Cassina, a beverage

During the Civil War, Cassina supplanted both tea and coffee for several million people. The beverage is prepared from the dried leaves, as is tea, bu...
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VOL. 8, N O . 5

T H E ICONOCLAST

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Bibliography (I) STILLMAN, JOHN MAXSON, "Paracelsus." The Open Court Publishing Co., Chicago, Ill., 1920, 184 pp. (2) HOEFER,FERDINAND, "Histoire de la Chimie," 2nd edition, Vol. 11, Firmin Didot Fri.res. Paris, 1869, pp. 1-26. ( 3 ) WAITE,A. E., "The Secret Tradition of Alchemy," Alfred A. Knopf, New York City, 1926, pp. 177-87. (4) DAVIS, TENNeY L., "Boerhaave's Account of Paracelsus and Van Helmont." J. CHEMEDUC.,5,671-81 (June, 1928). (5) BOERHAAVE. "New Method of Chemistry" (trans. by Shaw), 3rd edition, Volume I. London. 1753, pp. 37-9. (6) THORNDIKE, L YNN , "History of Magic and Experimental Science during the First Thirteen Centuriesof Our Era," Vol. 1, The Macmillan Co., New York City, 1923.

Cassina, a Beverage. From the various corners of the world have come a variety of soft drinks. such as tea, coffee, cocoa, and mat&. Many that have become popular have depended upon caffeine (or its chemical cousin theobromine) to furnish the "kick." Some of the widely advertised trade-marked refreshing drinks also depend upon caffeine for their continued sale. Near beers were being provided with real cheer through the use of this same alkaloid until one state, a t least, has forbidden its use in malt beverages. Caffeine is a real stimulant and refreshant, and is now used and enjoyed in some form by a large portion of the world's pophlation. A type of holly or "Christmas berry" tree, called "Cassina," which grows along the seacoast of the United States from Virginia t o Texas, is rich in caffeine and properly prepared makes a splendid drink. It has been used locally for centuries, its use being copied from the Indians. During the Civil War, Cassina supplanted both tea and coffee for several million people. The beverage is prepared from the dried leaves, as is tea, but is brewed more like coffee, by boiling for two minutes, or by percolating for five minutes. The United States Department of Agriculture investigated the merits of Cassina as a drink and also its cultivation, through Mr. George F. Mitchell, a n investigator who has had many years of experience in the raising and testing of tea. The conclusions reached by the department were that it is entirely practicable t o raise the bush on a commercial scale, and to pick and handle the crop of leaves by machinery. The leaves arc stripped from the harvested branches by means of live steam. These leaves can be made directly into green "tea," or by inoculating them with a small quantity of fresh leaves. it is possible t o produce a fermented product corresponding to black tea. Black Cassina (and also black mat&,properly prepared) as a beverage has a much richer body than Chinese black tea, which it resembles more closely than i t does Ceylon or India black tens. Some advantages of Cassina are its low tannin content and the lastinn quality of flavorina sirups made up with it. I t is said to make very fine flavor-

and investors will undoubtedly have to wait several years for returns, the market for Ibeverages of this type offersa n interesting prospect.-Isd. Bzrll. of Artlzur D.Little, Inc.