sold over here, is a mixture
containing a preponderating amount of chicory, and the coffee used is
often over roasted. It is questionable whether coffee made from this
blend can be truthfully styled “French.” It is well known that the
French people make far better coffee, as a rule, than we do in this
country.