Read COFFEE. of Desserts and Salads , free online book, by Gesine Lemcke, on ReadCentral.com.

833. How to Make Coffee. Coffee should always be bought in the bean and ground when wanted. It should never be allowed to boil, as all the fine aroma is thereby lost. The finest, quickest and most economical way to make coffee is by making it in a bag made as follows: Take a piece of coarse unbleached muslin, about 3/8 yard long and 3/8 yard wide, costing about 5 cents per yard; fold on the bias to a point, sew it together in such a way that the bag has the shape of a funnel and hem it on the top; then place the bag in the coffee pot; let the point hang so that it does not quite reach the bottom; let the top of bag lay over the outside of the coffee pot; then put in 1 cup freshly ground coffee, pour over 1/2 pint boiling water and let it stand 1 minute; then add 1 quart boiling water and let it stand about 3 minutes on side of stove; have ready the urn in which the coffee is to be served, which should be well rinsed with boiling water, pour in the coffee and serve at once; pour more boiling water over the coffee grounds and let it stand on side of stove for a short while; then serve the same way; the second coffee will be found nearly as good as the first. If the coffee is too strong add more water; if not strong enough add less water, as some like it strong and others do not. Another way is to take 3 heaping tablespoonfuls freshly ground coffee and 6 cups boiling water; grind the coffee as fine as possible; rinse out the coffee pot with boiling water, put in the coffee and pour on enough boiling water to cover it well; let it stand in a warm place for 5 minutes, but do not allow it to boil; then add the remaining boiling water, let it stand for a few minutes and either serve in the same coffee pot in which it was made or strain through a fine sieve into a hot silver or china coffee urn and serve at once. This is also an easy and economical way of making good coffee, but the first-named method is the best.