322 
ON  THE  USE  OF   COFFEE  LEAVES  IN  SUMATRA. 
abundant  foliage  can  be  converted  into  an  article  of  consumption, 
as  hitherto  the  case  in  Sumatra,  the  culture  must  become  the  more 
profitable,  and  it  is  clearly  the  interest  of  the  planters  of  Ceylon 
to  respond  to  the  call  of  Dr.  Gardner,  and  by  supplying  the  leaf 
on  reasonable  terms,  to  assist  in  creating  a  demand  for  an  article 
they  have  in  abundance,  and  which  for  the  want  of  that  demand 
is  of  no  value  to  them.  It  ought  to  be  mentioned  also,  that  the 
leaves  which  become  ripe  and  yellow  on  the  tree  and  fall  off  in  the 
course  of  nature,  contain  the  largest  portion  of  extract  and  make 
the  richest  infusion,  and  I  have  no  doubt,  should  the  coffee-leaf 
ever  come  into  general  use,  the  ripe  leaf  will  be  collected  with  as 
much  care  as  the  ripe  fruit. 
"  The  mode  of  preparation  by  the  natives  is  thus  : — The  ends  of 
the  branches  and  suckers  with  the  leaves  on,  are  taken  from  the 
tree  and  broken  into  lengths  of  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches. 
These  are  arranged  in  the  split  of  a  stick  or  small  bamboo,  side  by 
side,  forming  a  truss  in  such  a  manner,  that  the  leaves  all  appear 
on  one  side  and  the  stalks  on  the  other,  the  object  of  which  is  to 
secure  equal  roasting,  the  stalks  being  thus  exposed  to  the  fire 
together  and  the  leaves  together.  The  slit  being  tied  up  in  two 
or  three  places,  and  a  part  of  the  stick  or  bamboo  left  as  a  handle, 
the  truss  is  held  over  a  fire  without  smoke,  and  kept  moving  about 
so  as  to  roast  the  whole  equally  without  burning,  on  the  success  of 
which  operation  the  quality  and  flavor  of  the  article  much 
depends.  When  successfully  roasted  the  raw  vegetable  taste  is 
entirely  dissipated,  which  is  not  the  case  if  insufficiently  done. 
When  singed  or  overdone,  the  extract  is  destroyed  and  the  aroma 
lost.  WThen  the  fire  is  smoky,  the  flavor  varies  with  the  nature  of 
the  smoke.  The  stalks  are  roasted  equally  with  the  leaves,  and 
are  said  to  add  fully  as  much  to  the  strength  of  the  infusion.  By 
roasting,  the  whole  becomes  brittle,  and  is  reduced  to  a  coarse 
powder  by  rubbing  between  the  hands.  In  this  state  it  is  ready 
for  use,  and  the  general  mode  of  preparing  the  beverage  is  by  in- 
fusion, as  in  the  case  of  common  tea. 
"  If  the  testimony  of  one  who  has  been  long  personally  accus- 
tomed to  the  use  of  an  infusion  of  the  coffee-leaf  thus  prepared, 
can  be  of  any  avail  in  recommending  the  article  to  public  notice, 
I  freely  offer  mine  in  support.of  all  that  which  Dr.  Gardner's  patent 
claims  for  it,  viz.,  1  as  forming  an  agreeable,  refreshing,  and  nutri- 
