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employed to impart color and flavour. The flavour and apparent strength thus obtained are however in either case deceptive, as the stimulating and nutritive properties of the beverage depend solely on the quantity of genuine coffee it contains. Chicory, when used in large proportions, is apt to cause digestive disorders.
Where purchases are not made wholesale, coffee of the quality desirable cannot be profitably supplied at these prices. To meet the difficulty it might be arranged in some cases for two or more Coffee Publichouses in the same town or district to unite their purchases, so as to secure the benefit of the wholesale market.
Tea.—Inferior tea is not economical in use. The wholesale price of good Moning or Kaisow is usually about 2s. 4d. to 2s. 5d. per lb., and good Assam 2s. 6d. to 2s. 8d. A mixture of these teas in equal proportions, or two-thirds Moning or Kaisow to one-third Assam, gives good results. The preparation of the tea should be very carefully attended to, in order that it may be strong, wholesome, and refreshing. It should be made like coffee, with water, in a boiling state, poured into a vessel previously warmed. The tea should stand exactly ten minutes, and should then be drawn off. In ten minutes the infusion will be of the full strength, and on no account should the water be allowed to stand longer upon the tea leaves. The proportions may be three-quarters of a pound of tea to seventeen pints of water, with three-quarters of a pound of sugar. A small quantity of milk—two or three teaspoonsful—may be added to each cup when served. Assuming a pint of milk to be thus used the brew would produce eighteen pints at a cost of about 1s. per gallon. Good tea cannot be profitably sold for less than 1d, per cup.
Cocoa.—Many of the prepared cocoas contain farinaceous matter which renders them ill adapted for general use as a beverage, especially in warm weather, and often causes indigestion. Pure cocoa, however, is a valuable article of food, and it may be obtained in a convenient and soluble form
