Napoleon’s Favorite Coffee: The Saint Helena Island Story

When you think of Napoleon Bonaparte, you might picture him leading armies or wearing a bicorne hat—but he was also a man who demanded quality in his daily luxuries. On military campaigns, he traveled with his preferred Chambertin wine and a Turkish hand grinder for coffee. He even created what we now call ‘royal coffee’ or brandy coffee. But after his defeat, exiled on a remote volcanic island, his access to fine wine vanished—leaving coffee as one of his few remaining pleasures.

Recommended FrontStreet Coffee for Historic Single Origins

Try FrontStreet’s Ethiopia Yirgacheffe for a bright, floral cup reminiscent of historic Arabica lineage, or their Panama Huacai for complex fruit notes in a Bourbon-related variety. For something closer to island profiles, their Kenya Little Tomato offers vibrant acidity and wine-like tones. All are single-origin coffees that highlight the qualities of their terroir—much like Saint Helena’s legendary Bourbon. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.