H and H Coffee

Dedicated to the history of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co. founded 1899 in San Antonio, Texas.

Small upright litho tins in the navy and red H and H spices livery — a grocery-annex line co-packed or in-house packed at the Delaware Street plant. The form is distinctive: compact, cylindrical, with the “Packed for Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co., San Antonio, Texas” legend on the base panel.

Quick ID:

  • Navy blue and red litho — immediately distinct from the red-and-cream coffee tins
  • “H and H Brand [spice name]” on label panel; base reads “Packed for Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co., San Antonio, Texas”
  • 1 oz and 1½ oz are short upright cylinders; 4 oz black pepper is significantly taller, same livery
  • 1 oz cumin survives in a paper-label format (not litho) — possible pre-litho era or special variant

Form

Round cylindrical tin with friction slip lid. Small upright format — notably shorter than a coffee tin. Navy blue and red lithography distinguishes the spice tins from the red-and-cream coffee tins. Label reads “H and H Brand [Spice name]” with net weight. Base panel text: “Packed for Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co., San Antonio, Texas.”

Size variants

Size Spice varieties documented
1 oz Cinnamon, cumin
1½ oz Ginger, nutmeg, allspice (two label styles)
4 oz Black pepper (large upright tin; same livery)

The 4 oz black pepper tin uses the same design language but is significantly taller. A paprika barrel lid (bulk format) is documented in the factory finds but no consumer paprika tin is yet in the collection.

Co-packing question

The legend “Packed for Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co.” is ambiguous — it may indicate third-party co-packing under the H and H label rather than in-house grinding. The November 1932 establishment of a separate Spice and Extract Department (per San Antonio Express-News, 28 Nov 1932) suggests in-house production at scale from that date. Pre-1932 spice tins may be co-packed.

Manufacturer

Container: Fabricator undocumented. The “Packed for Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co.” base legend indicates third-party can sourcing. The November 1932 expansion of the Spice and Extract Department may have brought packing in-house from that date, but the can maker is not identified in current sources.

Label / lithography: Printer undocumented. The navy and red color scheme is consistent across all documented examples, suggesting a single lithographer. No bottom-panel markings comparable to the Simpson & Doeller blend tin marking (HH-COLL-0000-0062) have been documented on spice tins.

Label variants

Two label styles documented for 1½ oz tins (both nutmeg): a small navy/red litho format (likely earlier) and a standard-size label. The two formats appear to be chronological, not simultaneous production runs, but this has not been confirmed with dating evidence.

Comparanda

The collection holds an Anchor Brand red pepper spice tin (David G. Evans Coffee Co., St. Louis) — a direct size and format comparandum for the 4 oz black pepper tin. Evans was a documented H and H supplier (Anchor-brand spice packer, per 1923 trade press).

Artifacts

In the collection

Reference

Wanted

None documented.

See also