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© History Oasis
Discontinued: 1980s
This brand was used as Waldorf Astoria’s official house coffee. Samuel Schonbrunn created this luxury blend for Manhattan’s elite, mixing Central American beans with French roasting techniques. TV ads promoted the brand by featuring “El exigente” — a demanding coffee picker who settled for nothing less than perfect beans. When corporate buyouts hit, Savarin’s 80-year reign as New York’s premium coffee ended.
Discontinued: 2016
Jim Stewart began roasting beans for his Whidbey Island ice cream shop in 1970. He traveled to coffee farms buying direct from farmers. This way before “fair trade” existed. While Starbucks went dark, Stewart kept roasts light. Seattle coffee shops loved the brand, but it couldn’t compete when coffee became corporate. Sadly, the drink was discontinuedwhen the company shuttered.
Discontinued: 1929 (original formula)
America’s first sealed-can coffee. Caleb Chase and James Sanborn revolutionized freshness in 1864, packing roasted beans in airtight tins. Their coffee was the only brand served at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Standard Brands boughtthem in 1929, ending the original family recipe forever.
Discontinued: 1980s
The brothers who invented vacuum-packed coffee in 1900. Their San Francisco roastery made the whole Embarcadero smell like coffee. The red cans with the Arab “coffee taster” mascot sat in every American kitchen. When Nestlé moved production out of San Francisco, 80 years of local roasting came to an end.
Discontinued: 2012
A&P’s premium line alongside Eight O’Clock and Red Circle. From 1919 to 2012, Bokar meant quality to grocery shoppers. The name sounded exotic and expensive. When the supermarket chain collapsed, Bokar vanished with it, ending 93 years of American coffee tradition.
Discontinued: 1985 (family ownership)
Max Brandenstein and his brothers built a San Francisco coffee empire starting in 1881. Their “MJB Coffee Why?” ads meant nothing in particular. Mannie just wanted people asking questions. Bob Hope and Nancy Reagan famously drank the coffee. Nestlé bought the family out in 1985, ending the 104-year-old brand.
Discontinued: 2000s
John Arbuckle’s Christmas blend became Yuban — “Yuletide Banquet.” For decades, it meant 100% Colombian beans. TV ads in the 1970s made it synonymous with premium coffee. Cost-cutting replaced Colombian beans with cheaper blends, killing the taste that made Yuban special.
Discontinued: 1970s
Boston coffee merchants Edward and William Manning opened in Seattle’s Pike Place Market in 1908. They roasted beans in a giant machine right in their store, where Lowell’s Restaurant sits now. The roaster drew crowds and established Pike Place as a coffee destination before Starbucks existed.
Discontinued: 1960s
Seattle’s first true coffee brand. The Schwabacher Brothers started roasting in the 1890s, creating the coffee that madeSeattle a coffee city. Their gold shield cans lined Pacific Northwest grocery shelves for 70 years. Corporate consolidation eventually made the vintage coffee brand obsolete.
Discontinued: 2017
The frozen coffee drink that defined summer for millions. Dunkin’ killed it brutally, claiming it “wasn’t good enough.” Customers revolted on social media. Fans found the slushy texture perfect. Creamy, cold, caffeinated. New frozen drinks never matched the original’s appeal.
Discontinued: 2015
Part of Starbucks’ 2011 blonde roast experiment. While Veranda survived, Willow died in menu streamlining. It highlighted bean flavors instead of roast intensity. Exactly what light-roast lovers wanted. Devoted fans still hunt for remaining stock online after this Starbucks drink was discontinued.
Discontinued: 2009
French Vanilla and Hazelnut instant coffee ruled kitchens before K-Cups. Nestlé’s Taster’s Choice dominated instant coffee, and these flavors offered quick indulgence. Single-serve machines killed instant coffee.
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