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.