maize; but a more harmless invention
was a drink composed of cocoa-butter and maize.

[Illustration--Black and White Photgraph: How the Cacao Grows.
(Showing Leaf, Flower, and Fruit.)]

There remain three forms in which pure cocoa may be prepared as a
beverage:

1. _Cocoa-nibs._--The natural broken segments of the roasted
cocoa-bean, after the shell has been removed, prepared for table as an
infusion by prolonged simmering.

It is strange that this ridiculous and wasteful means is still in use
at all, as next to none of the valuable portions of the nib are
extracted. The quantity of matter removed by the hot water is so
small, that close upon 90 per cent, of the nourishing and feeding
constituents are left behind in the undissolved sediment, the
substances extracted being principally salts and colouring matters.
One can but suppose that the long habit of drinking an infusion from
coffee-beans and tea-leaves has fixed in the mind the erroneous idea
that the substance of the cocoa-bean is also valueless. The fact
remains, however, that it is still customary at some hydropathic
establishments, and perhaps in a few other instances, for doctors to
order "nibs" for their patient, which may sometimes be accounted for
by injury having resulted from drinking one of the many "faked" cocoas
offered for sale; the order for "nibs" being a despairing effort to
obtain the genuine article.

2. _Consolidated Nibs_--_i.e._, cocoa-nibs ground between heated
stones, whence it flows in a paste of the consistency of cream, which,
when cool, hardens into a cake containing all the cocoa-butter. Cocoa
in this form (mixed with sugar before cooling) is served in the
British Navy--a somewhat wasteful and inconvenient practice, as when
stirred, the excess of fat at once floats to the top of the cup, and
is generally removed with a spoon, to make the drink more appetising.

3. _Cocoa Essence._--This is the same article as No. 2, with about 60
per cent, of the natural butter removed; consequently the proportion
of albuminous and stimulating elements is greatly increased. It is
prepared instantly by pouring boiling water upon it, thus forming a
light beverage with all the strength and flesh-forming constituents of
the decorticated bean.[9]

Chemical analysis of cacao-nibs and cocoa essence shows them to
contain on an average:

Cacao-nibs. Cocoa Essence.

Cocoa-butter 50 par