Bushell's Coffee Essence

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"The fragrant answer to a housewife's dream." This is a series of advertisements for Bushell's Coffee Essence liquid – the easy way to make a quick cup of coffee in the days before powdered instant coffee.

Instant coffee was introduced after World War II, but in 1950s New Zealand the liquid variety obviously still had its fans. It is available today as Bushell's Coffee and Chicory Essence and is used mostly for baking.

Bushell's is an Australian tea and coffee brand that arrived in New Zealand in 1937, and gained popularity by sending every housewife on the electoral roll a personally addressed letter together with a card entitling her to a half pound (225g) of tea, completely free of charge.

Image: Australian Women's Weekly, 8 August 1962 (courtesy of Trove).