A roasting born in 1880
Since 1880, Verlet has been a table and a counter for coffees and teas, spices and selected candied fruits. On this date, at 256 rue Saint-Honoré, a new delicatessen opened its doors. It is one of the rare Parisian shops to offer quality coffee, "roasted in house", on the sidewalk in front of the shop. Every morning, a metal drum is cranked up to high temperature to uniformly "burn" the light green beans from the Americas, the Antilles and Africa, until they are perfectly cooked, revealed by an inimitable color called "Monk's Robe", typical of the French roasting that Verlet specializes in. The aroma of coffee fills the entire neighborhood. Coffee lovers and good establishments already buy from Verlet, the heir to the history of coffee in France, since its introduction in the mid-17th century at the court of Louis XIV. Coffee, like tea and chocolate, were then called "Liqueurschaudes exotiques". Coffee was served by the first "cafetiers" in a few rare places in Paris in the 1670s, in the street or in small shops. New exotic and soon domestic delicacies, all three were ambassadors of a world that was opening up, fascinated by novelty, where commodities and ideas were exchanged. In Paris, coffee, driven by its energizing virtues, became the drink of great minds, of philosophers, accompanied the progress of society, stimulated its thought and its transformations.
Les amateurs et les bonnes maisons se fournissent déjà chez Verlet, l’héritière de l’histoire du café en France.
Audacieuse et novatrice, la maison Verlet reste aujourd’hui pionnière des cafés pures origines en France.
Coffee lovers and fine establishments already buy from Verlet, the heir to the history of coffee in France.
Bold and innovative, Maison Verlet remains a pioneer of single-origin coffees in France today.
Coffee and tea table since 1921
In 1921, the shop on rue Saint-Honoré was bequeathed to the young Auguste Woehrlé, known as Verlet. A sailor on merchant ships and importer of coffee from Latin and Central America, the young man moved to Paris to take over his godmother's establishment. He devoted it to coffees, teas and spices discovered around the world. Passionate, he created popular coffee blends, named "Haute Mer" and "Grand Pavois" in memory of his travels. He set up an elegant coffee lounge where coffee lovers came to have lunch and taste his compositions expressed in a percolator, as well as teas, infusions and pastries. Closed for a while during the Occupation, Verlet reopened and renewed his quest for quality products. Young Pierre worked there alongside his father, then succeeded him in the early 1960s. Verlet was then the first house to imagine roasting and serving coffee, origin by origin: thus were born a pure Brazil, a pure Colombia, a pure Kenya, and so many other rare vintages that it is now possible to acquire and taste in all their authenticity. Audacious and innovative, Maison Verlet remains today a pioneer of pure origin coffees in France.
Since the 1990s, Eric Duchossoy has pushed Verlet's curiosity further by developing a passion for coffees from rare terroirs, teas from the best gardens, productions from small plantations, and new tastes. He sets out in search of exceptional producers and the most delicious vintages (in Colombia, Panama and Guatemala) but also new, more confidential plantations and gardens that Verlet helps to encourage (in Saint Helena, Thailand, Burma, Laos). Verlet knows each planter, each slope, each exposure, and selects the heart of the great vintages and rare harvests to obtain the best aromas.
The Verlet store in 1910.
The Verlet family, in their shop on rue Saint-Honoré.
Temporarily closed during the Occupation, Verlet reopened and resumed its quest for quality products. Young Pierre worked alongside his father there, then succeeded him in the early 1960s. Verlet was then the first establishment to conceive of roasting and serving coffee, origin by origin: thus were born a pure Brazil, a pure Colombia, a pure Kenya, and so many other rare growths that it is now possible to acquire and taste in all their authenticity. Audacious and innovative, Verlet remains today a pioneer of single-origin coffees in France.
Verlet's storefront in 1960.
The House of Verlet, already a century old in 1990.
Pierre Verlet in the shop in 1980.
Roasting on Rue de Montpensier by Pierre Verlet in 1992.
In the 1990s, Eric Duchossoy took Verlet's curiosity further, developing a passion for rare single-origin coffees, teas from the best gardens, produce from small plantations, and new flavors. He sought out exceptional producers and the most delicious vintages (in Colombia, Panama, and Guatemala), but also new, more confidential plantations and gardens that Verlet helped to promote (in Saint Helena, Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos).
Since then, Verlet has sought to continue this legacy by knowing each planter, each slope, each exposure, and selects the heart of the grand crus and rare harvests to obtain the best aromas.
Éric Duchossoy, in the roasting room in 1990.
The tasting room in the 1990s.
