ON COFFEE. 



125 



do not perceptibly differ from each other; but that from 

 Mocha, as was observed above, is more aromatic, Jess 

 gummy, and more resinous. It is probable, that the resin Perhaps the 

 of coffee, as that of most astringent vegetables, has pecu- resin medicina1 ' 

 liar medicinal properties. As it is obtainable neither by 

 infusion nor decoction in water, the habitual use of coffee 

 can afford us no insight into its action on the animal eco- 

 nomy. It is for physicians to make such experiments on 

 the subject, as they may deem useful. 



If I might be allowed from this analysis to draw pre- Domestic use 

 cepts applicable to the domestic use of coffee, I would say, 

 that it is possible to make excellent coffee from every kind 

 of the berry found in the shops, provided it be not damaged. 

 Amateurs look to three points of perfection in coffee: 

 they would have in it an agreeable aroma, a slightly rough 

 taste, and a certain density, which is called body*. All 

 these objects, I believe, may be obtained, by proceeding 

 as follows. 



1. Choose a coffee, that, when dry, has no taste of How u is t0 be 



, , , made in the 



mouldiness, or is not damaged by salt water. greatest p erf ec- 



2. Divide the quantity to be roasted into two equal tl0n - 

 parts. 



3. Roast one portion only till it is of the colour of 

 dry almonds, or bread raspings, and has lost one eighth of 

 its weight. 



4. Roast the other till it is of a brown chesnut colour, 

 and has lost nearly one fifth of its weight. 



5. Mix both these together, and then grind them. 



6. Let the coffee be both roasted and infused the day on 

 which it is to be drunk. 



7. Pour four cups of cold water on four measures, or 

 two ounces of coffee, and when the water has run off, set 

 it by. 



8. On the same coffee pour three cups of boiling water, 

 and mix the water that runs off with the preceding. You 

 should thus have six cups of coffee. 



* Some of the eastern nations value this density so highly, that 

 they reduce their coffee to a very fine powder, leave the grounds 

 in the infusion, and drink it as thick as a kind of thin pap. 



9. The 



