Vintage Coffee Brands & Culture

Maxwell House has used 'Good to the Last Drop' since 1917. Legend has it that President Theodore Roosevelt coined the phrase after drinking a cup at the Maxwell House hotel in Nashville.

Sanka, introduced to America in 1923, was the first major decaffeinated coffee brand. Its name comes from the French 'sans caffeine' (without caffeine).

The percolator was the standard American coffee maker for decades. The distinctive gurgling sound of a percolating pot was a familiar morning sound in homes across the country.

The 'Peter Comes Home' Folgers commercial first aired in 1986 and became one of the most beloved holiday commercials in American television history.

'The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup' debuted in 1984 and became one of the most recognized jingles in advertising history.

Folgers Crystals ran a famous series of commercials where they secretly replaced fine restaurant coffee with Folgers instant coffee and filmed diners' reactions.

Juan Valdez was created in 1958 by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia. The mustachioed farmer and his mule became icons of Colombian coffee quality.

Taster's Choice ran a serialized series of romantic commercials featuring two neighbors who kept meeting over cups of coffee. The story played out over multiple episodes.

Diner coffee was served in thick, heavy ceramic mugs, and the waitress would come by with the coffee pot for free refills. This tradition continues at many diners today.

Mr. Coffee, introduced in 1972 and famously endorsed by Joe DiMaggio, popularized the automatic drip coffee maker and eventually replaced the percolator as the standard home coffee maker.

A small cream pitcher (or creamer) was part of every proper table setting. It was often matched with a sugar bowl as part of a set, sometimes in china or ceramic.

Nestlé's Coffee-mate was introduced in 1961 as the first non-dairy creamer. It didn't need refrigeration and became a pantry staple in offices and homes across America.

Hills Bros. Coffee, founded in San Francisco in 1878, featured an Arab man sipping coffee on its distinctive can. The brand was a West Coast favorite for generations.

Postum was a caffeine-free grain beverage made from roasted wheat bran and molasses. Created in 1895, it became especially popular during WWII when coffee was rationed.

Chock full o'Nuts, originally a chain of New York nut shops that converted to lunch counters, used this memorable slogan for decades. Page Morton Black sang the famous jingle.