2o8 COFFEE 



During the summer of 1922, there was established at Mt. Pleasant, 

 South Carolina, in cooperation with Mr. Alfred Jouannet, an experi- 

 mental commercial factory. Mr. Jouannet's plantation was selected 

 because of the fact that he had growing on his place, large cassina 

 hedges which afforded ample material easily accessible for the pur- 

 pose. About 5,000 lbs. of cassina, of three different kinds, were 

 produced by different methods of manufacture, namely Green Cassina, 

 Black Cassina, and Cassina Mate. In December, 1922, Mr. W. G. 

 Campbell, Acting Chief of the Department of Chemistry, reported 

 to the Secretary of Agriculture at Washington, D. C, that an ex- 

 cellent beverage could be made from cassina leaves. Laboratory 

 investigations have shown that a very delightful beverage, resembling 

 tea in many respects, can be made from cassina when the leaves are 

 treated by processes similar to those used in curing tea. Preliminary 

 reports indicate that the laboratory results can be duplicated on a 

 commercial scale, as cassina can be placed on the market at about 

 one-fourth the cost of China tea. 



The process of manufacture is simple. The twigs are cut from the 

 bushes and hauled to a barn where negro women and girls pick off 

 the bulk of the leaves. These leaves are passed through a chopping 

 machine and placed in trays for a day to dry. Final desiccation is 

 accomplished by oven-treatment. This method of preparation results 

 in Black Cassina. The twigs with the remaining leaves are placed in 

 a sterilizer and subjected to steam for fifteen minutes. This treat- 

 ment causes the leaves to drop off. The leaves are then ground, and 

 the resulting product is Green Cassina. The remaining twigs are 

 then utilized as fuel. The best cassina beverage, like the best tea, 

 is a mixture of the leaves produced by the green and black processes. 



The taste for cassina is easily acquired. Many inveterate tea- and 

 coffee-drinkers, who have submitted themselves to the experiment, 

 have found no inconvenience by substituting cassina in lieu of their 

 customary beverage. Cassina is prepared by boiling the leaves. 

 Merely passing hot water over the leaves does not produce a desirable 

 drink. It may be drunk with or without cream, and sweetened 

 according to the individual taste. Like coffee, it is more of a tonic 

 when taken clear. The United States Government investigators 

 have produced two delicious soft drinks from the cassina plant. One 

 of these beverages is sweet ; the other has a somewhat bitter undertone 



