PREPARING FOR USE. 243 



water is poured on, the process being repeated about 

 every five minutes until ready to serve. The result of this 

 process is very strong and rich in extract, which is often 

 preserved in a perfectly air-tight jar or other vessel until 

 again required for use. A single teaspoonful of which 

 is sufficient to yield a rich and creamy cup of the bever- 

 age when desired. 



Extract of Coffee Is, properly speaking, the true 

 " Essence of Coffee." It is best obtained by distilling 

 one part of pure ground coffee with five parts water and 

 keeping them at a temperature of 209 C. in a very close 

 vessel for about ten minutes, steaming and evaporating 

 it at a low temperature in a vacuum pan until reduced to 

 one part. Or it may be more conveniently obtained by 

 the Cuban and New Orleans methods already described, 

 one spoonful of which yields a delicious cup of coffee 

 instantaneously as desired. 



It is not too much to state that more than one- half of 

 the beverage which masquerades and is sold under the 

 name of coffee, is unworthy of the appellation and that 

 the majority of the people of this country live and die 

 without ever knowing even the true taste of that delicious 

 and exhilarating beverage ; people being prone to think 

 that they know all about coffee without ever studying 

 what special qualities the different varieties possess, or the 

 best methods of preparing it. As a nation, the American 

 people want the best of everything and expect to get it, 

 and a country which expends so many millions of 

 dollars annually for coffee, can well afford to study the 

 best methods of selecting and properly preparing it. 

 But what avails the best material if it be not prepared 

 in such a manner as to develop and extract its most 

 volatile, delicate, subtle and refreshing properties, as the 

 same properties may be depressing and injurious, or 



