For the Month of May, I have chosen our Vienna Blend.
My father opened his shop at 42 South Molton Street in June 1946. I see some familiar names in his first published Coffee list. This is a story about one of those coffees, Vienna Blend. It is the story of coffee and people.
Part of the story begins in 1938, about twelve months before the start of the second world war. My father was then the manager of a Coffee and Tea Specialist, in charge of its retail and wholesale business. Though he had many duties he always spent time meeting customers in the shop. This was a time when there were many refugees. He became aware of a man and a woman who were coming into the shop several times a week to buy half a pound of coffee (just under 250g). In conversation with them he discovered they were married, and refugees from Germany. What they were doing was making a little money by selling their 8 oz. to other refugees. They, like so many refugees were having a very hard time making a living.
In his diary he says on learning their story he gave them the companies best wholesale price for their purchases, so that when they sold the coffee, they would have a better margin. The coffee was of the very best quality so it sold easily. Sometime later the couple came back to my father with a proposition. What they wanted was to buy 18lb (around 8 Kilos) of coffee on credit, and to pay for it when they placed their next order. My father knew immediately that there was a problem. He could not give them credit. His boss was very anti German refugees, especially if he thought they were Jewish.
He could not do what they wanted, as it was, he would be in trouble if it was discovered he was giving them a discount. He wanted to help. What he did was to buy the coffee and pay for it with his own money. Then he said to them “Here is the coffee, take it as a gift, and when you come next week, you can buy the next lot with your own money”. He says “I had no idea what that meant for them, and how it would help me later”.
In the spring of 1942, my father achieved his lifelong ambition, by starting his own business. But it was a desperate start. H.R.Higgins (Coffee-man) Wholesale Only, began in one room on the top floor of number 43 South Molton Street, with the most meagre equipment. In those dark days of the war everything was in short supply. His customers were restaurants and shops with whom he continued his dream of creating a business specialising in coffee.
His contact with the couple continued, he employed the lady as a sales representative on commission. He says she had a very attractive personality, She had access to the continental grocers and delicatessens, and they bought freely. The coffee they bought was my father’s Vienna Blend. He says there were times when she could sell more coffee than he could produce. He little realised when he made that small gesture years before of the impact it would have.
Coffee reached Vienna in 1683 when the siege of Vienna broken. Among the items left behind, around 500 sacks of roasted coffee beans were discovered, abandoned and left behind by the retreating Turkish army. The authorities mistook them for animal feed. Legend has it that a messenger serving the Austrian forces, George Kolschitzky who had undertaken several dangerous missions through enemy lines was rewarded by the gift of these sacks of coffee. From previous life experience he knew what they were and legend has it that it was he who opened the first Vienna coffee house. Whether true or just legend the coffee houses of Vienna soon became famous for their elegance and sophistication.
Vienna Blend has featured in all our selections since that first list in 1946.
Our Vienna Blend is a mixture of medium and dark roasts creating a smooth, rich and delectable coffee with a medium body and notes of honey, pear and milk chocolate. We bring together the best varieties from South America and East Africa. Recommended for preparation by all coffee making methods, especially pour over filters. It makes a lovely punchy breakfast coffee, a great smooth espresso when prepared using a stove top Mokka pot.
I hope you enjoy our Vienna blend. With my very best wishes
Tony Higgins
