, color,
and imperfections would be his criterion.

The leading coffee importers at San Francisco in 1875 were B.E. Auger &
Co., 409 Battery; S.A. Carit & Co., 405 Front Street; Hellmann Bros. &
Co., 525 Front Street; Adolphe Low & Co., 208 California Street; S.C.
Merrill & Co., 204 California Street; Parrott & Co., 306 California
Street; and Urruella & Urioste, 405 Front Street.

The annual consumption of green coffee in San Francisco in the early
eighties was estimated at 100,000 bags.

A marked change in the coffee business of San Francisco was brought
about by the discovery that the differences in the taste of coffees
could not be accurately detected from their color or from the size of
bean. To Clarence E. Bickford belongs the credit of having discovered
the cup qualities of high-grown Central American coffees. He was
employed at the time by a broker named Hockhofler, and probably did not
realize what far-reaching effect his discovery would have on the future
of San Francisco's coffee trade; but no other factor has contributed so
much to its growth. When the roasters began to examine coffees for their
taste, values were of course revolutionized. Antiguas, and other
high-grown coffees, that had theretofore been penalized for the small
size of bean, soon brought a premium, and have ever since been in great
demand. It goes without saying that the new classification was of
material assistance to the roasters in bettering their output, as
blending was then put on a scientific basis.

About the middle of the nineties San Francisco began to function as a
distributing center, and shipments were made from there to St. Louis and
Cincinnati. The selection of coffees on their cup merit was undoubtedly
a factor of considerable importance in creating new outlets; although it
is generally conceded that the winning personality of C.E. Bickford
helped considerably. Mr. Bickford, by this time, had succeeded his
former employer. He served the trade by living up to the best standards
of business practise until his death in 1908; when the institution he
founded was continued by E.H. O'Brien under the name of C.E. Bickford &
Co.

[Illustration: CALIFORNIA STREET, THE COFFEE-TRADING CENTER OF SAN
FRANCISCO]

San Francisco imported 175,293 bags of coffee in 1900. Imports had grown
to 256,183 bags by 1906; and the following were the leading importers,
as taken from a compilation by C.E. Bickford & Co.:

IMPORTERS OF COFFEE BY SEA