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Coffee Plant

a. Blossom. b. Berry. c. Pulp. d. Bean. b BEVERAGES Manufacture.......

The coffee tree grows in all tropical countries. It is an evergreen tree with fruit that resembles our cherry except that each berry usually contains two seeds with the flat sides towards each other.

The berries are picked from the trees and taken to the factories where the pulp is cleaned from the seeds. The seeds are then dried in the sun for several weeks after which the two closely fitting husks or skins surrounding the seeds are removed. The seeds are then sorted according to size and packed into bags ready for shipment. All of the work of cleaning and sorting is now done by machinery though much of it used to be done by hand. The raw coffee bean is of an olive green color and is comparatively tasteless. It must be roasted to a rich brown color to bring out the appetizing flavor and fragrance that we are accustomed to.

Mocha and Java are the two best known brands of coffee. Very little of the so-called Mocha coffee ever grew in Arabia, and but little of the Java coffee ever saw the island of Java, the names being merely given to certain kinds of coffee beans. Composition.

Coffee contains caffeine, a substance similar to the theine in tea, tannic acid and an aromatic oil besides several other less important ingredients. The effect of coffee on the body is very much like that of tea. Its stimulating power and action on the tissues of the body being beneficial to a grown person if not taken to excess, but decidedly harmful to a growing child. Buying Coffee.

After coffee is roasted, it loses its flavor rapidly, especially if it has been ground. For this reason for family use it should be purchased in small quantities and kept tightly covered. If it can be roasted and ground at home of course it will be less liable to lose its flavor.

For filtered coffee the grains should be pulverized and for boiled coffee they should be ground coarse or medium. COCOA.

History.

Mexico is the home of the cacao tree from which we obtain chocolate and cocoa. Cortez found the Aztec Indians using this delicious drink when he conquered Mexico. He carried it back with him to Spain and from there its use has spread all over the world. Several hundred million pounds of cacao beans are used every year.

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