To Make Tea Well. — The teapot should be perfectly
clean and hot. The water should be soft, as hard water
will spoil the best tea. If the kettle boils for any
length of time the water becomes hard, and consequently
does not make good tea. Have the teapot hot, put in
the quantity of tea desired, and immediately the kettle
boils infuse it. The time required for infusing must
be judged by the quality of the tea. It sometimes
requires 10 minutes, sometimes only 5 to make it good.
On no account should it boil or infuse a long time, as
in that case it is no better than stewed tea leaves. The
120
COOKERY.
quantity of tea used must be judged also by the quality
of the tea and the strength required. The traditional
teaspoonful to each person and one over for the teapot
is a very fair proportion. The abuse of tea consists in
taking it too frequently, too strong, and too hot ; in
all these cases it has a pernicious effect.
An excellent mode of using tea, which is becoming
common, and is particularly acceptable for invalids, is
to make it in the usual way, but not too strong, and
to each breakfast-cupful of tea add a very thin slice of
a small lemon. Allow it to stand a few minutes, then
sweeten and use it.
COFFEE.
Coffee has more nutritive powers than tea, and is to
most people not so stimulating. Taken very strong it
is a stimulant ; but generally it has a sedative effect on
the nerves, and is on that account good to take late in
the evening.
Coffee is best when newly roasted and ground, and
cannot be really good unless it is so. Only those
who can procure such can secure the proper flavour of
coffee.
Have a perfectly clean and dry coffee-pot. Make it
hot, and put in the coffee in the proportion of one
table-spoonful to two breakfast-cupfuls of boiling water,
and allow it to infuse for 10 minutes. Pour out a cupful
and pour it quickly back again, and allow it to stand by
the fire a minute or two longer, then pour it out for use.
The milk ought to be boiled before being put into the
coffee, as boiled milk imparts a peculiarly pleasant
BEVERAGES.
121
flavour to the coffee. Coffee should never be boiled,
only infused, and the best white sugar used, as coarse
sugar spoils the flavour.
As it is sold frequently mixed with chicory, the adul-
teration can easily be discovered by putting a little of
the mixture in a glass of cold water. If there is chicory,
it colours the water red and sinks to the bottom of the
glass, whereas pure coffee floats on the top.
COCOA.
Cocoa is a very nourishing beverage, and very suitable
for those persons of nervous temperament for whom tea
or coffee is too stimulating. It is sometimes found to be
a little indigestible though nourishing.
Put 2 teaspoonfuls of cocoa in a breakfast-cup, and
moisten it with a little cold milk or water, then fill up
the cup with boiling milk and water in about equal
proportions ; stir well, and sweeten to taste. Cocoa is
very much adulterated, and, indeed, to such an extent
that prepared cocoa is frequently sold at a cheaper rate
than the nibs can be procured at. For this reason many
persons use cocoa nibs, which must be bruised and
boiled for about 3 or 4 hours ; then the floating fat
removed from the top. It yields a very pleasant and
much lighter beverage than the other.
Page 50
Presented as published in 1882. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
To Make Tea Well. — The teapot should be perfectly clean and hot. The water should be soft, as hard water will spoil the best tea. If the kettle boils for any length of time the water becomes hard, and consequently does not make good tea. Have the teapot hot, put in the quantity of tea desired, and immediately the kettle boils infuse it. The time required for infusing must be judged by the quality of the tea. It sometimes requires 10 minutes, sometimes only 5 to make it good. On no account should it boil or infuse a long time, as in that case it is no better than stewed tea leaves. The
quantity of tea used must be judged also by the quality of the tea and the strength required. The traditional teaspoonful to each person and one over for the teapot is a very fair proportion. The abuse of tea consists in taking it too frequently, too strong, and too hot ; in all these cases it has a pernicious effect.
An excellent mode of using tea, which is becoming common, and is particularly acceptable for invalids, is to make it in the usual way, but not too strong, and to each breakfast-cupful of tea add a very thin slice of a small lemon. Allow it to stand a few minutes, then sweeten and use it.
COFFEE.
Coffee has more nutritive powers than tea, and is to most people not so stimulating. Taken very strong it is a stimulant ; but generally it has a sedative effect on the nerves, and is on that account good to take late in the evening.
Coffee is best when newly roasted and ground, and cannot be really good unless it is so. Only those who can procure such can secure the proper flavour of coffee.
Have a perfectly clean and dry coffee-pot. Make it hot, and put in the coffee in the proportion of one table-spoonful to two breakfast-cupfuls of boiling water, and allow it to infuse for 10 minutes. Pour out a cupful and pour it quickly back again, and allow it to stand by the fire a minute or two longer, then pour it out for use. The milk ought to be boiled before being put into the coffee, as boiled milk imparts a peculiarly pleasant
BEVERAGES.
flavour to the coffee. Coffee should never be boiled, only infused, and the best white sugar used, as coarse sugar spoils the flavour.
As it is sold frequently mixed with chicory, the adulteration can easily be discovered by putting a little of the mixture in a glass of cold water. If there is chicory, it colours the water red and sinks to the bottom of the glass, whereas pure coffee floats on the top.
COCOA.
Cocoa is a very nourishing beverage, and very suitable for those persons of nervous temperament for whom tea or coffee is too stimulating. It is sometimes found to be a little indigestible though nourishing.
Put 2 teaspoonfuls of cocoa in a breakfast-cup, and moisten it with a little cold milk or water, then fill up the cup with boiling milk and water in about equal proportions ; stir well, and sweeten to taste. Cocoa is very much adulterated, and, indeed, to such an extent that prepared cocoa is frequently sold at a cheaper rate than the nibs can be procured at. For this reason many persons use cocoa nibs, which must be bruised and boiled for about 3 or 4 hours ; then the floating fat removed from the top. It yields a very pleasant and much lighter beverage than the other.