All About Coffee by William H. Ukers (best new books to read .TXT) π
CHAPTER II
HISTORY OF COFFEE PROPAGATION
A brief account of the cultivation of the coffee plant in the Old World, and of its introduction into the New--A romantic coffee adventure Page 5
CHAPTER III
EARLY HISTORY OF COFFEE DRINKING
Coffee in the Near East in the early centuries--Stories of its origin--Discovery by physicians and adoption by the Church--Its spread through Arabia, Persia, and Turkey--Persecutions and Intolerances--Early coffee manners and customs Page 11
CHAPTER IV
INTRODUCTION OF COFFEE INTO WESTERN EUROPE
When the three great temperance beverages, cocoa, tea, and coffee, came to Europe--Coffee first mentioned by Rauwolf in 1582--Early days of coffee in Italy--How Pope Clement VIII baptized it and made it a truly Christian beverage--The first Europe
Read free book Β«All About Coffee by William H. Ukers (best new books to read .TXT) πΒ» - read online or download for free at americanlibrarybooks.com
- Author: William H. Ukers
- Performer: -
Read book online Β«All About Coffee by William H. Ukers (best new books to read .TXT) πΒ». Author - William H. Ukers
Direct Importers of Brazil Coffee
New York, 1894 Bags Arbuckle Bros. 688,726 W.H. Crossman & Bro. 355,864 Hard & Rand. 345,541 W.F. McLaughlin & Co. 227,935 J.W. Doane & Co. 207,170 Steinwender, Stoffregen Co. 132,482 J.L. Phipps & Co. 54,617 Dannemillers & Co. 49,449 E. Levering & Co. 47,322 Aug. Stumpp. 44,959 Thomson & Taylor Spice Co. 44,017 G. Amsinck & Co. 38,350 E.H. & W.J. Peck. 33,278 J.H. Labaree & Co. 32,071 Fitch & Howland. 31,515 Shinkle, Wilson & Kreis Co. 25,951 C.D. Lathrop & Co. 23,263 Taylor & Levering. 21,501 Heinrich Haase. 18,976 William T. Levering. 18,796 T.G. Lurman & Co. 18,017 Elmenhorst & Co. 16,221 Sprague, Warner & Co. 14,856 Sorver, Damon & Co. 14,675 Sutton & Vansant 13,957 John O'Donohue's Sons 13,681 Hoffman, Lee & Co. 13,598 S.R. Alexander 12,805 Eppens, Smith & Wiemann Co. 12,719 Baker & Young 11,906 Hanley & Kinsella C. & S. Co. 11,318 Durand & Kasper Co. 11,124 Wm. Schotten & Co. 11,005 C.G. Bullard & Co. 10,653 H.W. Banks & Co. 10,351 Ellis Bros. 10,282 Jacob Baiz 9,146 A. Lueder & Co. 8,492 C.F. Pitt & Sons 8,262 G.F. Gillman 7,927 Bell, Conrad & Co. 6,528 N. Martin & Co. 6,507 J.B. O'Donohue & Co. 6,102 Steele, Wedeles Co. 5,700 G.O. Gordon 5,550 Sherman Bros. & Co. 4,998 F. MacVeagh & Co. 4,763 Benedict & Co. 4,717 Chase & Sanborn 4,505 West & Melchers 4,500 Mokaska Mfg. Co. 4,013 Haebler & Co. 4,000 Robt. Crooks & Co. 3,509 M.M. Levy & Co. 3,037 J.A. Tolman Co. 3,004 Tracy & Avery Co. 3,000 Wells Bros. 2,800 Kirby, Halsted & Chapin Co. 2,754 W.M. Hoyt Co. 2,252 Gt. A. & P. Tea Co. 2,250 Foote & Knevals 2,000 L.W. Minford & Co. 1,800 Wm. Bayne & Co. 1,755 Indiana Coffee Co. 1,650 W.K. Carson & Co. 1,501 Miller, Smith & Co. 1,500 Rufus Woods 1,498 J.G. Flint 1,345 Davenport & Morris 1,250 Canada 1,140 Westfeldt Bros. 1,000 Edw. Westen T. & S. Co. 800 Corbin, May & Co. 750 F. Cannon & Co. 618 Adam Roth Gro. Co. 500 Scudder, Gale Gro. Co. 500 J.H. Taylor & Co. 500 Wm. B. Willson 500 Dwinell, Wright & Co. 500 Swift, Billings & Co. 500 New Orleans Coffee Co. 500 B. Fischer & Co. 401 Smith & Schipper 300 Ulman, Lewis & Co. 281 Ridenour, Baker Gro. Co. 250 W.H. Minor 250 Nave & McCord Merc. Co. 202 Skiddy, Minford & Co. 196 Rossbach & Bro. 184 L. Wolff 149 Reimers & Meyer 50 W.F. Jackson 5 ββββ Total 2,791,642
Direct Importers of Brazil Coffee
Baltimore, 1894 Bags E. Levering & Co. 40,965 T.G. Lurman & Co. 29,325 C.M. Stewart & Co. 25,499 Thornton Rollins 21,436 William T. Levering 15,884 Steinwender, Stoffregen 12,852 W.B. Willson 11,540 Hoffman, Lee & Co. 8,953 Rufus Woods 8,020 P.T. George & Co. 7,463 Taylor & Levering 6,440 Benedict & Co. 5,434 Brazil Trading Co. 2,666 C.F. Pitt & Sons 2,505 J.W. Doane & Co. 2,500 Enterprise Coffee Co. 1,811 H.M. Wagner & Co. 504 C.D. Lathrop & Co. 503 Mokaska Manufacturing Co. 500 Hanley & Kinsella C. & S. Co. 500 Shinkle, Wilson & Kreis Co. 404 G. Amsinck & Co. 400 Indiana Coffee Co. 251 ββββ Total 206,355
Early Days of Green Coffee in New Orleans
The history of New Orleans as a coffee port may be considered as beginning with the transfer of Louisiana by Napoleon Bonaparte to the United States in 1803. In this year, according to Martin's History of Louisiana, New Orleans imported 1438 bags of coffee of 132 pounds each. In the latter part of the eighteenth century, settlers in large numbers had crossed the Allegheny Mountains from the Atlantic states into the valley of the Ohio River; and their crops of grain and provisions were exported by means of cheaply constructed rafts and boats, which were floated down the river to New Orleans, where they were generally broken up and sold for use as lumber and firewoodβthere being, at that time, no power available for propelling them back against the current of the river.
From 1803 until 1820, on account of the difficulty of navigating upstream, New Orleans imports did not increase as rapidly as exports. In 1814, however, the first crude steamboat had begun to carry freight on the river; and by 1820, the supremacy of New Orleans as the gateway of the Mississippi Valley had been for the time established by this new means of transportation. The coffee-importing business flourished; and, from its modest beginning in 1803, grew to 531,236 bags in 1857.
By this time, however, New Orleans had begun to feel the competition of the Erie Canal, and of the systems of east and west railroad lines which had been in the course of active construction during the preceding fifteen years. The railroad systems which had as their ports Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, entered upon a desperate war of freight rates, each in the endeavor to establish the supremacy of its own port. As the building of railroads had been entirely east and west, and no large amount of capital had been invested in north and south lines, much of the business of the valley was diverted to the Atlantic ports, apparently never to return to New Orleans.
In 1862, on account of the blockade of the port, not a bag of coffee was imported through New Orleans, and practically none came in until the year 1866, when the small amount of 55,000 bags was the total for the year. At about this time, Boston and Philadelphia became negligible importing quantities; the business of Baltimore continued to be quite prosperous; and New York rapidly increased her imports and took the commanding position.
New Orleans had increased her coffee imports to 250,000 bags in 1871, and the yearly imports continued at about this figure until the last decade of the century, when the business began to expand. The imports had reached a total of 337,000 bags in 1893β1894; and of 373,000 in 1896β97. This was the beginning of a new era, and the coffee business of New Orleans entered upon the period of its greatest growth. Imports were 514,000 bags in 1900β01, and were slightly more than twice that by 1903β04. In 1909β10 the imports had again doubled, and had reached a total for the twelve months ending July 1, 1909, of slightly more than 2,000,000 bags; while the figures for the calendar year 1909 totaled 2,500,000 bags.
Borino & Bro., 77 Gravier Street, were the largest importers of coffee in New Orleans in 1869. The principal importers in 1880 were P. Poursine & Co., Westfeldt Bros., Dymond & Gardes, Schmidt & Ziegler, J.L. Phipps & Co., Geo. O. Gordon & Co., and Smith Bros.
Shipments were by sailing vessels, a full cargo being about 5000 bags. Fancy grades, like Golden Rios, washed and peaberries, were shipped in double bags. Musty coffees were common, and every bag in a cargo was sampled for must. S. Jackson was first to issue regular manifests. With the entry of steamers into the coffee transport business, New Orleans was placed at a disadvantage as steamer rates were about twenty cents a bag higher to New Orleans than to New York, and imports were limited. The subsequent revival of the business was due largely to Hard & Rand. Being unable to obtain steamer rates equal to those quoted in New York, Hard & Rand chartered steamers for New Orleans; and soon the trade began to offer cost and freight to New Orleans, and the business grew from about 350,000 bags of green coffee per annum to 2,500,000 bags.
One of the best remembered names in the green coffee trade of New Orleans is that of Charles Dittman (1848β1920), who for nearly fifty years was one of the leading coffee commission merchants of the country. Mr. Dittman entered the coffee business with Napier & Co., representing E. Johnston & Co., of Rio de Janeiro. In 1875, upon the death of Mr. Napier, the firm changed to Johnston, Gordon & Co., later to G.O. Gordon, and in 1886 to the Charles Dittmann Co. Since his death in 1920, the business has been continued by F.V. Allain and Charles Dittmann, Jr.
Most of the buildings shown here are occupied by green coffee importing houses. The one on the right with the balconies is the old Board of Trade Building
Green Coffee in San Francisco
In the early days of the green coffee business in San Francisco these names stood out as most important among the coffee importers: Hellmann Bros. & Co., Montealegre & Co., E.L.G.S. Steele & Co., and Urruella & Urioste.
From their many friends in Central America, they, and others in their line, obtained small consignments that were bought by the roasters according to their immediate needs. Often as many as five or six buyers would share in a parcel of fifty bags, as they were not in the custom of filling up the larder for days of want. There always seemed to be sufficient for every one, and bull movements and corners had not then become the vogue.
Just as today, the mainstays of the early San Francisco trade were coffees produced in Costa Rica, Salvador, and Guatemala, although some were brought from the Colima district of Mexico. The broker had a comparatively easy job in selling his wares. Samples of the lots would be given to him in carefully sealed glass bottles, and usually the buyer would trust his discerning eye to judge correctly the quality of the goods, not even taking the trouble to uncork the bottle. Size, color, and imperfections would be his criterion.
The leading coffee importers at San Francisco in 1875 were B.E. Auger & Co., 409 Battery; S.A. Carit & Co., 405 Front Street; Hellmann Bros. & Co., 525 Front Street; Adolphe Low & Co., 208 California Street; S.C. Merrill & Co., 204 California Street; Parrott & Co., 306 California Street; and Urruella & Urioste, 405 Front Street.
The annual consumption of green coffee in San Francisco in the early eighties was estimated at 100,000 bags.
A marked change in the coffee business of San Francisco was brought about by the discovery that the differences in the taste of coffees could not be accurately detected from their color or from the size of bean. To Clarence E. Bickford belongs the credit of having discovered the cup qualities of high-grown Central American coffees. He was employed at the time by a broker named Hockhofler, and probably did not realize what far-reaching effect his discovery would have on the future of San Francisco's coffee trade; but no other factor has contributed so much to its growth. When the roasters began to examine coffees for their taste, values were of course revolutionized. Antiguas, and other high-grown coffees, that had theretofore been penalized for the small size of bean, soon brought a premium, and have ever since been in great demand. It goes without saying that the new classification was of material assistance to the roasters in bettering their output, as blending was then put on a scientific basis.
About the middle of the nineties San Francisco began to function as a distributing center, and shipments were made from there to St. Louis and Cincinnati. The selection of coffees on their cup merit was undoubtedly a factor of considerable importance in creating new outlets;
Comments (0)