The essential oil of the berry is so volatile, that the greatest care and skill are requisite in its roasting and pulverization; for if too much burnt, the aroma is destroyed, if underdone, the water fails to absorb or extract the nutritious material, and if not properly pulverized, a perfect chemical combination of the particles in solution is not effected. There is no doubt a desire among the Americans, to obtain this beverage in its purity and excellence, as evince the many machines and contrivances they use; yet they seldom if ever succeed in their attempts. The mixture from the grocers, and the ingredients they mingle at home, such as eggs, isinglass, etc., render it impossible to secure a pure, unadulterated, fragrant solution of this berry. The commercial competition is so great that in order to be able to undersell each other, all sorts of cheaper substitutes are mixed with the coffee, such as chicory, beans, peas, etc.; thus annihilating the really nutritive properties of the genuine plant. In a word, those who have never tasted a cup of good Turkish coffee, are yet in unhappy ignorance of the peculiar aroma and deliciousness of coffee as a beverage. Coffee being the universal and favorite beverage in Turkey, the first ideas of an Osmanli, upon opening his eyes in the morning, are associated with his kahvé and chibouk, or coffee and pipe, which in reality constitute his only breakfast, and are not only used upon rising, but at all hours during the day, and at the very moment of his retiring. These luxuries are invariably offered to visitors, and their omission is regarded as a breach of hospitality. Their universal use has given rise to the establishment of numerous kahvés, which are the resort of persons of all ranks and condition. They are to be met with in all parts and quarters of the city, each having its own set of customers, and constituting, in reality, the only casinos or club houses, where politics are discussed, business transacted, and the news of the day freely circulated; in fact the only Bourse or Exchange in Constantinople, was a coffee house at Pershembé-Pazar, in Galata: and it is only of late years that a regular Exchange has been erected. Many of these kahvés are very beautifully constructed, and adorned with pillars and fountains, with gardens attached to them, where visitors are entertained with sweet strains of music; and crowds assemble to listen to the extravagant fictions of the Meddahs, or professed story-tellers, or otherwise to wile away the time; smoking, sipping the fragrant berry, and playing backgammon, dama, or mangala. All games of chance are played by the Osmanlis, only for amusement, and gambling is not generally practised by them.