The credit for a good roasted coffee goes to Arbuckle Brothers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company patented a method of sealing in the roasted flavor by coating the beans with a glaze of egg white and sugar. Roasted coffee beans, put up in air tight metal containers, could now be shipped all over. Arbuckle coffee became quite popular in the West. Each package also contained one stick of peppermint candy, which could be used to bribe a cowhand with a sweet tooth into turning the crank of a coffee grinder.

Although popularly known as "Arbuckle's," the coffee was actually marketed under the Ariosa (AIR-ee-OH-sa) brand. Arbuckle's was eventually merged with the Maxwell House brand. Recently, a small company in Tucson, Arizona, has revived the Arbuckle's and Ariosa names and sells modern-day versions of that classic coffee -- complete with a peppermint stick!

Photo by Richard E. Ahlborn, courtesy Library of Congress. Digital ID afc96ran 43944