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Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 879, 19 April 1877, Page 3

New Zealand Coffee. —Some notice has been taken lately of what is no novelty, but what is nevertheless interesting —the existence in New Zealand of a shrub, the berries of which pipgaess the aroma, and possibly, the virtues of the coffee plant. Referring to it the Wellington Argus in a recent number says:—“ It will be remembered that some short time ago wo drew attention to a discovery made by Mr J. C. Crawford that the seeds of a native plant growing plentifully at Marama, resembled coffee in flavour and aroma. The paragraph has been extensively copied by the Press in other places, and last week Messrs Trent Brothers, the well-known Chicory farm proprietors and coffee and spice merchants in Christchurch, wrote to Mr Crawford asking him to favor them with a sample of the berries referred to. Mr Crawford has complied with this request. He has also learned that a Chatham Island variety of the same plant heaps seeds very much larger than those of the plant known here, and he has taken stops to procure seed |of the Chatham Island species.” It deserves to be known that the same plant, if not abundant, is at least frequently found In Westland, and that at several of the horticultural shows in Hokitika it was'exlubitcd in its natural state, and manufactured ill the form which the coffee berry is. visually dealt with, by being roasted. of the berry is very similar to that of the coffee bean, and a very palatable drink can be produced from it. Several experiments wore made with it by Mr Mcßeth, of Arahura, who now resides in Wellington.)