Wednesday Open Line


America’s coffee-loving public has no grounds for complaint about today’s anniversary. On this date in 1829, a patent was issued to James Carrington of Connecticut for a coffee mill. Milling is an ancient process for grinding grains and beans, and the basis of the 1829 patent was largely for its more robust, all-cast iron construction. But Carrington’s coffee mill came out to benefit from the country’s increasing taste for coffee, which supplanted tea as a favorite beverage around the time of the Revolutionary War. Americans consume around 23 gallons of coffee per capita annually. Supplying this consumption are 360 coffee and tea manufacturing establishments, with annual shipments valued at over $7.8 billion. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.