The manner in which coffee is roasted is of great importance to
its flavour. If roasted too little, it will be weak and insipid;
if too much, the taste will be bitter and unpleasant. To have it
very good, it should be roasted immediately before it is made,
doing no more than the quantity you want at that time. It loses
much of its strength by keeping, even in twenty-four hours after
roasting. It should on no consideration be ground till directly
before it is made. Every family should be provided with a coffee
roaster, which is an iron cylinder to stand before the fire, and
is either turned by a handle, or wound up like a jack to go of
itself. If roasted in an open pot or pan, much of the flavour
evaporates in the process. Before the coffee is put into the
roaster, it should be carefully examined and picked, lest there
should be stones or bad grains among it. It should be roasted of a
bright brown; and will be improved by putting among it a piece of
butter when about half done.
Watch it carefully while roasting, looking at it frequently.
A coffee-mill affixed to the wall is far more convenient than one
that must he held on the lap. It is best to grind the coffee while
warm.
Allow half a pint of ground coffee to three pints of water. If the
coffee is not freshly roasted, you should put in more. Put the
water into the tin coffee-pot, and set it on hot coals; when it
boils, put in the coffee, a spoonful at a time, (stirring it
between each spoonful,) and add two or three chips of isinglass,
or the white of an egg. Stir it frequently, till it has risen up
to the top in boiling; then set it a little farther from the fire,
and boil it gently for ten minutes, or a quarter of an hour; after
which pour in a tea-cup of cold water, and put it in the corner to
settle for ten minutes. Scald your silver or china pot, and
transfer the coffee to it; carefully pouring it off from the
grounds, so as not to disturb them.
If coffee is allowed to boil too long, it will lose much of its
strength, and also become sour.