Of the Excellent Qualities of Coffee. 627 



coffee in powder, and surrounding the machine in 

 which the coffee is made by boihng water or by the 

 steam of boiling water ; for the temperature of boihng 

 water is invariable (while the pressure of the atmos- 

 phere remains the same), and the temperature of steam 

 is the same as that of the boiling water from which it 

 escapes. 



But the temperature of boiling water is preferable to 

 all others for making coffee, not only on account of its 

 constancy, but also on account of its being most favoura- 

 ble to the extraction of all that is valuable in the roasted 

 grain. 



As it is well known that the heat of boiling water 

 is not that which is the most favourable for extracting 

 from malt those saccharine parts which it furnishes 

 in the process of making beer, I thought it possible, 

 though not at all probable, that some lower temper- 

 ature than that of boiling water might also be most 

 advantageous in preparing coffee ; but after having 

 made a great number of experiments, in order to ascer- 

 tain that important point, I found that coffee infused 

 with boiling water was always higher-flavoured and 

 better tasted than when the water used in that pro- 

 cess was at a lower temperature. 



I have frequently taken coffee of the best quality, 

 newly burned, and with equal portions of it in powder 

 and equal quantities of water have made coffee in two 

 like coffee-pots, with this single difference, — that the 

 water poured into one of them has been boiling hot, 

 while that poured into the other has been at some 

 lower temperature ; and I have constantly found that 

 the coffee made with the boiling water has been 

 preferred by all good judges, especially when they 



