H and H Coffee

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

Master Chef Coffee Tin

The hotel-trade brand’s consumer tin — red litho keywind, chef mascot, H AND H diamond lockup — first documented in retail form in the Corpus Christi market in 1952, though the brand itself dates to c.1927.

Form

Round cylindrical keywind tin with a flat friction lid. Lithographed in bright red with the white chef’s-toque mascot, “Master Chef Coffee” lettering, and the H AND H diamond mark. The red-and-yellow color scheme distinguishes it from the red-and-cream H and H Blend tins.

Size variants

Size Grind callouts Notes
1 lb Regular, Drip, Pulverized, Fine grind Most common form; keywind
2 lb Regular One example in collection (2018)
3 lb Drip, Regular Keywind; early 1960s examples documented

Label eras and dating

“Cafe Coffee” era (1932): The earliest copy reads “Master Chef Cafe Coffee” — the “Cafe” suffix disappears by 1935 as the brand moves toward retail. No tin from this era is documented in the collection.

Classic keywind (c.1935–1957): Red litho, chef mascot, “Finest Hotel Coffee For Home Use” positioning strapline. One-pound standard.

Mid-century redesign (c.1957+): Brighter red, revised chef art; Jourdanton-area example documented in the collection showing the transition. “Master Chef Instant Coffee” appears as a separate line in this era.

Trading-stamp era (c.1960s): “Free 250 Trading Stamps” sticker on lid; one example in collection. Late red livery.

Grind system

Keywind tins carry explicit grind callouts on the label panel: Regular Grind, Drip, Pulverized (the finest), and a special Fine grind for glass brewers marked with a blue sticker on some examples.

Collection accessions

7+ tins, including:

  • One-pound Regular Grind keywind (Comfort, 2014)
  • One-pound with lid (1915-11-29 acquisition)
  • One-pound with lid + trading stamps sticker
  • One-pound Etsy SA find
  • Lot of two Pulverized keywind tins (1950s bright red livery)
  • Two-pound keywind (San Antonio listing, 2018)

See also