On the Tlicory and Practice of Cookery 505 



are allowed to undergo a moderate kind of of 5' of hardness, could not generally be 

 fermentation, and they are then dried and distinguished from tea made with water of 

 roasted. In the case of tea, the roasting 2>^° only, although a delicate palate 

 operation is performed during the process of would recognise a slightly increased bitterness 

 drying and curling, by heating the leaves upon without any enhancement of flavour in the 

 wire-sieves held over a charcoal fire, but cocoa latter. It would seem, indeed, that mode- 

 and coffee are roasted in metallic cylinders, rately hard water makes the best flavoured 

 which are kept revolving over a clear fire — tea, provided it is allowed to stand upon the 

 coflfee being roasted until it is partially charred, tea sufficiently long. In the case of the 

 and has lost from 14 to 20 per cent, in weight. Greenwich pensioners the tea was made from 

 By this means the aroma, or volatile oil, is water of 24^ of hardness before boil- 

 in each case produced ; and there is also an ing, and 18 -6° after; but the infusion 

 empyreumatic change in the astringent acids, was maintained for half an hour, by surround- 

 the sugar, the gum, and the starch, whereby ing the vessel with a steam case ; and thus 

 extractive matters, varying in amount and an excellently flavoured tea was obtained, 

 quality, according to the degree of heat, are The Commissioners, indeed, truly remark, that 

 formed. Shrader has examined the subject "where any great loss of strength of tea in- 

 in respect of coffee, and has ascertained that fusion has been observed in passing from a 

 the following are the proportions of the several soft water to a harder, it may be probably re- 

 constituents in raw and roasted coffee : — ferred to the circumstance that the mode of 

 Raw Roasted infusing it has not been properly adapted to 

 Coffee. Coffee. ^^g j^^rd watcr ; and then there is doubtless 



Peculiar coffee principle 17-58 1 2 -50 ^qj-,.,^ ^^^^^^ ^f ^^^y L^j^g waters have been 



Gum and mucilage 3-64 1042 ^ ^^^ ^^^j ^^^^U^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^_ 



ratty maUer and resm 0-93 2 -05 "= 



Kxtractive 0-62 4-80 ^ess and supposed fitness for makmg tea, 



Woody tissues and cellulose ... 66-66 6875 solely because they happen to produce a 



Mixture, &c 10-57 I -45 deep-coloured solution, which conveys a false 



notion ofstrength; but in reality, flavour is always 

 sacrificed for the mere look of the thing, there 

 Infusions of tea and coftee should be made being no increase of physiological or dieteti- 

 with boiling water, but they should never cal property. The Chinese, who are very 

 afterwards be boiled, for the aromatic principle good authorities on this subject, never use 

 is very volatile, and would be thus lost ; either very soft or very hard waters, for their 

 besides which, a decoction of tea or coffee is rule is to take the water of a running stream 

 disagreeably bitter on account of the solution — " best from the hill side, and next from a 

 of the coarse forms of extractive matter, river." We may conclude, therefore, that 

 Soft water also extracts these matters, and, water of from 4^ to 7'' of hardness, after 

 therefore, appears to give a stronger infusion being boiled, is best suited for infusions 

 than moderately hard waters, but it is always of tea and coffee ; for such water dis- 

 at a sacrifice of delicate flavour. Excellent solves the aromatic and physiological consti- 

 tea is made in London with water of 14^ tuents without extracting the disagreeable 

 or 15° of original hardness, and of bitter principles. In the case of coffee, in 

 about 5'' when boiled. This was a fact, a little acid, as a portion of lemon juice, 

 subject of investigation by the Government improves the flavour, notwithstanding that 

 Chemical Commission (Professors Graham, it adds to the hardness of the infusion. Ex- 

 Miller, and Hofmann), who were appointed perimentally it is found that infusions of tea 

 in 1 85 1 to inquire into the chemical quality of and coffee are strong enough when the former 

 the water supply of London; and they re- contains o '6 percent, of extracted matter, and 

 ported that in their experiments they found the latter 3 per cent., so that a moderate- 

 that tea made from the boiled London water sized cup (5 oz.) should contain about 13 



