‘Oldest man in the world’ — H. & H. Blend column, 2 Mar 1916

This 2 March 1916 San Antonio Express placement leads with a barnstormer headline about the “oldest man in the world” drinking a quart of coffee nightly, then quotes the Kansas City Journal on Thomas Morris of Westerville, Neb., age 121 as of 15 January 1915. The copy pivots to H. & H. BLEND as harmless enough to drink freely, suggests breakfast cups “piping hot,” and knocks “so-called coffee substitutes.” The one-pound tin artwork matches the can-only policy stressed at the end. It is period puffery, but it pins down pack sizes and the “Cream of the Crop” line the company used in retail.

Transcription

(Illustration: one-pound tin labeled H AND H BLEND COFFEE / HOFFMANN-HAYMAN COFFEE CO. SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.)

The Oldest Man in the World Uses One Quart of Coffee Nightly . . . . .

Thomas Morris, said to be the oldest man in the world, celebrated his one hundred and twenty-first birthday January 15, 1915, at his home near Westerville, Neb. He is in excellent health, and his only habits are: Smoking constantly and getting up in the middle of the night and drinking a quart of strong, cold coffee.—From Kansas City Journal, Jan. 16.

This old gentleman must be using a Coffee similar to our “H. & H. BLEND,” as it will hurt no one. Why not drink all you want and live to a happy old age like Mr. Morris?

We don’t particularly advise getting up in the night to drink it, but a cup or two “piping” hot for breakfast will make you doubly fit for the day’s duties. Don’t fool your stomach with the so-called coffee substitute, but use “H. & H. BLEND,” the “Cream of the Crop,” sold by all grocers in one, two and three-pound cans; never in bulk.

Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co.
SAN ANTONIO

Source

• San Antonio Express (San Antonio, Tex.), 2 March 1916. Project scan: 1916 Mar 2 San Antonio Express H and H ADV.jpg in the Newspaper Clippings gallery.