2!5 HORTUS. JAlNfAICENSlS. coffb^ 



may csU "-ood coffee in die island, for they generally drink it a la Sw-tan ,-* and never* 

 reserve more than is sufficient to supply them iVom one year to another. 



" I have examined the Turkey roffee v\'ith great care^ .since I came to En^and, and- 

 conclude, from tjie size of the grr.:n,_ t'^e frequent abordon of one of the seeds, and 

 the narrowness of the skia that contains .tiie pnij>, that the shrub niirst be greatly- 

 stunted in its growth, and from hence judge that v.'hoever.endeavours to produce good; 

 coffee, and such as would raelkivv as stjon as that of Arabia ; or expect seeds that hihv 

 have the same flavour, must try what can be, produced on the lower hills and mountains^-. 

 of the southern part of the island." 



An interesting analvsis of coffee-bas lately been, made by M. Cadet, apothecary ifl 

 ordinary to the Vfench imperial household ; from which it appears, that the berries* 

 contain" mucilage in abundance, much gallic acid, a.resin, a concrete essential oil, some 

 albumen, and a volatile aromatic principle, with a portion of. lim.e, potash, charcoal, ;. 

 iron, &c. Roasting developes the soluble principles. Mpcha coffee is of all kinds ths > 

 most aromatic and resinous. M. Cadet advises that coffee be neither roasted nor in- 

 fused till the day it be drank> and "that the roasting should be moderaie* 



The various usesand great virtues of coffee, have been most clearly pointed out in 

 Dr. Ivloseley's learned and ingenious Treatise, from v.kich the following extracts are , 

 taken : ^ _ 



" After coffee has recei'^'ed all the excellence it can from the planter ; it is a matter 

 of great consequence, that proper care be taken in shipping it for Europe : it should . 

 not be put into parts of the vessel, where it may be injured by dampness, or by the 

 effluvia of other freight. Coffee berries are remarkably disposed to imbibe exhalations . 

 from other bodies, and thereby acquire an adventitious and disagreeable flavour. Kum ; 

 placednear to coffee will, in a shoVt tirhe, so impregnate the berries as to injure their . 

 i3S.V0ur.- It is said, that a few bags of pepper on board a ship from India, spoiled a, 

 whole cargo of coffee. 



" The chemical analvsis of coffee evinces that it possesses a great portion of mildly 

 bitter^ and lightly astringent gummous and resinous extract ; a considerable quantity 

 of oil; a fixed salt; and a volatile salt. These are its medicinal constituent princi- 

 ples. The intention of torrefaction is not only to make it deliver those principles, and 

 make them soluble in water, b.ut to give it a property it does not possess in the natuVal 

 sraire of the berry. By the action of fire, its leguminous taste, and the aqueous part 

 of its mucilage, are destroyed ; its saline properties are^created, and disengaged, and 

 its oil is rendered empyreumaiic. From thence arises the pungent smell, and exhiler- 

 atino flavour, not found in its natural state. 



'^Imitations of coffee have been procured from roasted beans, peas, wheat, and rye, 

 with almonds ; but the delicacy of the oil in coffee, which the fire, in roa^sting, con- 

 verts into its peculiar empyreuma, is not to be equalled. 



" The roasting of the berry to a proper degree, requires great nicety. If it be un- 

 der done, its virtues will not be imparted, and in use it will load and oppress the^sto- 

 HKivh : If it be over-done, it will yield aflat, burnt, and bitter taste, its virtues will , 

 be destroyed, and in use it.will heat the body, and act as an astringent. The closer it 



is 



v'rihis I take to he rather the infusion of the half burnt flafte.<: of new coffee (for it never will parch, crind, _ 

 or mix, proptriy while fresh), like that commonly uied by tiie coflee planters in JanaJca, tij4 a dtcocuaBiiV 

 Si the coverings, as it is commoniy reported to be. 



