Dr. A. Schulte im Hofe 123 
sample requires to be tested. In the case of 
tea, however, a tasting sample is easily pre- 
pared; 120 c.c. of freshly boiling water being 
poured on to 3 grm. of tea, and allowed to 
stand for four minutes, after which the infusion 
is poured off the leaves; whilst compared to 
this the preparation of a sample of beans for 
tasting is more troublesome. On p. 98 I 
mentioned how I introduced the tasting test 
for cacao in San Thomé. The apparatus used 
was cheap, but the beans had to be pounded 
(zervezben) up in a mortar and this was a very 
troublesome process.’ I should strongly advise 
the use of a small rolling machine, such as is 
used for this purpose in chocolate factories. 
In preparing the cacao for tasting, 50 grm. of 
beans are roasted in a small drum, such as is 
generally used for small quantities of cacao. 
It will be found that the roasting can be most 
conveniently done on plantations over a small 
petroleum stove. It is very difficult to make 
a definite statement as to how long and at 
what temperature the cacao should be roasted ; 
this must be learnt by experience. As a rough 
1 And yet on many of the estates in Trinidad we 
often had to pound up each morning, before breakfast, 
the beans to be used as chocolate during the day. This 
was done in the well-known wooden mortar which 
stands on the ground, whilst the tall pestle or rammer 
is worked by the operator, standing, in the same way 
as the men in London and elsewhere use a stamper 
to lay flag-stones, wooden pavements, or cobbles.— 
H.H. S. 
