76 METHODS OF MAKING COFFEE. 



the heat in such a manner as to secure a good result. If the 

 heat be so violent as to burn any part, the whole will be materi- 

 ally injured. The coffee-roaster should never be filled above 

 one-third ; for by roasting, the bulk of coffee is nearly doubled, 

 and sufficient space ought to remain to allow of turning the 

 coffee readily, that every part may be equally exposed to the heat. 



In Italy they roast coffee in small quantities, very frequently 

 in one of the thin flasks of glass used for oil, which answer ex- 

 tremely well if the roasting is performed over a charcoal fire, 

 and the coffee shaken and turned often. The non-conducting 

 power of the glass is thought to give this material an advantage 

 over metal, as being less liable to burn ; added to which, the 

 progress of the roasting can be better watched. One of these 

 flasks will roast somewhat less than a quarter of a pound at a 

 time; and it is, perhaps, worth while mentioning that this 

 mode is often found useful to the traveller. 



The grinding of coffee is performed by iron mills. A small 

 portable mill is commonly used, but it is insufficient for the 

 purposes of a large household, as it holds but a comparatively 

 small quantity. When larger quantities are required in a 

 family, a coffee-mill of a larger kind, requiring less labor, 

 is fixed against the wall ; the construction of the mill is 

 about the same in both instances, and being familiar to most 

 persons, need not be described. This is, indeed, an indispen- 

 sable machine in domestic economy, as the goodness of the cof- 

 fee depends much upon its being fresh-ground. Coffee ought 

 to be ground sufficiently fine, in order that the w^ater may be 

 enabled to penetrate to the centre of the particles and extract 

 those parts upon which the valuable qualities of the beverage 

 depend. When coffee is very highly roasted, so as to develop 

 the greatest quantity of bitter aroma without burning, it is ren- 

 dered more difficult to grind, for it then acquires an oily surface, 

 which causes the kernels to slip over each other, and hence they 



