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Coffee Roaster since 1880

Since 1880 Verlet has been a purveyor of teas and coffees, spices and candied fruit. At the same time, the house at 256 rue Saint-Honoré opened an exquisite gourmet emporium, one of the rare Parisian shops to offer top quality home roasted coffee brewed directly on the footpath in front of the shop. Every morning, a high temperature metal drum was hand cranked to evenly roast and brew pale green beans from the Americas, the West Indies and Africa, until the perfect roast « à la française » was achieved. The renowned colour « Robe de Moine » became a Verlet speciality. The delicious fragrance of coffee filled the neighbourhood and every connoisseur and reputable home shopped at Verlet.
The house of Verlet is part of the history of coffee in France since its introduction in the middle of the 17th century when it was introduced to the court of Louis XIV, up to and including the 18th century when its appeal and popularity rapidly spread. Coffee, as well as tea and chocolate were at the time known as « Liqueurs chaudes exotiques ». Coffee was prepared by the first « café owners » in Paris in 1670, either in the street or in small shops or stalls. These new exotic delicacies, tea, coffee and chocolate, would soon become familiar, and represent a stimulating and changing world. Fascinated by the new, foodstuffs were now exchanged much like ideas. In Paris between 1690 and 1730, coffee, promoted for its energizing virtues, became the beverage of choice for intellectuals and philosophers. 

Purveyor of teas and coffees since 1921

In 1921 the house was handed down to the young Auguste Woehrlé, known as Verlet. A mariner on merchant ships and an importer of coffee from Latin and Central America, the young man settled down in Paris to take over his godmother’s establishment. He specialised in tea, coffee and spices discovered around the world. A passionate enthusiast, he created much appreciated coffee blends called « Haute Mer » and « Grand Pavois » as a reminder of his travels. He opened an elegant tea shop where enthusiasts came to have lunch and to taste his percolated coffee blends as well as teas, herbal infusions and pastries. Closed for a short while during the Occupation, Verlet reopened and renewed his search for quality products. His son Pierre succeeded him at the beginning of the 1960s.Verlet is now the first house to roast, brew and serve single origin pure coffee: Brazilian, Colombian, Kenyan and many more rare vintages. Ambitious and audacious, the Verlet coffee company is copied many times but never matched. Today, the house is still a pioneer of single origin pure coffee in France.

In the 1990s Verlet became even more curious and passionate about rare tea and coffee plantations, small-scale farms and new tastes and preferences. Exceptional producers and luscious blends are discovered in Colombia, Panama and Guatemala, but also unknown tea gardens and coffee plantations in Saint Helena, Thailand, Burma and Laos. Verlet works directly with every farmer, has an intimate knowledge and respect for location, selects and develops the best flavours and bouquets.