TO MAKE COFFEE.

The manner in which coffee is roasted is of great importance to its
flavour. If roasted too little, it will be weak and insipid; if too
much, the taste will be bitter and unpleasant. To have it very good, it
should be roasted immediately before it is made, doing no more than the
quantity you want at that time. It loses much of its strength by
keeping, even in twenty-four hours after roasting. It should on no
consideration be ground till directly before it is made. Every family
should be provided with a coffee roaster, which is an iron cylinder to
stand before the fire, and is either turned by a handle, or wound up
like a jack to go of itself. If roasted in an open pot or pan, much of
the flavour evaporates in the process. Before the coffee is put into
the roaster, it should be carefully examined and picked, lest there
should be stones or bad grains among it. It should be roasted of a
bright brown; and will be improved by putting among it a piece of
butter when about half done.

Watch it carefully while roasting, looking at it frequently.

A coffee-mill affixed to the wall is far more convenient than one that
must he held on the lap. It is best to grind the coffee while warm.

Allow half a pint of ground coffee to three pints of water. If the
coffee is not freshly roasted, you should put in more. Put the water
into the tin coffee-pot, and set it on hot coals; when it boils, put in
the coffee, a spoonful at a time, (stirring it between each spoonful,)
and add two or three chips of isinglass, or the white of an egg. Stir
it frequently, till it has risen up to the top in boiling; then set it
a little farther from the fire, and boil it gently for ten minutes, or
a quarter of an hour; after which pour in a tea-cup of cold water, and
put it in the corner to settle for ten minutes. Scald your silver or
china pot, and transfer the coffee to it; carefully pouring it off from
the grounds, so as not to disturb them.

If coffee is allowed to boil too long, it will lose much of its
strength, and also become sour.
