58

DOMESTIC MANNERS OF THE HUJSSIANS.

But the process which is productive of a positive perfume inthe French capital, begets only a nauseous stench in theRhenish one. We had the misfortune to live over a grocer'sin Coblenz, and on roasting-days we were forced to closeour back windows, for the smell that came up from theyard was more than English noses could bear; and whenthe reader is informed that it is the Rhenish custom to frythe berries in fat, he will readily understand that the aromadeveloped by the Prussian Operation must be very like thatof the streets of Paris on an illumination night. Further,some grocers, for the purpose of giving additional weight tothe burnt berries and colour to the decoction produced bythem, prefer to roast their coffee with several pounds ofcoarse sugar, which, when melted, soaks into every grain,and adds considerably to the weight.

But, even if such methods of sophistication were not prac-tised on the poor coffee-berries, the tasteless and scentlessPrussians would burn every particle of aroma out of them;for, believing that a cup of good coffee shoitld be black to theeye rather than aromatic to the palate, they resolutely roastthe berries to charcoal, and offer you an infusion of cindersas refreshment either for your breakfast or tea.*

Sugar, again, is seldom used by the middle class exceptas a Sunday or holiday treat. The majority of the peopledrink their coffee-water unsweetened, whilst those who aremore prodigal boil beet-root with the Java powder in orderto give it somewhat of a saccharine flavour. Nor is it alluncommon for gentlefolks to have their coffee grounds re-

* The price of coffee ranges from about ninepence to fifteenpence the pound.Tea, which is a luxury procured mainly for the English residents, is two thalers(6s.) a-pound, though there is no duty ! and if procured in ^--lb. packets at Neu-rohr's, the principal Coblenz grocer, consists of two ounces of lead-foil out of thefour that have been purchased as souchong. Loaf-sugar — the light, spongyarticle made from beet-root — costs a fraction more than sevenpence the pound.