e was no longer confined to the physicians and the
churchmen. It had become a stimulating refreshment for all the people;
and at the same time, the Arabians and the Turks had developed a coffee
ceremony for the higher classes which was quite as wonderful as the tea
ceremony of Japan.

The common early method of preparation throughout the Levant was to
steep the powder in water for a day, to boil the liquor half away, to
strain it, and to keep it in earthen pots for use as wanted. In the
sixteenth century, the small coffee boiler, or _ibrik_, caused the
practise to be more of an instantaneous affair. The coffee was ground,
and the powder was dropped into the boiling water, to be withdrawn from
the fire several times as it boiled up to the rim. While still boiling,
cinnamon and cloves were sometimes added before pouring the liquid off
into the findjans, or little china cups, to be served with the addition
of a drop of essence of amber. Later, the Turks added sugar during the
boiling process.

From the first simple uncovered _ibrik_ there was developed, about the
middle of the seventeenth century, a larger-size covered coffee boiler,
the forerunner of the modern combination brewing and serving pot. This
was a copper-plated kettle patterned after the oriental ewer with a
broad base, bulbous body, and narrow neck. After having poured into it
one and a half times as much water as the dish (cup) in which the drink
was to be served would hold, the pot was placed on a lively fire. When
the water boiled, the powdered coffee was tossed into the pot; and, as
the liquid boiled up, it was taken from the fire and returned, probably
a dozen times. Then the pot was placed in hot ashes to permit the
grounds to settle. This done, the drink was served. Dufour, describing
this process as practised in Turkey and Arabia, says:

One ought not to drink coffee, but suck it in as hot as one can. In
order not to be burned, it is not necessary to place the tongue in
the cup but hold the edge against the tongue with the lips above
and below it, forcing it so little that the edges do not bear down,
and then suck in; that is to say, swallow it sip by sip. If one is
so delicate he can not stand the bitterness, he can temper it with
sugar. It is a mistake to stir the coffee in the pot, the grounds
being worth nothing. In the Levant it is only the scum of the
people who swallow the grounds.

La Roque says: