January i, 1892.] 
THE TROPiOtt. AcnfmnjvTuniiT, 
487 
rooms in Phi'pot-lane, through the tiers and piles of 
cases ffaitiug tor despatch by tlio numerous carriers 
to their respective destiiietiouB. Per, though " Maza- 
wattee " is comparatively a new dehaitioii, the firm 
of Uensbam and Sons is au old one, and oue of wide 
experience, and this is ail in all to the oonsumer. 
As we tramped along Great 'i'owsr street we gathered 
from Mr. Lloyd that it may bo taken as an 
invariable rnic that, although cheap teas are good, the 
higher p'iced ones are bettor. “ Sir Andrew Clark 
tells his patient to get a * goodenp of tea,' does be f 
Now, of course, all our teas are good, and cheap teas 
are equally carefully selected, but you can't expect the 
same same fine quality at one shilling and tenpeuce 
per pound that you get in our Golden Tips !” In the 
tasting-room there stood piles of small, flat round tin 
boxes, filled with samples from the chests, under con- 
sideration for the blenders, and rows of little white tea- 
mugs with lids and bssius lined other counters. A boy, 
kettle in hand, was making the round of other tasting- 
cups into which samples had already been turned, pour- 
ing piping-hot watorinto them, and etlting the sand- 
glass in order to know bow long to keep the brow 
going. As we sniffed this pot of tea and wetted our 
lips with that one wo were oompelled to confess to 
being novices, Neither did we envy the taster his 
profeisinu— certainly not when we learnt that an or- 
dinary daily task with him was to make some six 
hundred tastings.— Poff MaU budget, Nov. 28. 
THE COFFEE DKIISKEU'S LAMENT. 
Mr. John Hughes writes Analytical Laboratory, 
79, Maik Lane, London, E. C. Nov. VOth. — Aoorrea- 
pondent in the Dally Telegraph having written a 
long letter lamenting that no good ooffee was obtain- 
able in this country the following replies were the 
oonsequence. 
'Various correspoudenta 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 Eugland, and only iu small 
quantities imported to special order. Ue says, '■ X 
am acquainted with one firm in this city — whose ad- 
dress 1 enclose for your saiisfaction — who import and 
sell on this market from 600 to 700 owl. of Mooba 
ouffee annually, and although they are the largest im- 
porters of the article, there are other firms doing 
similar business. Moreover, it must not be iorgotten 
that we import largely of other coffees — Brazilian, 
Javan, Mysore— a good proportion ot the finest quality, 
and by some preferred to Mooba. Beyond all con- 
troversy there are numerous retail shops, both in and 
out of the Oity, where the pare article can bo bonght, 
but either the prolouged habit of swallowing the 
nanceoua compound which prevsils here has destroyed 
the appreciation for that which is good, or the public 
will not give the price ueocsBary to seoure berries of 
fine quality. Uenoo the abomination you are expected 
to swallow in nine esses out of ten, both In pubJio and 
private life.” W ith regard to the proper way of making 
oolfee for the table, he remarks : “ Years ago — 
thirty or forty— and, for all I know, now, it was 
the custom to boil (and perforoo to spoil) coffee ; 
and although this generation is conspicnous for 
the number and variety of contrivances speoially 
designed for making it, the outcome of all inventive 
effort is a variety of maohincj of greater or loss 
complexity for the performance of an operation of 
the simplest nature conoeivable. I am a great lover 
of ooffee, and I believe, remowhat of a oounoiaseur, 
and during my whole life have never used anything 
but an ordinary covoced hot water jug for ite manu- 
facture. Oue of ymu" eorrespondenls asks for a recipe 
for making this do'.ioioua beverage. Hero it is for any 
who care louse it. Meat the sforessid jug by pouring 
into it and out again boiling water, put therein 
coffee in the proportiou of three piled tesspounfuls for 
half a pint of the beverage, and pout on It sufficient 
boiling water, five minutes later pour a little into a 
teacup and return it to the jug twice, and then lot 
it stand In a warm placu for fS minqtes. npsiiU, a 
cup fit for the gods. Much insistenoo is made by 
some that the ooffee be freshly toasted and ground. 
My experience is that the value of both operations 
is mnoh exaggerated. I rcaet and grind my coffee — 
pore Mocha — and if it is kept in a closed vessel of 
metal, earthenware, or glass, no disooverablo deteriora- 
tion takea place by keeping." 
Mr. John Hooke, of 2i), Biehopsgate-street 'Without, 
as one “ who knowa what is going on in the great 
coffee markets of the world," also controverts the 
statement that pure Mooba never reaches Knglaiid, 
and quotes Professor Palgrave’s report iu the "Ency- 
olopscdia BtitaBuioa” to tlie contrary. " With regard," 
he adds, " to the other choice coffoes which your 
correspondent boldly asserts never roach London, I 
may tell him that in the opinion of men who spend 
their livea tasting coffee and comparing values, Java 
and Martinique never have produced ooffee that would 
in any way approach the splendid flavor of 'Vera Paz, 
which until recently baa been sold nnder the name 
of Honduras, and which is considered by experts to be 
the finest ooffee ground." 
" Amateur” writes to give modes ot making both 
tea and coffee. He saya : "For tea, fuse freshly boilicg 
water, infusing the leaves for not less than three or more 
than four and a half minutes, removing the leaves, and 
using the liquor, with new milk to taste. The use of 
condensed milk, I think, improves coffee or coooa, but 
spoils tea. For coffee, 1 use not leas than two ounces, 
to oue pint of oolU water, or one pound to ooe gallon 
stirring it into, and allowing to aUod not less’ 
than twenty-four hours, in an cirlheuwars vessel, I 
objeot to metal utensils Lr ooffee, and also boiling the 
liquor ; so when the ooffee is required I stand my 
earthen, or china, pot in a vessel of boiling water until 
the temperature of the coffee teaches, say, 210 dog., 
or just short of boiling point, and it is ready for use to 
flavour my hot milk to taste." 
Mr. W. Maxwell Maynard, writing from Broomrigg, 
Dumfrioehire, desires to “ try and relieve the sufferings 
ot ‘ Viotim,’ whose patbotio cry found expression in 
your oolumns." As to kinds of ooffee, bo believes 
Mysore plantation is as good as anything ordinarily to 
be pruouced in the markets, and proceeds to give a 
recipe for making it. " Supposing a pint of good coffee 
is required for breakfast, grind some ooffee the night 
before, take an earthenware jug of suitable size, warm 
it aud put three ounces of the ground ooffee into it and 
pour upon it one pint of boiling water. Stir it well 
with a spoon, cover it with a clean damp olotb, folded 
five or six times, to keep in the aroma, and stand it 
at the cool side ot the kitchen range. Give it a good 
stirring three or four limes in the coarse 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 wet 
flannel (well washed), and this will oateh any floating 
grains. Put the oloar liquid into a china-lined sauce- 
pan, warm it, and servo in a jug. In pouring out ooffee 
the rule is, half coffee and half boiled milk and a 
little cream. Alsu avoid patting the ooffee into a 
metal pot — it is infinitely bitter if it never touches 
metal at all. Never use less than three ounces of oofi'ee 
to every pint of boiling water." 
TUB 'iVTLD FLOWERS OP FLORIUA. 
I will endeavor to give your resAera a description 
of our wild flowers, shiubs, etc. Florida is called 
•‘the laud of flowers," and l,thinkBho justly deserves 
the title. If we were to gatlicr up the wild plants 
iu our woods, what a boautiful flower garden wo 
might have. Many of our native plants have been 
introduced and bring good iirices, while many have 
been passed unnoticed. In early spring, January, 
and February, wo have Violets, throe distinct vari- 
eties, — the Fine-woods Violet, which is supple and 
slender in habit with large flowers varying from 
white ond palest blue to deep blue and reddish vio- 
let; the Hanimoo Violet, which grows close to the 
gi'VuacI, fii'n fwd Ui jiftljit, vfjth deep 
