70 Transactions of the 



succeed they must contain an aromatic principle, a bitter, and an 

 astringent principle. These properties are found to exist more or 

 less in the following : — 



The roasted seeds of the yellow-water iris {Iris loseudacorus) ; 

 the seeds of a plant called in Turkey 'Kenguel;' the roasted 

 acorn (often used in the south of riance, and imported into 

 England, probably to adulterate coifee) ; many other plants, such 

 as beans, wheat, nuts, the seeds of the common broom, &c. 



That, however, which is most extensively used of all to take the 

 place of coffee is the root of the plant named chicory. 



Chicory, succory, or wild endive, is one of our native weeds, and 

 may often be seen, with its pale blue flowers, in the meadows. It 

 has a white tap-root, not unlike that of the parsnip, which, when 

 cultivated, increases considerably in size. It contains, in large 

 quantity, a bitter juice, which led to its adoption as a substitute 

 for coffee. To prepare it for use this method is adopted : — The 

 root (taken up before the plant shoots into flower) is washed, 

 sliced, and dried, and then roasted till it is of a dark brownish- 

 red colour, when it is ready for grinding. It does not in any 

 degree possess the fragrant smell of coffee, though to some the 

 bitter taste caused by its addition is an iraprovenieut to the 

 coffee. 



Tlie simplest way of detecting a mixture of coffee and chicory 

 is to put the powder into some clear cold water, when the chicory 

 will give a coloured infusion, while, if pure coffee alone is pre- 

 sent, the water remains unaltered. Again, some of the powder 

 may be gently heated with sulphuric acid and peroxide of man- 

 ganese, when golden-yellow crystals of a sitbstance called kinon 

 will sublime. A suspected mixture of chicory and coffee may also 

 be detected by testing with salts of peroxide of iron. The infu- 

 sion of chicory is brownish-yellow in hue, and only becomes a 

 little darker when such a salt of iron is added, giving no precipi- 

 tate. The infusion of coffee, on the other hand, is of a rich brown 

 colour, and it becomes green when the iron solution is added, 

 giving a brownish-green precipitate. Owing to the demand for 

 chicory to mix with coffee, it is as often adulterated as coffee 

 itself. The common ground chicory of Berlin is said to contain 

 half its weight of wasted turnips, and on the Rhine carrots are 

 used for the same purpose. Again, roast wheat, beans, potatoes, 

 ground acorns, &c., are often added to the ' coffee' (to make it 

 palatable ?), while, to please the eye, Venetian red, brick dust, 

 and mahogany sawdust, lend their services in the cause of 

 adulteration ! 



A lively discussion on some points mentioned in the paper 



