ngth of the flavor. He
spits out the coffee into a large brass cuspidor which is designed for
the purpose. The expert never swallows the liquor.

Cup-testing calls for keenly developed senses of sight, smell, and
taste, and the faculty for remembering delicate shadings in each sense.
By sight, the coffee man judges the size, shape, and color of the green
and roasted bean, which are important factors in determining commercial
values. He can tell also whether the coffee is of the washed or unwashed
variety, and whether it contains many imperfections such as quakers,
pods, stones, brokens, off-colored beans, and the like. By his sense of
smell of the roast and of the brew, he gauges the strength of the aroma,
which also enters into the valuation calculation. His palate tells him
many things about a coffee brew--if the drink has body and is smooth,
rich, acidy, or mellow; if it is winy, neutral, harsh, or Rioy; if it is
musty, groundy, woody, or grassy; or if it is rank, hidey (sour), muddy,
or bitter. These are trade designations of the different shades of
flavor to be found in the various coffees coming to the North American
market; and each has an influence on the price at which they will be
sold.

The up-to-date cup-tester requires special equipment to get the best
results. A typical installation consists of a gas sample-roasting
outfit, employing at least a single cylinder holding about six ounces of
coffee, and perhaps a battery of a dozen or more; an electric grinding
mill; a testing table, with a top that can be revolved by hand; a pair
of accurately adjusted balance scales; one or more brass kettles; a gas
stove for heating water; sample pans; many china or glass cups; silver
spoons; and a brass cuspidor that stands waist high and is shaped like
an hour glass.

Since the World War, there have been some notable changes in the buying
of coffees, particularly in European markets. For example, the old idea
of buying fancy coffees at fancy prices is probably gone for good in
Europe.

[Illustration: TYPICAL SAMPLE-ROASTING AND CUP-TESTING OUTFIT

In the middle of the picture is a standard revolving table (3-1/2 feet
in diameter), with scale mounted over the center, and with a "Mitchell
Tray" for holding one cup independent of the table-top movement. There
are two cuspidors, a double kettle outfit, a 6-cylinder sample roaster
and a motor-driven sample grinder; also a set of sample separator sieves
in the overhead ra