' Despite the claim of Americans to Ehglisll de&ceht, thfey much more nearly resemble the French ih choosing coffee for theit daily beverage instead of tea. In old Virgifaia coffee was served for breakfast, and tea only f ol* the evenihg meal ; now, coffee is genei*ally foutid, with tea, tHomitig and evening at the tables of ^11 Well- to-do people. The experience of thirty years ^s a hoiise- kfcfeper does hot lessen the diffid^hce with Which advide is bff^ted upon a process cohcetnihg which authdi*ities iso greatly differ; and yet what little knowledge has beeii gained should hot be Withheld, for it is by barfefUl atten- tidh to these little m^ltters of continual tecilri*ehce that the comfort of domestic life is insured. The divergence of taste begins at the outset, when thd kind of coffee is to be selected. Most persohs who con- sult taste oniy will prefer Java, Mocha, ot ^ tnixtui*e of both ; although the majority of the world (who must con- NCl^r th<d cost) will agree that La Quayra aUswera eteirjr 36 VIROINIA COOKERY-BOOK. purpose, or else be satisfied to use the skilfully prepared compounds that are furnished by reliable manufacturers, such as Arbuckle and Thurber, finding it a great economy to have their coffee not only roasted, but clarified, ready for use. Arbuckle's glazing really preserves the flavor and strength of the bean unimpaired. Always keep your roasted coffee in a closely-covered tin box, removed from anything that could impart a taste to it. No skill can make good coffee out of an indifferent article. Unless you have great experience, make your purchases of some grocer upon whose judgment you can rely. The next disputed point is as to whether coffee shall be dripped or boiled. The French drip, the English boil ; Americans do both. If you prefer dripped coffee, it is best to procure a coffee-pot, or "biggin," from some house - furnishing establishment, for there are excellent ones patented for this very purpose. The " Old Domin- ion " is one that we have seen tested and proved good. Many object that dripping makes coffee cold ; but this may be remedied by placing a lighted alcohol lamp be- neath your coffee-urn. Dripping certainly best preserves the aroma of the bean, but, some think, does not extract its whole virtue. By either process the usual quantity allowed for a strong cup of coffee is a table-spoonful after it is ground. Half a pint of coffee is enough to make six strong cups. The great difficulty a house -keeper experiences is in getting a cook who will be honest in the matter of using up all the coffee supplied her. So great, in fact, is this difficulty with regard to roasting it, that, in desperation, most people take refuge in purchasing coffee ready roast- ed. Coffee should increase one-third in bulk under the process of roasting ; yet this rule is not invariable. If the fire be too slow, and the coffee-grains by any acci- VIMQINIA COOK£HT-BOOK. 37 dent are damp, they will swell scarcely at all. Connois- seurs roast their coffee at home every day, just before it is used ; but the usual way is to roast enough for a week's supply, and if wetted with white of egg soon after being withdrawn from the fire, while yet warm, it will need no other clearing. Coffee should be roasted till evenly colored a mahog- any-brown, not black. See, however, that it is sufficiently done to be readily ground, which will not be the case if it is white inside. Coffee-urns or plated pots of any metal should be emp- tied and cleaned out immediately after each meal, and invariably scalded just before being used again. The more brightly their surfaces are kept polished the more easily will the coffee be kept hot, one of the conditions most essential to its excellence. To Boil Coppkb, No. 1.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

' Despite the claim of Americans to English descent, they much more nearly resemble the French in choosing coffee for their daily beverage instead of tea. In old Virginia coffee was served for breakfast, and tea only for the evening meal; now, coffee is generally found, with tea, morning and evening at the tables of all well-to-do people. The experience of thirty years as a housekeeper does not lessen the diffidence with which advice is offered upon a process concerning which authorities so greatly differ; and yet what little knowledge has been gained should not be withheld, for it is by careful attention to these little matters of continual recurrence that the comfort of domestic life is insured. The divergence of taste begins at the outset, when the kind of coffee is to be selected. Most persons who consult taste only will prefer Java, Mocha, or a mixture of both; although the majority of the world (who must consider the cost) will agree that La Guayra answers every purpose, or else be satisfied to use the skilfully prepared compounds that are furnished by reliable manufacturers, such as Arbuckle and Thurber, finding it a great economy to have their coffee not only roasted, but clarified, ready for use. Arbuckle's glazing really preserves the flavor and strength of the bean unimpaired. Always keep your roasted coffee in a closely-covered tin box, removed from anything that could impart a taste to it. No skill can make good coffee out of an indifferent article. Unless you have great experience, make your purchases of some grocer upon whose judgment you can rely. The next disputed point is as to whether coffee shall be dripped or boiled. The French drip, the English boil ; Americans do both. If you prefer dripped coffee, it is best to procure a coffee-pot, or "biggin," from some house - furnishing establishment, for there are excellent ones patented for this very purpose. The " Old Dominion " is one that we have seen tested and proved good. Many object that dripping makes coffee cold ; but this may be remedied by placing a lighted alcohol lamp beneath your coffee-urn. Dripping certainly best preserves the aroma of the bean, but, some think, does not extract its whole virtue. By either process the usual quantity allowed for a strong cup of coffee is a table-spoonful after it is ground. Half a pint of coffee is enough to make six strong cups. The great difficulty a house -keeper experiences is in getting a cook who will be honest in the matter of using up all the coffee supplied her. So great, in fact, is this difficulty with regard to roasting it, that, in desperation, most people take refuge in purchasing coffee ready roasted. Coffee should increase one-third in bulk under the process of roasting ; yet this rule is not invariable. If the fire be too slow, and the coffee-grains by any acci- VIMQINIA COOK£HT-BOOK. 37 dent are damp, they will swell scarcely at all. Connoisseurs roast their coffee at home every day, just before it is used ; but the usual way is to roast enough for a week's supply, and if wetted with white of egg soon after being withdrawn from the fire, while yet warm, it will need no other clearing. Coffee should be roasted till evenly colored a mahogany-brown, not black. See, however, that it is sufficiently done to be readily ground, which will not be the case if it is white inside. Coffee-urns or plated pots of any metal should be emptied and cleaned out immediately after each meal, and invariably scalded just before being used again. The more brightly their surfaces are kept polished the more easily will the coffee be kept hot, one of the conditions most essential to its excellence. To Boil Coppkb, No. 1.

Virginia Cookery-book