He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 105

< The Truth Behind the Rumors >

According to Earl Burns, around the end of December of the previous year, a certain coffee had become a major topic of conversation, especially among the French royalty and upper class.

It began when a duke in France was treated to what he was told was a rare coffee by a merchant. The duke was so impressed by its aroma and taste that he presented it to Louis XVI.

Soon, the coffee spread among high-ranking officials and nobles in France. The aroma was so enticing that even servants who hadn’t tasted it were quickly spreading stories about the coffee beans.

As the limited supply of these green coffee beans became increasingly scarce, ordinary people couldn’t even get their hands on them, and the price skyrocketed.

As Earl Anthony Burns mentioned the French coffee, members around him began to chime in, one by one.

“It’s all a ploy. What do you expect from the French? They mock our roast beef, yet they disguise their hideous frog dishes as some kind of amazing cuisine and boast about them.”

At that time, the British diet, primarily consisting of beef, was well-known throughout Europe. The French ridiculed the British for simply grilling chunks of beef with sauce, claiming it couldn’t be considered cooking.

In response, the British denigrated the French, who enjoyed eating frog dishes as delicacies, in the same manner.

“Exactly, it’s obvious. They catch disgusting frogs that taste like nothing and exaggerate them into extravagant dishes, so their coffee is no different.”

Then, Adam Smith, who had been listening quietly, spoke with a serious expression.

“But this coffee is not such a simple matter. If, by any chance, the taste of that French coffee is not exaggerated, it could have a significant impact on our country.”

“Professor Smith? A significant impact?”

“Everyone here is well aware that a lot of Britain’s silver is being drained due to the ‘tea’ from Qing China [historical term for Imperial China], isn’t that right? If France has indeed developed a coffee with such a great aroma and taste, there is a possibility that a coffee boom could occur in our country, following the tea craze.

If that happens, it could certainly lead to a serious trade imbalance. That is my biggest concern.”

From a modern perspective, one might wonder why they are making such a fuss over a mere beverage like coffee.

However, in the 18th century, coffee, sugar, cotton, and tea were high-value export items, like cars or semiconductors in the 21st century.

Therefore, countries that had to import these items were bound to suffer significant economic losses.

In particular, unlike other European countries where coffee was well-developed, Britain favored ‘tea’ with its subtle flavor. Most of this tea was imported from China, resulting in a massive outflow of national wealth.

In this situation, if French coffee, geographically close, were to capture the taste buds of the British and force them to import it, the British economy would inevitably suffer even more.

At that moment, an elderly gentleman spoke up.

“Hmm… I heard from an acquaintance a few days ago that he had gone to great lengths to obtain and taste that supposedly amazing French coffee.”

As someone who had actually tasted it spoke up, everyone’s attention turned to the white-haired gentleman.

“How did your acquaintance get to try it? What did he say about it after tasting it?”

“He’s a friend who runs a coffee house. He said he went through a merchant who travels to and from France to get the green beans, which are hard to find, and paid several times the original price to try them.”

Questions poured out from all directions.

“So, what did he say the taste was like?”

“Isn’t the bitterness of coffee all the same?”

“Was it just French exaggeration, then?”

The club members seemed eager to hear that the taste was not good.

Historically, Britain and France had clashed on every issue and even experienced wars, which further strained their relationship.

Moreover, the fact that France was secretly supplying war materials to the colonial army in the ongoing war with the North American colonies was making the relationship even worse.

“Your acquaintance tasted it, right? Goodness, I’m curious! Please tell us the result, what was the taste like!”

Urged by the excited members, the white-haired gentleman opened his mouth with a troubled expression.

“He’s a friend who has been dealing with coffee his whole life… and he said it was the first time in his life he had tasted coffee with such an aroma and flavor.”

As the desired answer did not come out, disappointment was evident on the members’ faces.

“My friend was worried that the taste of that amazing French coffee might be more of a problem for the British.”

“What do you mean? Why is it more of a problem for us?”

“He was greatly concerned that the coffee beans had a flavor similar to that of a smooth tea, which the British would like much more than the French.

Currently, the price is very high and it is difficult to obtain, but the merchant says that a large quantity will soon be coming to France. Then the price will drop significantly, and perhaps around that time, the goods will be released to Britain as well.”

The club was instantly filled with silence at his words.

Soon, voices of concern and lamentation erupted from here and there.

“Coffee like smooth tea… Oh dear, this is a big problem. If that’s true, how much national wealth will be drained from Britain to France when such an absurdly delicious coffee comes to Britain, especially when we are already struggling with a deficit in agricultural exports?”

“As Professor Smith said, the amount of silver flowing out each year to import tea from Qing China is enormous, and now French coffee too. I’m very worried. Shouldn’t we launch a massive boycott campaign before that French coffee even arrives?”

“Ugh… Why can’t we even cultivate coffee properly and keep getting pushed around by the French like this? We’ve neglected coffee for too long and relied on Qing China’s tea. It’s really frustrating.”

The club members, who knew better than anyone the international situation where various wars were breaking out due to trade deficits, had concerns that were not unfounded.

But Tae-oh had been feeling something was off since earlier.

‘French coffee…?’

Although Tae-oh had been relatively ignorant about coffee, he had acquired considerable information about the coffee being distributed in Europe over the past year while managing the coffee farm and gathering information.

He learned about the coffee and types handled by the Netherlands, France, Spain, and Portugal, which were leading coffee traders, and gained some knowledge and experience about the coffee preferences and taste differences in each region while tasting their aromas and flavors.

Among them, the Netherlands and France were making huge profits in Europe with high-quality coffee.

But it was definitely not the kind of special coffee that the club was talking about now.

Also, he had never heard of such a great coffee, which the members were worried about, from Mr. Spencer, who was the top expert in coffee.

Moreover, weren’t the owners of the leading coffee farms in Saint-Domingue [former French colony, now Haiti and the Dominican Republic] clamoring to buy Tae-oh’s farm’s green beans?

‘Wait a minute… Smooth and flavorful coffee, you say?’

Something flashed through Tae-oh’s mind.

The fact that an unidentified coffee had appeared at this point and was becoming such a hot topic was somehow strange.

The timing of the sudden appearance of coffee that didn’t exist in France was also suspicious.

‘Hold on… That’s right. Mr. Vincent, who bought our coffee in advance around October last year, was a French trader, wasn’t he? He left much earlier than me. Besides, the traders who took the coffee from our farm were all from France…?’

Tae-oh had forgotten that the French trader Vincent had bought 250 bags of green beans first.

Tae-oh asked the white-haired gentleman urgently, as if to confirm.

“Do you know which region that coffee was grown in?”

The gentleman scratched his head and said.

“I don’t know that exactly. If it’s French coffee, wouldn’t it be from the island of Saint-Domingue?”

Based on the white-haired gentleman’s story alone, he couldn’t be sure that the coffee was from Tae-oh’s farm.

‘No… I think it’s my coffee, but… I don’t have any solid evidence.’

But then, the white-haired gentleman opened his mouth as if something had come to mind.

“Ah! My friend had written down the name of the coffee or the farm in large letters in his notebook. He said he asked the merchant on purpose because he needed to know the name if he wanted to order it later.”

Tae-oh raised his head sharply.

“Do you remember the name by any chance?”

The white-haired gentleman frowned and tilted his head.

“The name was S…T something? It might have started with T… Ah, I’m sorry. I saw it directly, but I can’t remember it all of a sudden.”

Tae-oh immediately asked back.

“Was it ‘T&S Coffee’ by any chance?”

At Tae-oh’s words, the white-haired gentleman widened his eyes and clapped his hands loudly in agreement.

“Ah, that’s right, that’s right! T&S! It was definitely written as T&S Coffee! I remembered it because the English initials sounded strange for a French product, but haha, I guess I’m getting old? Why can’t I remember it…? By the way, how did Mr. Sanderson know the name?”

Tae-oh was dumbfounded.

‘What… So, it’s my coffee story? What on earth happened in the last couple of months?’

Earl Burns, who had been watching Tae-oh’s expression, asked.

“Mr. Sanderson? Do you know anything about that coffee?”

Tae-oh replied with a faint smile.

“Yes. You see, T&S Coffee is not from the French colony of Saint-Domingue, but from a coffee farm on the British colony of Jamaica.”

The members murmured loudly at Tae-oh’s words.

“No, are you saying that the coffee that’s causing a stir in France is from Jamaica? So it’s our British coffee farm? Owned by a Briton?”

“Why didn’t any of us know about such a great Jamaican coffee farm?”

Then a gentleman asked Tae-oh with a bright expression.

“Oh, that’s right! Mr. Sanderson said he was in Jamaica for the past year, right? Did you see that farm when you were there? And did you taste the coffee?”

Tae-oh could only let out a dumbfounded laugh.

The fact that the coffee beans that had turned France upside down and become the source of concern for the club members were his own coffee was too absurd.

He had expected it to cause a great stir among people through the tasting session, but it was amazing that such a big commotion had occurred in France, not even in Britain, without him even knowing.

“Mr. Sanderson! Please tell us. Is T&S Coffee really British? And what about the taste? Was it really that great?”

Now everyone’s eyes were on Tae-oh’s mouth.

“I was initially puzzled when I heard about the coffee farm you were talking about earlier.

But as I continued to listen, it became clear that it was T&S Coffee grown in Jamaica.

Of course, it is a product of a farm run by a Briton, and the taste seems to be quite good. After all, French coffee traders bought it for more than ten times the price.”

“Ten… Ten times the price? Good heavens!”

Voices of surprise were heard from all over at Tae-oh’s words.

A gentleman asked as if he were questioning.

“No… But why are you selling that good coffee to the French when it’s a British farm? Moreover, I know that most of Jamaica’s coffee is exported to Britain. Would French merchants, who are so picky about coffee, really buy it?

I’m sorry, but Mr. Sanderson’s words don’t make sense. In my opinion, it looks like a French coffee farm on the island of Saint-Domingue, not Jamaica?”

Tae-oh shook his head.

“T&S Coffee is a product of a new farm that has only been around for about a year in Jamaica. That’s why the farm name is unfamiliar and you may not know it well.

After harvesting the first fruits and finishing the processing, I was worried about the lack of sales channels, so I held a tasting session in front of Kingston Harbor [major port city in Jamaica].

Then, among the traders who tasted it at that time, French traders bought it for a lot of money through auctions, etc.

Perhaps the coffee that is now famous in France is the product of the French trader who first recognized the value of the coffee and bought 250 bags.

However, since another French farm owner and large trader signed a contract for more than 5,000 bags of T&S coffee green beans and took a considerable amount, I think the exorbitant price will drop a little in the future.

Anyway, since we sold it to the French and Britain made a big profit, I think it’s not a bad trade for us.”

Some members whispered at the very detailed explanation.

But Adam Smith, who had been listening intently, tilted his head and carefully asked Tae-oh.

“Mr. Sanderson? You know the inside story too well. By any chance… Is that coffee Mr. Sanderson’s… farm product?”

The club members murmured at Adam Smith’s sudden question.

And soon it became quiet, and everyone’s eyes were focused on Tae-oh’s mouth.

Tae-oh smiled and nodded his head.

“As expected of Professor Smith. Yes, that’s right. T&S Coffee is a product of my farm. And it seems almost certain that the coffee in France that is now a hot topic is also from our farm.”

Exclamations erupted from all over the club at the unexpected answer.

However, the atmosphere of the members was divided.

Some members were greatly moved that a Briton, even a member of their club, had produced an amazing coffee bean that could put the nose of their rival country, France, out of joint, but there were also members who were skeptical of the unbelievable story and sent suspicious glances.

Tae-oh, who read these completely different emotions, thought it was a good thing.

He thought it was necessary to correct the misinformation that T&S Coffee was a French product, starting from this place where people of various statuses with influence in British society gathered, and to spread the correct rumors.

“Actually, I brought quite a lot of coffee green beans with me when I came out of Jamaica. So, I would like to offer T&S Coffee to our club members first in Britain through a special meeting in a few days.

I am sure that you will be able to enjoy T&S coffee beans that are much better than what is causing a stir in France, haha.”

Wow-

The Intelligence Club was instantly filled with excitement at Tae-oh’s confident remarks.