It was the only coffee I remember my parents ever drinking. The brand was heavily advertised in the Lorain Journal in the 1950s and 60s. Perhaps that's how my parents first became aware of it – tried it – and liked it.
They were loyal to it, that's for sure. When it was on sale at Marc's, they would buy as many as a half-dozen cans at one time. At one point in the 1990s, I counted more than a dozen cans in their basement pantry. It was like money in the bank.
In the Brady household, Dad was the one who made the coffee. He liked it strong, although Mom and Dad both put half and half in theirs. Later, after Dad passed away, Mom still made it strong – and drank it black.
When she became a widow, Mom was funny about her coffee. Since she only drank about a cup a day, she hated wasting the rest of the pot. So she poured it into a carafe and drank it over the next few days. I did my best to encourage her to make a fresh pot every day ("You deserve it, Mom!") but she didn't vary from this habit, right up to the end. But she would make a fresh pot whenever I came over.
Anyway, above is a vintage Hills Bros. ad from the Lorain Journal of November 5, 1953. The gimmick of the ad is a free "Coffee Guide" that was in specially marked cans. At first I thought the guide was a little instruction book – but it was actually a little rectangular scoop.
There are a few on eBay right now, if your Hills Bros. coffee-making is in need of guidance.
5 comments:
We were a Maxwell House house, too. Well, everyone in the family was, except me. I like the smell of coffee, but I hate the taste. Don't like coffee candy. Don't like coffee ice cream. In fact, when I was little, I wouldn't eat "coffee cake" because my brothers convinced me it tasted like coffee (so they could have my portion).
I can honestly say that, in my entire life, I've never had more than a sip, or two of the stuff. My wife and kids love it. Me... I'm sticking with the aroma.
Re: Maxwell House. As kids, we always wondered what was wrong with the last drop.
My folks enjoyed bridge. Every time they visited someone else's house for a round, the next morning they would complain about two things - the other couple being lousy bridge players and their coffee not being strong enough.
Mom and Dad drank Maxwell House, but I remember two other brands sneaking in to the pantry - Eight O'Clock and Chock Full O'Nuts, a strange brand name if ever there was one.
it's the heavenly coffee
I'm with Don on this one. It smells good, but I have never had a cup of coffee in my life. My parents "trained" me to make their coffee when I was a kid and one sip was enough to know I would never be partaking in that disgusting ritual. They used to drink instant coffee in a red glass jar. Folger's I think.
Anonymous…
The only drink I ever “learned to like” was bourbon.
Looking back on it all, I would’ve been better off with Maxwell House!
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