HOT BEVERAGES
COFFEE
Use 2 tablespoons of finely ground coffee to each cup of water. If an ordinary coffee-pot is used instead of a percolator, mix a little beaten egg with the ground coffee before it is put into the pot. It will also help to clear the coffee if a tablespoon or so of cold water is dashed into the boiled coffee just before the pot is taken from the stove. The coffee should boil three minutes if cold water is used at the start, or five minutes if hot water is used. The coffee-pot or percolator should be aired well after washing. At least once a week fresh water containing a little soda (1 teaspoon to a quart of water) should be boiled for several minutes in the pot or percolator; the latter should then be washed out in fresh hot water, and set in the sun to air.
TEA
Use 1 teaspoon of tea to each cup of water. At the beginning pour a little boiling water into the teapot, cover the pot and let it stand for a few minutes. Pour out the water, put in the tea leaves, cover the pot and again let it stand for a few minutes. Then pour in as much freshly boiling water as will be required, and let the tea leaves steep in this for five minutes before serving.
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