COFFEE. 



51 



Peeling, pulping^ and winnowing. — The coifee-peeler, used for se- 

 parating tlie beaa from the pellicle, was formerly a large wheel 

 revolving in a trough, the disadvantage of which was the flatten- 

 ing more or less of the bean when not thoroughly dr}^. A new 

 machine has been recently introduced, tlie invention of Mr. Nel- 

 son, C.E., of the Ceylon iron works, by which this evil is ob- 

 viated ; its principle being not weight, but simple friction, of 

 sufficient force to break the parchment at first, and, when con- 

 tinued, to polish the bean free from the husk. A very simple 

 winnowing machine for cleaning the coffee as it comes out of the 

 peeler, is attached. From the winnowing machine it runs into 

 ^ the separating machine, which sorts it into sizes, and equalizes 

 the samples, by which a vast amount of time and manual labour 

 are saved. The same principle is intended to be applied by Mr. 

 IsTelson to pulping, which Avill obviate the injury now inflicted by 

 the grater upon the fresh berry. In spite of the greatest care 

 numbers of the beans in a sample, on close examination, will be 

 found scratched or pecked ; and when the closest attention is not 

 paid, or the person superintending tlie process is devoid of me- 

 chanical skill, the injury is proportionate. 



The ordinary pulping-mill in use, consists of a cylinder of wood 

 or iron, covered with sheet brass or copper, and punctured simi- 

 larly to a nutmeg grater. This cylinder, technically called the 

 barrel, vuns upon a spindle, which turns a brass pick on each 

 side nf a frame. Immediately in a line with the centre upon 

 which it turns, and placed vertical to each other, are two 

 pieces of wood, frequently shod with iron or copper, called 

 "the chops," placed about half an inch apart, or sufficient to 

 allow the passage of "parchment" coffee between them. 

 The lower chop is placed so close to the barrel, yet without 

 contact, that all coff'ee must be stopped by it and thrown out- 

 wards. The upper chop is adjusted to that distance only which 

 will permit the cherry coffee to come into contact with the barrel ; 

 but will not allow the berries to pass on till they have been 

 denuded of their red epidermis by a gentle squeeze against its 

 rough surface. The far gi'eater portion of the pulps are separated 

 by being carried past the lower chops upon the sharp points of 

 the copper, and thrown out behind, and a few are left v. ith the 

 parchment coffee. As from the different sizes of the berries, and 

 their crowding for precedence as they descend from the hopper 

 above to the gentle embrace of the barrel and upper chop, some 

 pass unpulped, the coffee as it comes from the lower chop is made 

 to fall upon a riddle, which separates the unpulped cherries. 

 These are put back again, and passed through a puiper with the 

 upper chop set closer. The secret of working appears to be the 

 proper setting of the chops, and many have been the schemes 

 proposed for reducing this to a certainty. Perhaps, after all, few 

 plans are better than the old wedges, by tightening or loosening 

 of which the chop is kept in the required position. Within the 

 last few years^ the machine has been considerably improved by 



E 2 



