soon as
boiled, boiling causing all the gases which give flavor to water to
escape. In hard water, boiling softens it. In all cases the water must be
fresh, and poured boiling upon the proper portion of tea,--the teapot
having first been well scalded with boiling water. Never boil any tea but
English-breakfast tea; for all others, simple steeping gives the drink in
perfection.

A disregard of these rules gives one the rank, black, unpleasant infusion
too often offered as tea; while, if boiled in tin, it becomes a species of
slow poison,--the tannic acid in the tea acting upon the metal, and
producing a chemical compound whose character it is hard to determine.
Various other plants possess the essential principle of tea, and are used
as such; as in Paraguay, where the Brazilian holly is dried, and makes a
tea very exhilarating in quality, but much more astringent.

The use of _Coffee_ dates back even farther than that of tea. Of the many
varieties, Mocha and Java are finest in flavor, and a mixture of one-third
Mocha with two-thirds Java gives the drink at its best. As in tea, there
are three chief constituents: (1) A volatile oil, giving the aroma it
possesses, but less in amount than that in tea. (2) Astringent matter,--a
modification of tannin, but also less than in tea. (3) Caffeine, now found
identical with theine, but varying in amount in different varieties of
coffee,--being in some three or four per cent, in others less.

The most valuable property of coffee is its power of relieving the
sensation of hunger and fatigue. To the soldier on active service, nothing
can take its place; and in our own army it became the custom often, not
only to drink the infusion, but, if on a hard march, to eat the grounds
also. In all cases it diminishes the waste of tissue. In hot weather it is
too heating and stimulating, acting powerfully upon the liver, and, by
producing over-activity of that organ, bringing about a general
disturbance.

So many adulterations are found in ground coffee, that it is safest for
the real coffee-lover to buy the bean whole. Roasting is usually more
perfectly done at the grocers', in their rotary roasters, which give every
grain its turn; but, by care and constant stirring, it can be accomplished
at home. Too much boiling dissipates the delicious aroma we all know; and
the best methods are considered to be those which allow no boiling, after
boiling water has been poured upon it, but merely a stan