762 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. 



U914), No. 1, pp. 1S2-1S6). — The author reports in detail the results of experi- 

 ments undertaken for Taylor's investigation of the action of coppered vegetables 

 on the health and nutrition of man (E. S. R., 29, p. 762). 



When coppered vegetables formed a part of the experimental diet, a distinct 

 retention of copper was noted. " In order to obtain a true balance, an allow- 

 ance must be made for copper normally ingested in foods. This value can be 

 obtaiued by assuming that the output of copper in the foreperiod represents the 

 copper Ingested during that time. The copper so retained In the body will prob- 

 ably be only slowly eliminated." 



Better coffee making — recom.mendations for dealers and consum.ers result- 

 ing' from exhaustive studies which disclosed the importance of fine granu- 

 lation and the high efficiency of the filtration method, E. Aboen {Tea and 

 Coffee Trade Jour., 25 {1913), No. 6, pp. 568-574, fig. i).— This paper, read 

 before the convention of the National Coffee Roasters' Association, November, 

 1913, discusses the general subject of cofL'ee brewing with special reference to 

 the results of the analysis of coffee infusions prepared by different methods. 



Stress Is laid on the importance of fresh granulation and accurate methods 

 of measuring materials and temperatures. A mixture of Bogota and Santos 

 coffee, medium roast, in both medium ground and pulverized form, was used 

 in the experiments. Seven tablespoons of coffee (80 gm. of medium and 82 gm. 

 of pulverized coffee) were used to 6 cups of water (750 cc), which Is the usual 

 household allowance. The coffee was prepared in four different ways, namely, 

 boiling, steeping, percolating, and filtration. 



Boiled coffee was made by placing medium ground material in cold water, 

 heating it to the boiling point at which it was maintained for 5 minutes, and 

 then adding a little cold water to cause the grounds to settle. Steeped coffee was 

 made in the same way, except that it was settled and poured off directly the 

 boiling point was reached. Finely ground coffee was used for the percolated 

 preparations and the directions provided by the manufacturers of the percolators 

 were followed. Filtered coffee was prepared from finely powdered coffee berries 

 Inclosed in a muslin bag over which vigorously boiling water was poured. 



The amounts of total solids, tannin, and caffein in coffee by each method 

 were carefully determined. It was found that the general strength of the brew 

 (amount of total solids present) depended rather on the fineness of granula- 

 tion than on the length of time which the coffee and water were cooked 

 together. Lengthening the cooking period (as In boiling or percolating) tended 

 to extract more tannin In proportion to caffein and other bodies on which the 

 desirable flavor seems to depend. In percolators, water far below the boiling 

 point in temperature is sprayed for a considerable period over the coffee, with 

 the result that the flavor is not well extracted though the tannin is, a fact, 

 according to the author, contrary to the claims of many manufacturers. On 

 the whole, filtration was found to produce coffee giving best results as regards 

 both flavor and low tannin content. 



The amounts of tannin found in a cup of the various infusions were as fol- 

 lows: Boiled, 2.44 grains; steeped, 2.40 grains; percolated, 2.21 to 2.90 grains; 

 filtered, 0.20 to 0.25 grain. The amounts of caffein are: Boiled, 2.50 grains; 

 steeped (medium ground), 0.75 grain; steeped (finely ground), 1.75 grains; 

 percolated, 2.75 grains; filtered, 2.50 grains. 



The author makes several practical deductions, as follows : 



" The use of eggs to settle the coffee is common to boiling and steeping 

 recipes. The effect of the egg ... is to poach the grounds, which, thus 

 weighted, sinlc to the bottom, . . . The liquor can be better cleared by strain- 

 ing off and the egg adds a foreign matter to the coffee which is no improve- 

 ment to flavor. . . . 



