92 ANALYSIS AND ADULTERATIONS OF COFFEE. 



extent. Usually, however, part of the coffee subsides with the 

 chiccoiy, and a portion of the latter remains on the surface with 

 the coffee ; and after the lapse of a short time, in general, both 

 coffee and chiccory fall to the bottom. Again, if the cold water 

 to which a portion of ground coffee has been added quickly 

 becomes deeply colored, it is an evidence of the presence of 

 some roasted vegetable substance or burnt sugar; for when 

 coffee is added to water, it becomes scarcely colored for some 

 time. Lastly, if in a few grains of coffee spread out on a 

 piece of glass, and moistened with a few drops of water, we are 

 enabled to pick out, by means of a needle, minute pieces of 

 substance of a soft consistence, the coffee is doubtless adulter- 

 ated ; for the particles of the coffee-seed are hard and resisting, 

 and do not become soft even after prolonged immersion in water. 

 When, therefore, any sample cakes into a mass, quickly 

 furnishes to cold water a deep-colored solution, or is found to 

 contain, when moistened with water, soft particles like those of 

 bread-crumbs, there can be no question as to the existence of 

 adulteration. The general characters of genuine ground coffee 

 are, therefore, the reverse of the above." 



By these general means, and without having recourse to 

 science, the observer is often enabled to state whether any sam- 

 ple of coffee is adulterated or not ; but, in order to determine 

 the character of the adulteration practised, we must employ 

 either the microscope or chemistry. In the case of coffee, by 

 far the most important information- is furnished by the micro- 

 scope ; indeed, chemistry affords no certain means for the iden- 

 tification of the majority of the vegetable substances employed 

 in the adulteration of coffee, and, did it do so, it would hardly 

 be required, since these may be so readily detected by the mi- 

 croscope. It is known that the adulterations of coffee are 

 always greatly increased by a high duty on the article, which 

 makes the admixture of all farinaceous substances immensely 



