A Century of Flavor: The Timeless 1918 Blend at Bright and Early Coffee

In the heart of Houston, Texas, where the aroma of fresh-roasted beans has filled the air since 1918, Bright and Early Coffee stands as a living testament to Texas coffee heritage. Founded by Herschel Mills Duncan on August 12, 1918, as the Duncan Coffee Company, our family-owned operation has been crafting exceptional coffee for over a century. At the center of it all is our signature 1918 Blend—a medium roast that's remained true to its original recipe for more than 100 years.

What makes this blend so special isn't just its smooth, balanced flavor profile of premium South and Central American coffees. It's the unwavering commitment to the exact specifications set by our founder, H.M. Duncan himself. From the very first batch roasted in 1918, the blend was designed to deliver a rich, aromatic experience that quickly became a favorite in restaurants, hotels, railroad dining cars, and homes across Texas and beyond.

To honor and preserve that legacy, we turned to our own historical archives—specifically, the old green coffee buying logs from the 1920s and 1930s. These weren't generic industry records; they were our family's meticulously kept ledgers, detailing the precise origins, qualities, and proportions of beans purchased during the early days of the company. By carefully studying these primary sources, we pieced together the authentic profiles that informed the original blends of that era—including insights from iconic Duncan creations like Admiration Coffee and Maryland Club Coffee.

Admiration and Maryland Club were legendary in their time: Admiration became a household name in the Southwest for its bold hospitality in a cup, while Maryland Club earned a reputation as a premium, "big city" favorite with its refined taste. Duncan Coffee Company developed these blends with the same dedication to quality that defined everything we did. Though those brands evolved or faded over the decades (following mergers, including with Coca-Cola in the 1970s), their essence lives on in our approach. We drew from those same meticulous standards—sourcing notes, roast profiles, and blending ratios recorded in our 1920s–1930s logs—to ensure the 1918 Blend captures the spirit of those historic recipes.

Today, the 1918 Blend remains unchanged in its core formulation. Fresh-roasted daily in our Houston facility, it's still blended exactly as our founder intended: a medium roast that's smooth, balanced, and full-bodied with a clean finish. No shortcuts, no modern tweaks—just the timeless combination that put Bright and Early (and its predecessor, Duncan Coffee) on the map.

This isn't just a product; it's a tribute to our heritage. As a fifth-generation, family-operated (and veteran-owned) business, we roast with the same passion that Herschel Mills Duncan brought to that first roaster over 100 years ago. The 1918 Blend has earned its nickname as the "Texas Best Seller" because it connects us to our roots while delivering the consistent quality Houstonians have trusted since 1918.

Whether you're brewing it at home, sharing it with friends, or enjoying it in one of the many Texas spots we still supply, every cup is a sip of history. We personally taste and quality-check it every day, because that's how we've done it for generations.

Here's to another century of bright and early mornings—rooted in tradition, roasted with pride.

Bright and Early Coffee: Something to Crow About, since 1918. Family-owned in Houston, Texas.