rnl-TKK 



331 



them is nin>fully kept clear of weeds. Where the 

 rliin.it.- is dry, abundant irrigation is necessary, 

 l-ii t tin- supply of wuU-r is cut off an the fruit 

 begins to ripen, in order to improve the aroma of 

 the Reeds. The tree yields its first crop in the 

 third \r:ir: from a full-grown tree it may amount 

 tn .-i IIOUIK! of coffee beans. As the coffee-tree 

 continues (lowering for eight months, its fruits 

 Are at any given time of very unequal ripeness ; in 

 the West Indies and Brazil, three gatherings are 



Coffee ; branch with fruit. 



therefore made annually. The beans are placed 

 on mats or large floors specially adapted for the 

 purpose, where they are dried by the sun's rays, 

 being meanwhile frequently turned. They are 

 passed between rollers to remove the dried pulp of 

 the bean, and the membrane which incloses the 

 seeds themselves. The coffee is afterwards freed 

 from impurities by winnowing, and conveyed in 

 bags to the seaports. As equal care is not, how- 

 >ever, bestowed upon the preparation of it in all 

 places where it is cultivated, tnere are great differ- 

 ences in quality and price. 



The earlier history of the coffee-tree is not very 

 clear. Coffee was not known to the Greeks or 

 Romans ; but in Abyssinia and Ethiopia it has 

 been used from time immemorial. In Arabia it 

 was certainly in use in the 15th century, and over 

 the rest of tlie East in the 16th century. Towards 

 the end of the 17th century, the coffee-tree 

 was carried from Mocha to Batavia by Wieser, a 

 burgomaster of Amsterdam, where it was soon 

 extensively planted, and at last young plants were 

 sent to the botanical garden at Amsterdam, from 

 which the Paris garden obtained a tree. A layer 

 of this was carried out to Martinique in 1720, 

 where it succeeded so well, that in a few years all 

 the West Indies could be supplied with young 

 trees. 



The following sorts are particularly distinguished 

 from each other in commerce. Mocha Coffee, which 

 comes from Arabia, and is known by its small gray 

 beans inclining to greenish ; Java or East Intlinn 

 Coffee, which has large yellow beans ; Jamaica 

 Coffee, with beans somewhat smaller and greenish ; 

 Surinam Coffee, which has the largest beans ; 

 Bourbon Coffee, with beans pale yellow and almost 

 whitish. Tne devastation of the Ceylon plantations 

 by the leaf disease (see CEYLON) has led to the 



introduction of a hitherto neglected variety, the 

 Coffea Liberica, or Liberian Coffee, a native of the 

 west coast of Africa. It unjwurs to re*ut the 

 ravages of the disease which has been MO fatal 

 to the Arabian variety in Ceylon ; but being of 

 coarser character, it in grown only to a very small 

 extent. 



The great demand for coffee has led to the 

 employment of a number of cheaper sulmtitute*, 

 of which Chicory (q.v.) root is the beat known. 

 Of others, dandelion root, carrot, and the seeds 

 of the common yellow iris may be mentioned. 

 They are prepared by roasting like coffee. The 

 seeds of Astragalus Bceticus, are known on the 

 continent of Europe as Swedish Coffee, and are 

 said to be the best substitute for coffee yet dis- 

 covered. But all these substitutes want the most 

 important constituent of true coffee, caffeine ; and 

 are therefore very different from it in their qualities. 

 Ground coffee is subject to great adulteration, as 

 will l)e seen from the article ADULTERATION. 



In France and other continental countries, ground 

 coffee is largely mixed with caramel or burnt sugar. 

 This is for the most part prepared by skilfully 

 roasting the ' foots ' or dregs obtained in the refin- 

 ing of sugar. In moderate quantities it imparts 

 a flavour considered by many to improve the infu- 

 sion. The so-called ' French coffee ' now so largely 

 sold in England contains more or less of cara- 

 mel commonly much more than is desirable, ite 

 commercial value being very small. A rough test 

 or indication of this is easily obtainable by dipping 

 a bright silver or plated spoon into the infusion. 

 The caramel infusion adheres to the spoon much 

 more decidedly than the pure coffee infusion, and 

 leaves a darker stain. Infusion of chicory behaves 

 similarly to that of caramel. 



The leaves of the coffee-tree are used in the 

 western part of Sumatra instead of the seeds. 

 They are prepared by quick drying in a manner 

 similar to that in which tea-leaves are prepared ; 

 and in this state contain even a larger proportion 

 of caffeine than the coffee beans of our shops. 



Coffee owes its exhilarating and refreshing pro- 

 perties to the presence of three substances : ( 1 ) 

 Caffeine (q.v.), which occurs in the roasted bean 

 to the extent of f to 1 per cent. ; (2) a volatile oil, 

 which is not present in the raw bean, but is 

 developed during the process of roasting to the 

 extent of only one part in about 50,000 of the 

 roasted coffee; and (3) astringent acids, resem- 

 bling tannic acid, but called caffeo-tannic and 

 caffeic acids. The average composition of un- 

 roasted coffee is as follows : 



Caffeine 0-8 



Legumin ( vegetable Casein* ) ( q.v.) ISO 



Gum and sugar 16'5 



Caffeo-tannic and Caffeic acids 6-0 



Fat and volatile oil 13-0 



Woody fibre 84 



Ash.... 6-7 



Water J2-Q 



100-0 



When the beans are roasted till they assume a 

 reddish-brown colour, they lose 15 per cent, by 

 weight, and gain 30 per cent, in bulk ; when 

 further roasted till they become chestnut brown, 

 they have lost 20 per cent, by weight, and increased 

 50 per cent, in bulk ; whilst if the roasting is con- 

 tinued till the beans become dark brown, they lose 

 25 per cent, in weight, and acquire 50 per cent, in 

 bulk. When the roasting is carried too far, more 

 or less charring is the result, and a disagreeable 

 burnt smell is produced, which tends to overcome 

 the natural pleasant aroma. 



In Britain coffee is usually under-roasted, prob- 

 ably in order to escape the loss of weight, as the 

 roaster is also the retailer. But in "France, in 

 Norway, in Germany, and other countries where it 



