LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - JUNE 24, 2018 at LeRoy House by Lynne Belluscio fee grounds and if you throw The LeRoy House has two in a teacup of cold water, the kitchens. The one in the base- grounds and the egg will settle ment is the 1820's LeRoy fam- and you can pour out the coffee ily open hearth kitchen which (or strain it through muslin). It was the domain of the family was thought that coffee made cook. On the main floor is the with a biggin was much better. 1930s kitchen, complete with The biggin had two compart- electric stove and refrigerator, ments with a perforated metal and a sink with running water. sieve between the two pots. It The two kitchens provide an op- was introduced in France in portunity to show a century of 1780. It was very similar to the change. This summer there is a Neapolitan, which has an upside small exhibit about coffee. down pot on top of another pot, In the 1820's coffee with a metal strainer in between. took a long time to prepare, Coffee cups were which explains why tea – even shaped different than tea cups. herb tea – was more popular. Tea cups often did not have All you have to do to make a handles and imitated the Chi- cup of tea is to steep some tea nese handless tea cups. Coffee leaves in a pot of hot water, but cups, with handles, were some- coffee was a different story. times called “cans.” Again I Green coffee beans were bought went to Ebay to find some 1820 at the store and then had to be coffee cups and discovered sev- 1930's kitchen with electric percolators, Caccamise Coffee, and coffee pot roasted over the fire. Some- eral “cup sets” that included a (Such as Jell-O.) Maxwell times they were roasted in a tea cup, a and one House Coffee was introduced in skillet, but it was best to roast saucer. These were manufac- 1892, named after a hotel in Ten- them in an enclosed tin canis- tured in Colchester, England, nessee. In 1928, like Jell-O and ter. (shown in the photograph). and were made of porcelain, , Coffee This process was not easy and if which was expensive. So to became part of . the beans were not roasted prop- save money, and since coffee By 1930, Americans were cof- erly, the coffee could be terrible. and tea were never served at the fee drinkers - - not tea drinkers. Once roasted, the beans had to same time, there was only one 1830's Kitchen with coffee roaster, Coffee percolators consisted of be ground. Using a mortar and saucer. I checked with a friend coffee pot and cup set, coffee grind- a coffee pot with a metal basket pestle did not produce good re- in England, and she verified the er and Neapolitan (on the left) inside and a glass knob on top, sults, but for many people, it story. Suspecting that Charlotte so you could see how the coffee The little store on North Street, was the only way to grind cof- LeRoy – wanting to imitate was brewing. By 1930, several owned by the Caccamise fami- fee. There were a variety of cof- the latest fashion – might have companies had introduced an ly, (now Woody’s Deli) pack- fee grinders introduced at this bought “cup sets”, I bought two electric percolator. aged their own coffee. These time, but since Charlotte LeRoy sets for the exhibit. In the 1800's, there cans of coffee were vacuum may have spent a few years in I also learned that were a variety of coffee sub- packed. This process had been France (we think) it made sense American interest in coffee stitutes. During the Civil War, introduced in the early 1900s to buy a French coffee grinder came about when England be- confederate soldiers often could and the can came with a metal on ebay. It is somewhat simi- gan taxing tea - - remember not get coffee, and so chicko- key to open them. Then the lid lar to a grinder the Boston Tea Party. Although ry, roasted grains, even burned could be securely put back on to or pepper grinder. Most people some people began drinking toast, was used to make some- store the coffee. And one other made boiled coffee. One reci- herb teas, many switched to thing that imitated coffee. In little bit of LeRoy history and pe, which I have used: “Allow coffee and the popularity of the LeRoy, Orator Woodward, coffee. Jell-O manufactured a two tablespoons for each per- coffee house started. even before he owned Jell-O, coffee flavored Jell-O for a short son, grind it just before making. During the Civil War, was making money with a cof- period of time. (Actually, you Put it in a basin and break into the soldiers were given coffee fee substitute, called Grain-O. can still buy coffee flavored gel- it an egg, yolk, white shell and rations. (Green beans that had to The Postum Company offered atin in Japan today. It’s wonder- all. Mix it up with a spoon to be roasted and ground.) By the Graino without the hyphen. ful. If you want to make coffee the consistence of mortar; put late 1800s, coffee could often be Another roasted grain coffee gelatin, use Knox gelatin and it in warm hot boiling water bought already roasted. In fact, substitute was packaged by the make it with hot coffee. Then in the coffee pot; let it boil up one of the “inventions” that pro- Genesee Valley Cereal Compa- put some whipped cream on top and break three times; then let moted the sale of roasted coffee ny in the old brick school house and it makes a nice dessert. Or stand a few minutes and it will beans, was the introduction of a on East Avenue. It was called put some Bailey’s in it to make be as clear as amber and the egg mass produced small paper bag. Co-Fe-No. some great Jell-O shots.) will give it a rich taste.” The It was also the time when brand Some stores packaged egg coagulates around the cof- names were being introduced. their own coffee - - such as A&P.