PREPARING FOR USE. 23 1 



first heat the ground coffee in the vessel and pour on boil- 

 ing water or milk when the coffee is sufficiently heated, 

 and stir with a spoon for one minute, then allow to stand 

 by the fire where it will keep hot, without boiling, for 

 another minute and stir again and then let stand to settle 

 for two minutes, after which it is ready for use, care being 

 taken when pouring out not to disturb the grounds. 

 But, if a pitcher be used it, must be first heated with boil- 

 ing water and allowed to stand in a warm place to infuse 

 for at least ten minutes before serving. 



There are so many different varieties of coffee and such 

 a wide dissimilarity of tastes, that it is almost next to 

 impossible to suggest the special kind of coffee to select 

 for use, even for the average consumer, the same difficulty 

 also applying to what constitutes the requisite quantity. 

 Many old-time coffee-drinkers prefer a strong, dark, or, 

 as they term it, " an old-fashioned Rio." Others Hke a 

 good Maracaibo, or other fine, mild grade, such as Cey- 

 lon, Jamaica and Guatemala ; in fact, these are the most 

 popular grades and the choice of the majority of con- 

 sumers, not only on account of their intrinsic merits, 

 but also on account of price. For an exceedingly fine 

 coffee, however, the best results are obtained from a 

 combination of true Java and genuine Mocha, mixed in 

 the proportions of two-thirds of the former to one-third 

 of the latter, fresh roasted, fresh ground and fresh made ; 

 while, with regard to quantity, one, two and three table- 

 spoonfuls to each pint of water is recommended, accord- 

 ing to the number to be served and the strength required. 



The degree of strength is altogether a matter of taste, 

 two ounces, or four heaping tablespoonfuls, of pure, 

 ground coffee, made with absolutely boiling water, will 

 yield a full quart of average strength, making a pleasant 

 and well-flavored breakfast coffee. But for four persons 



