The American Coffee industry began thanks to a woman, Dorothy Jones of Boston. At least, Dorothy Jones was the first person in the colonies to whom a license was issued, in 1670, to sell coffee. Thanks to the Stamp Act of 1776, Americans began to distance themselves from the tea drinking British and excessive taxation. Soon, roasted coffee could be sold in larger cities to consumers, but due to oxidation, flavorful oils released, complex chemical reactions begin to dull their delicate flavors. Within a week, changes in taste are noticeable and by two weeks after roasting the fresh flavors are gone and coffee starts to taste stale and rancid. Shipping coffee across the nation allowed only green coffee beans could be shipped and roasted at its final destination as there was no means to keep roasted coffee fresh. Westfeldt Brothers were likely first to supply coffee beans to the trail drives. The green coffee bean would be roasted on a skillet, then ground as needed to brew up a pot of java. It began with the emigration of Vice-Consul Gustavus Adolphus George Westfeldt (born 1813) from Sweden who was assigned to Mobile, Alabama in 1835. In 1851, Gustavus founded Westfeldt Brothers Inc. in Mobile as one of the nation’s first green coffee importers. In 1853, the company moved from Mobile to New Orleans, occupying the warehouses and offices of a bankrupt debtor. By 1880, Westfeldt Brothers Inc. was recognized as one of the principal green coffee importers in the nation and remain so to this day. Westfeldt Brothers supplied green beans to much of the nation and to dry good suppliers for the earliest of cattle drives to northern markets. Westfeldt Brothers supplied green beans to Charles Arbuckle, a grocer in Pittsburg, Pa. Charles with his uncle Duncan McDonald, and friend William Roseburg had been buying imported coffee beans since 1859. His brother John, join the business In 1865 after he had dropped out of college to join his brothers business. The first ground-coffee package was put on the New York market about 1860–63 by Lewis A. Osborn. It was known as Osborns Celebrated Prepared Java Coffee and was later exploited by Thomas Reid as Osborns Old Government Java. John Arbuckle realized the marketing potential of having roasted coffee prepackage for sell and began packaging their own roasted coffee using Jabez Burns 1864 patent on roasting coffee which was to revolutionize the coffee-roasting business. Although, fresh ground coffee would still become stale after some time. John Arbuckle in 1868 found a way to preserve the fresh flavor coating the roasted beans in a mix of egg and sugar. Still, it would take several years to build the Arbuckle coffee business as the firm grew, the brand adopted a distinctive yellow label, each package of coffee having emblazoned on it the name “Arbuckles” in large red letters across the front. Beneath the name was a “flying angel” trademark over the words “Ariosa Coffee” printed in black letters. The packed coffee beans were a particularly big hit among chuckwagon cooks on the range. The cooks often outfitted chuckwagons with a crate of the Arbuckle coffee bean packages. When cowboys demanded fresh coffee, the cook would either open a package of beans and grind them himself or ask, “Who wants the candy” offering a peppermint stick that came with the packaged coffee beans. The cowboy wanting the peppermint stick could earn it by the grinding of the beans for the cook. Its been said, A cowboy wasnt worth a hoot until he had his cup of Arbuckles. Although, thanks to Dorothy Jones, America wakes up to that fine aroma of java. Coffee the true drink that won the west.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 17:06:24 +0000
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