1863: Coffee is a big part of daily life in New Orleans

Coffee has been the drink of choice for many New Orleanians since the city was founded.

In the mid-19th century, numerous cafes were operating, and the port was a key supply point for beans from other parts of the world.

By 1863, though, the Union occupation had slowed business at the port. Still, some coffee purveyors persevered, including the new Cafe du Monde.

Today, the city has numerous independent coffee shops and several local chains, and the port is among the busiest in the country in coffee imports. And in eastern New Orleans, Folgers operates the largest roasting facility in the country.

Cafe noir ou cafe au lait?

Some things never change. New Orleanians may like their chickory coffee with milk or straight up, but they gotta have their cafe. On a day like today, when the cool fog lingers, nothing seems more welcome than a hot cup of joe.

Rose Nicaud, a slave in the early 1800s, bought her freedom selling coffee to French Market workers, vendors and shoppers from a push cart on Sunday mornings.

Rose Nicaud, early coffee vendor

Legend has it that one customer said of her fresh brew:

Her coffee is like the benediction that follows after prayer.


For more than 100 years, women of color - known as les vendeuses - emulated Nicaud, selling coffee, pralines and calas in the streets of the French Quarter.

On the corner of Frenchman and Royal Streets, you can enjoy coffee,  pastries, breakfast and sandwiches almost all day long in a cafe named in her honor.