chock full o' nuts

[nineiron]

I bought some "Chock Full O' Nuts" brand coffee today, and I wondered about the name of this brand. I did a few searches, but all I found was the origin of the phrase "Chock Full" (on "The Word Detective" and elsewhere). But I never found out why a coffee brand would mention nuts. Obviously there are no nuts in there, so does anyone know where this name is derived from?

(Hmmm...I do know that there was a Wacky Pack version called "Chock Full of Nuts and Bolts," but that doesn't help....)

:)

[Early Out]

Tantalizing.... There's a web site (http://www.chockfullonuts.com/default.asp) that certainly sounds as if it would be the place to find the answer. After all, if that site doesn't answer the question, I can't imagine who could. However, all I get is a "cannot find server" error. Maybe later?

[RealityChuck]

I always assumed that "nuts" refered to coffee beans. It's possible that it was a slang term for them.

And remember:

Chock Full of Nuts is the heavenly coffee
Better coffee a millionaire's money can't buy.

[Philster]

Could this be an example where a bean (i.e coffee) is really a nut?

[nineiron]

I suppose it's possible (the thing about the coffee bean being a nut), but why would you say that your coffee, which is nothing BUT "nuts," be "full of" said nuts?

Ah, nuts!

[LanceUSMC]

Kind of funny, I just made a pot of coffee and have some other kind of coffee in there, some Columbian coffee. It has what looks like chopped up little brown nuts in there. Does Chock Full o Nuts have this? Is a coffee bean a nut?

[hammerbach]

Here's a SWAG to get us going: beech nuts? I know ersatz coffe was made with 'em... looks like heavy googling ahead.

[Ethilrist]

Because it's got nuts in it. Read the ingredients.

[Cheesesteak]

From the Chock website linked above.It all started in New York in 1932 when William Black transformed his nut store, called "Chock full o'Nuts," into a quick serve coffee shop. My question is, will they change the design of their can to reflect the post 9-11 skyline? The banner they have on their website doesn't have the twin towers, but the cans still do.

[nineiron]

Yep, Cheesesteak, my call to the toll-free question line gave the same info (I just got the "cannot find page" message when trying to get the company's website).

Ethilrist: ingredients? There are no ingredients listed.

[jackelope]

Cheesesteak beat me to it; rats.

I've been a CFo'N drinker for years; it's terrific. I recently tried a switch to Community Coffee, but it didn't hold up.

I do have a question about the origins story, though: How common were "nut shops" in the 20s and 30s? Did they serve nothing but nuts? That seems like a pretty specialized market, unless people were eating a lot of nuts back then.

[ltfire]

Originally posted by RealityChuck
I always assumed that "nuts" refered to coffee beans. It's possible that it was a slang term for them.

And remember:

Chock Full of Nuts is the heavenly coffee
Better coffee a millionaire's money can't buy.

Originally, the name Rockefeller was used in the song and the Rockerfellers had it removed..used w/o permission, I think.