Cafe Noir

And first she will tell you, this old Creole cook, as she busies herself parching to a beautiful brown the morning portion of Green Coffee, that the secret of Good Coffee lies in having the best ingredients and in the proper making.

By the best ingredients, she means those delightful Coffees grown on well-watered mountain slopes, such as the famous Java and Mocha Coffees. It must be of the best quality, the Mocha and Java mixed producing a concoction of a most delightful aroma and stimulating effect. She will tell you, too, that one of the first essentials is to “Parch the Coffee Grains Just Before Making the Coffee, ” because Coffee that has been long parched and left standing loses its flavor and strength. The Coffee grains should “Be Roasted to a Rich Brown, ” and never allowed to scorch or burn, otherwise the flavor of the Coffee is at once affected or destroyed. Good Coffee should never be boiled. Bear this in mind, that the good Creole cook never boils Coffee; but insists on dripping it, in a covered strainer, slowly, slowly — drip, drip, drip — till all the flavor is extracted.