January i, 189^.] THE TROPICAL AtlFfi^LTURISt, 48^ 
rcoins iu Phi'pot-lane, through the Hera and piles of 
cases wuitiug tor despiitch by tha numerous carriers 
to their resptctive destiiiatiouH. For, though " Maza- 
wftttee is compar&tively a new definition, the firm 
of DcDsham and 80119 is an old ono, and one of wide 
experience', and this in all in all to the consumer. 
As we tramped alofg Great Tow?r-sl reek we gathered 
from Mr. Lloyd that it may bo taken as an 
if.vatiabie rule that, although cheap teas .are good, the 
higher p-iccd onea nre better. " Sir Andrew Olark 
tells his patient to get a ' (,'oodcnp of tea,' does he ? 
Now, of course, all our toaanregojd, and cheiip teas 
are equally carefully selected, but you can't expect the 
same same fine quality at oae shilliug and tenpence 
pur pound tbnt yon get ni cur Golden Tips !" In the 
lasting-room thi ro f-tood piles of small, flat round tin 
boxts, fillad with samples from the cheats, under con- 
sideration for the blenderp, and rows of little white tea- 
rougs with Jids and basins liued other counters. A boy, 
kettle in hand, was making the round of other tusling'- 
oups iuto which samples had already been turned, pour- 
ing piping-hot watsr into them, and setting the sand- 
glass in order to Uuow how long to keep the brew 
going,. As we sniffed this pot of tea &iid wetted our 
lips with th&6 one we were compelled to confess to 
being uovioea. Neither did we envy the taster his 
profeasion— certainly not when we learnt that an or- 
dinary daily task with him was to make some six 
hundred tastings.— PaZ; 3{aU Budget, Nov. 26. 
THE COFFEE DHINKEll'S LAMENT. 
Mr. John Hughes writes :~Analytical Laboratory, 
79, Mark Laue, London, E. C. Nov. kOth.— A corres- 
pondent in the Dailij Telegraph having written a 
long letter lamenting that no good coffee was obtain- 
able in this country the following replies wore the 
consequence. 
Various correspondents write to express their views 
upon this subject. Mr. George Newton disputes the 
assertion of " Purple Drupe " that the finer growths 
of coffee rarely reach England, and only in small 
quantities imported to special order. Ue says, ■" I 
am acquainted with one firm in this city — whose ad- 
dross I enclose for your satisfaction — who import and 
sell on this market from 500 to 700 cwt. of Mocha 
coffee annually, and although they are the largest im- 
porters of the article, there are other firms doing 
similar business. Moreover, it must not be forgotten 
thaj we import largely of other coffees — Brazilian, 
Javan, Mysore — a good proportion of the finest quality, 
and by some preferred to Mochn. Beyond all con- 
troversy there are numerous retail shops, both in and 
out of the City, where the pure article can be bought, 
but either the prolongecl habit of swallowing the 
naueeous compound which prevails here has destroyed 
the appreciation for that which is good, or the public 
will DOC give the price uecasoary tj secure berries of 
fine quality. Hence the abomination you are expected 
to swallow in uino oases out of ten, both iu public and 
private life." With regard to the proper way of making 
toffee lor the table, he remarks : " Years ago— - 
thirty or forty— and, for all I know, now, it was 
the cus'.om to boil (and perforce to spoil) coffee ; 
and although this generation is conspicuous for 
the number and variety of contrivances speoially 
designed for making it, tbe outcome of all inventive 
effort is a variety of machines of greater or less 
comple.\ity for iho performance of an operation of 
the simplest nature conceivable. I am a great lover 
of ooft'ce, »ud I believe, lemcwhat ot a connoisseur, 
and during my whole life have never used anything 
but an ordinaiy cuvoced hot water jug for its manu- 
facture. One of your cocrespoadonls asks for a recipe 
for making tlii>, do.ioious beverage. Hera it is for any 
who cave lo mo it. HoAt the aforesaid jug by pouriu(j 
iuto it and out again boiling water, put therein 
colteo in tha proportion of thci e piled teas|)Oouful8 for 
half a pint of tho beverage, and pour on it sufliaient 
boiling water, live minutes lulor pour a little iuto a 
teacup and return it to the ja^ twice, and then lot 
it stand iu a worm place for 15 minutes. Jleaulb, » 
cup fit for the gods. Much insistence is made by 
some that the coffee be fre&hly toasted and ground. 
My experience is that the value of t'oth operations 
is much exaggerated. I rcast and grind my coffee 
pure Mocha— and if it is kept in a closed veseel of 
metal, earthenware, or glass, no discoverable deteriora-> 
tioa takes place by keeping." 
Mr. John Hoolie, of 29, Bishopsgate-street Without, 
a-i one " who knows what is going on iu the great 
coffee markets of the world." elao controverts the 
statement that pure Mocha never reaches Englau'l, 
and quotes Professor Palgrave's report in the "Ency- 
clopEedin BritaEnica" I0 the contrary. " With regard," 
he adds, " fo the other choice coffees which your 
correspondent boldly asserts never reach London, I 
may tell him fh!»t in the opinion of man v^ho spend 
their lives tasting coffee and comparing values, Java 
and Martinique never have produced coffee that would 
in any way approach the splendid flavor of Vera Paz, 
which until recently has been sold under the name 
ot Honduras, and which is considered by experts to ba 
the finest coffee ground." 
" Amateur" writes to give modes of making both 
tea and coffee. He says : "For tea, fuse freabiy boiling 
water, infusing the leaves for not less than three or more 
than four and a half minutes, removing the leaves, and 
using tha liquor, with new milk to taste. The use of 
condensed milk, I think, improves coffee or cocoa, but 
spoils tea. For coffee, I use not less than two ounces, 
to one pint ot cold water, or one pound to one gallon, 
stirring it into, and allowing to stand not less 
than twenty-four hours, in an earthenware vessel. I 
object to metal utensils f^r coffee, and also boiling the 
liquor ; bo when the coffee is required I stand my 
earthen, or china, pot in a vessel of boiling wafer uutil 
the temperature of the coffee reaches, say, 210 deg., 
or just short of boiling point, and it is ready fur use to 
flavonr my hot milk to taste." 
BIr. W. Maxwell Maynard, writing from Broomrigg, 
Dumfrieshire, desires to " try and relieve tlie-suft'erings 
of ' Victim,' whose pathetic cry found expression in 
your columns." As to kinds of coffee, he believes 
Mysore plantation is as good as anything ordinarily to 
be procured iu the markets, and proceeds to give a 
recipe for making it. " Supposing a pint of good coffee 
is required for breakfast, grind some ooft'ea the night 
before, take an earthenware jug of suitable size, warm 
it and put three ounces of the ground coffee into it and 
pour upon it oue pint of boiling water. Stir it well 
with a spoon, cover it with a clean damp cloth, folded 
five or sis times, to keep in the aroma, and stand it 
at the cool side of the kitchen range. Give it a good 
stirring three or four times in the course of the eve- 
ning, then remove the spoon, replace the cloth, and 
put it anywhere where it will not be disturbed till 
next morning. Before breakfast gently raise the jug 
and pour off the liquid through a bit of thick wei; 
flannel (well washed), and this will catch any floating' 
grains. Put the clear liquid into a china-liued sauce- 
pan, warm it, and serve in a jug. In pouring out ooffea 
the rule is, half coffee and half boiled milk and a 
little cream. Also avoid putting the coffee into a 
metal pot — it is infinitely bitter if it never touches 
metal at all. Never use less than three ounces of coffee 
to every pint of boiling water." 
THE WILD FLOWEES OF FLORIDA. 
I will endeavor to give your readers a description 
of our wild flowers, shrubs, etc. Florida is called 
"the laud of flowers," and Ithiuk she justly deserves 
the title. If we were to gather up the wild plants 
in our woods, ^^■hat a beautiful fiower garden we 
might have. Many of our iiativo plants l^a^•e been 
introduced and bring good prices, while many have 
been passed imuoticed. In early spring, January, 
and I'ebruary, we have Violets, throe distinct viu-i- 
eties, — the i'iuo-woods Violet, which is supple and 
slender iu habit with large flowers varying from 
while and palest blue to deep blue and retldish vio- 
let ; the Hiuumou Violet, which grows closo to thi5 
BrQUiul, iu'w Qsm^itwli iu lin^ii, )Yitli clec^ l^lutj 
