Coffee Black
:
ON THE NEUTRAL, BLACK.
though little known and not on sale, has been strongly recommended by
Bouvier as one of the best blacks that can be used. Soft without being
greasy, light, almost impalpable, even before being ground, it gives
tints of a very bluish gray when mixed with white, a quality precious
for making the blues of the sketch, and dull greens. It is said to dry
better than blue or vine black, and to combine admirably with other
col
urs. De Montabert prefers calling it Coffee Brown, giving it as an
exemplification of a bluish-brown, but probably this brown hue is owing
to want of skill in its manufacture. We have not had personal experience
of the colour, but there is no theoretical reason why a carbonaceous
black should not be produced from coffee. The mode of proceeding is to
calcine the berry in a covered vessel, and well wash the resulting
charcoal with boiling water by decantation. In order to prevent the
powder, which is of great lightness, from floating, it is made into
paste with a few drops of alcohol before adding the water.