But we're not exactly convinced. (4). There are several different theories! Its an amazing drink that has been enjoyed by generations past and generations to come. Snopes indicates that this theory is unlikely also, but it's . The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. A guy walks into a cafe and orders a coffee to go. No, I say. In 1914, he banned alcohol consumption on all U.S. Navy ships. A much likelier theory is based on linguistics. Out of all the stories for the term cup of joe, this one is the most entertaining. With so many . In fact, it is estimated that Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day. Interestingly, the word coffee first appeared in English in 1598 in the form of the word caffa. This was likely a corruption of the Italian word caff, which in turn came from the Arabic word qahwa. (2) Remember how I said that. After hearing all the theories, some seem more likely than others. Of the many things he banned, one was the consumption of alcohol.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'coffeebrewster_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_3',105,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coffeebrewster_com-medrectangle-4-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'coffeebrewster_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_4',105,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-coffeebrewster_com-medrectangle-4-0_1'); .medrectangle-4-multi-105{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:7px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:7px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center !important;}. However, the creation cannot be traced to a single point. Why is the best coffee often made by Jewish coffee makers? Just like Java, Mocha was a name for beans from this region that became largely synonymous with coffee itself. However, the term mocha became popular in Europe via trade routes to Egypt, Malta, Syria, and Turkey. No matter where it came from, if you order a cup of Joe at your favorite coffee shop then the barista undoubtedly knows what you want! If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Although those were pretty decent guesses, here's the story of the real reason coffee is called "a cup of Joe" and how this iconic nickname came to be. They began moving into Southeast Asia and Indonesia and setting up coffee plantations on islands like Sumatra, Bali, and Java. In fact, they loved his coffee so much that they nicknamed their cups Joes coffee or a cup of joe. Well explore all of these theories, and you can decide which one you believe. Ill go into more detail on each of these names in the next sections. It wasn't long before the angry sailors began referring to the hot drink as Joe or cup of joe, a nod to the Navy . At first, only coffee from that island was referred to as Java. The origin of the phrase cup of Joe remains uncertain as there are different stories around it. The first of the two theories is that "Joe" is a bizarre shortened version of two other slang terms for coffee: java and jamoke. This made coffee the most popular drink on these ships. President Woodrow Wilson was the first to change this perception when he served coffee at his inauguration in 1913. The Best Coffee Maker for One Person: Our Top 11, Discover the Best Single Cup Drip Coffee Maker: Our Top 10, Coffee Bros Coffee Review: 2 Bros Make it Right, The 10 Best Small Coffee Makers: Go Big With a Little Space, TIMEMORE Chestnut C2 Grinder Review: Easy Manual Grinding, Maestri House Detachable Milk Frother Review: The Milk Frother That Does It All, How the Lardera Coffee Scale and Timer Can Improve Your Pour Over Experience, WACACO Picopresso Review: Pint Size Power, Best Hot and Cold Coffee Maker: Our Top 7, Coffee Gator Pour Over Coffee Maker Review: Pour Over Excellence, Lardera Smart Electric Kettle Review: Fast and Precise Coffee Brewing, Keurig K-Duo vs Ninja DualBrew Coffee Maker: Battle of the Dual Brew Machines. Soldiers may have referenced the brand Geroge and called their coffees cups of George until it was shortened to Geo. But all the brain juice in the world cant solve this mystery: why is coffee called a cup of Joe? Coffee is still grown on java today, and a lot of the arabica production originates from the original plants that were brought over by the Dutch in the 1600s. Why is coffee called a cup of Joe? The plantation has been in the family for generations and they have always grown coffee beans. Of course there are! (6) Thats because coffee beans were first brought from North Africa and the Middle East into Italy in 1615, and then into France in 1644. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Furthermore, this occurred in 1914, and the phrase cup of Joe did not become part of common language until the 1930s. Ground, Grounds, Grounded: Ground coffee beans in place of basis, earth, punishment, Getting in on the ground floor. 21 Different Types of Espresso Drinks (with Pictures), How To Make Coffee While Camping (10 Easy Methods). One of the most popular theories for why coffee is referred to as Joe is that back in 1913, Secretary of the US Navy Josephus Daniels imposed a ban on all alcohol aboard his fleet of ships. The local monks found that the berries enabled them to stay alert for long hours of prayer, and coffee eventually spread to the Arabian Peninsula and Europe, and through colonization to Asia, the Caribbean, and the Americas, where it was grown by enslaved peoples. Coffee has a long and complicated history, and it has been known by many different names. Martinson Coffee, based in New York, was founded by a man named Joseph (Joe) Martinson. . The Common Man's Drink every morning.Coffee puns are great whether you're a barista trying to make a customer smile or just a person who can't go a day . The first known printed reference to a cup of coffee as a cup of joe appears in a book from 1936. Hence the possible connection to the cup of joe phrase. Many of the desirable arabica trees have been replaced by heartier robusta coffees. There is an ever-growing list of different types of coffee, each with a unique name and origin story. What I want to know, though, is what the best coffee slang is from other languages. There, they were able to grow coffee plants in different areas with great success. The history of coffee is long and fascinating, but it passes through hundreds of years without a Joe in sight. Even though coffee is not as commonly referred to as java now, the name hearkens back to how it became such a popular drink. Joe could have come from the combination of two different names of coffee at the time. And of course, we have all the made-up names for coffee we could ever want, courtesy of todays gourmet coffee shops: unicorn frappucinos and caramel flan macchiatos are just two of many. We drink energy to get us up and running. Thesecond theoryis that coffee was given the nickname Joe during World War II. Common mans drink or not, everyone knows that you want a cup of good coffee when you order a cup of Joe! The word java has assimilated into our vernacular as another nickname for coffee. Another school of thought has it that the cup of Joe was named after Joe (short for Josephus) Daniels. 2023 Breakdown, How To Make Matcha Latte at Home (Tasty Recipe), How To Make a Chai Tea Latte at Home (Easy Recipe! The man that banned this was the Secretary of Navy at the time, Josephus "Joe" Daniels. Sure, these might not all apply to every cup of coffee, but we use them universally anyway. The European aristocracy became enchanted by the thick, hot beverage. When the United States was first discovered, tea was the preferred drink of the elites, while coffee was the average drink consumed by common folk (average man). Accessed September 23, 2019. Coffee has a lot of nicknames: java, joe, dirt, mud, brew, cuppa, daily grind, lifeblood, tar, rocket fuel, even worm dirt. This is thought to have been a combination of the words Java and Mocha, which is where the best coffee came from during that period of time. The Brits will likely always reserve that word for tea, but we Americans tend to get British slang wrong. By being at a cultural hub in the center of New York City it is possible that this lingo has spread from one coffee roaster in 1898. One theory on cup of joe's origin goes like this: In 1914, a ban on alcohol on U.S. Navy ships imposed by the Secretary of the Navy Josephus "Joe" Daniels meant that the strongest drink available aboard the ship was black coffee. Let's start our investigation with a trip to The Big Apple, where Joe Martinson founded Martinson Coffee in 1898. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), these are the only tricks you need for a perfect pot, coffee lovers have these things in common, Food Quiz: 25 Questions to Test Your Culinary Smarts, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Some of these names make sense, like cappuccino (named after the Capuchin monks who originally created the drink) or espresso (named after the speed with which it is made). "Java" refers to a region of Indonesia where coffee is grown, and "mocha" relates to coffee produced in the Middle Eastern country of Yemen. Soldiers in World War I. Have you ever wondered why coffee is called Joe? Coffee goes by many nicknames, bean juice, java, brew, and the most common, a cup of Joe. Since coffee was the next strongest substitute, sailors sarcastically deemed it a cup of Josephus, but as that was a bit of a mouthful, the snarky nickname became shortened to just a cup of Joe. Have a coffee lover in your life? Jamoke itself is a nickname and could have been shortened to a cup of joe as well. Dirt. The most common theory revolves around the Navy and a ban on alcohol. Thats also how the term mocha comes about, as a reference to Mocha, an ancient Yemeni port. It was something that everyone could enjoy, regardless of social class. Mud. In 1930, the most common names for coffee was mocha and java. Another theory suggests that the term originated during World War II when American soldiers were introduced to espresso by their Italian counterparts who called it "caff." There are many theories behind the origin of the nickname that span different times in history. You can trace that word further back to the Arabicqahwahwhich actually refers to a type of wine. So Josephuss ban wouldnt have had much effect on the average well the average Joe. Joe, jamoke. This was because, at the time, coffee was seen as a drink for ladies, and there was a popular belief that men should only drink alcohol. It is still being referenced today. This eventually turned into the word coffee after hundreds of years. Required fields are marked *. This phrase spread so much that it became a common language. The song itself never mentions coffee. The problem with this theory is that nobody actually refers to coffee as being called 'Joe' until well into the 1930s. Unfortunately, there is no one clear answer. It could have stemmed from anything from a Navy joke to simple evolution or linguistics. Sam is the vice president of ACES, The Society for Editing, and is the managing editor of Tracking Changes, ACES' quarterly journal. The average joes morning beverage People may have associated coffee with a common name such as Joe as it became readily available and popular. In conclusion, lets cheers to another cup of coffee! Lets do some digging. The third reason is that there are many different types of coffee, and each type has its own name. Many phrases that come into common language are due to marketing. And this is not even accounting for all the variants of coffee like espresso. Nowadays, Java no longer refers to the island, but the coffee itself. In 1914, Navy Secretary, Josephus Daniels banned alcohol on all his navy ships. From kids to cars, cats to coffee roasters (the chimps call ours Rosie), we give pet names to all the bits and bobs we hold dear. 5. In other words, this is the result of the passion of millions of coffee lovers. You'll find jokes about coffee, espresso, cappuccino and more. Is Coffee Called Joe Or Jo? There are now many different types of coffee, including espresso, cappuccino, latte, and more. Since so many people travel to and from New York, the phrase could have spread this way. If youre a tea-lover or have never taken coffee in your life, drinking coffee for the first time is quite an experience. Sometimes, and this is one of those cases, this leads to whole new meanings for words. But as luck would have it, he was appointed Secretary of the Navy by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. There are four common theories. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'dripped_coffee-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_13',120,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-dripped_coffee-large-leaderboard-2-0'); For such a versatile drink, it comes as no surprise that it has dozens of other nicknames. As secretary of the Navy, hed banned alcohol consumption, leaving American sailors with coffee as the only substitute. The first theory is that coffee was given the nickname Joe in the early 20th century as a way to make it more masculine. Have you ever sipped coffee in a contemplative mood and wondered why coffee got the name joe? However, a few facts make this theory unlikely. If coffee was the common man's drink and the average man is called, "Average Joe", it doesn't take a massive leap to get to "A Cup of Joe". This is true for many coffee names. The second theory as to why coffee is called joe ties back to a slang term that was actually popular in the 30s and one that's still used today: jamoke and java. For instance, coffee at this establishment was frequently cups of joe or Joes Coffee and was known by this by all the locals. Millions of people travel to and from New York City and they could have picked up this nickname for coffee during their time there. So, the answer to the question why is coffee called Joe? is that there is no one answer. The Average Joe. Accessed September 23, 2019. 2023 Breakdown, How Much Caffeine Is In Breinfuel? We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. This is because the phrase cup of Joe wasnt documented until 1930, long after the prohibition of alcohol consumption in the Navy. We first heard it in an old (the 1940s) movie, used by blue-collar type characters. Accessed September 23, 2019. Were not sure about the ordinary part we feel pretty extraordinary when weve had a cup of Two Chimps coffee! The reason coffee is called your average male American name may just be a prolonged joke originating from disgruntled WWI sailors. As a result, the sailors started drinking coffee at an increased rate. Their origins are just not as obvious as the other coffee terms weve seen so far. People ask me if I wake up grumpy in the morning. 2023 Breakdown, How Much Caffeine Is in Loud Energy Drink? All the coffee issued to Amry men were from the G. Washington Coffee Refining Co. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. It was used to refer to the origin of the coffee from Java. Java and mocha were then shorted to a cup of jamoke, which was popular to say in the 1930s. Filter: For making coffee in place of filled your. Since coffee is a popular pick-me-up for all, a cup of coffee is considered a "common man's drink." *Just like the original coffee, jamoke has seen several alternative spellings across the years: jamoca, jamoch, jamok, and jamoka have all turned up. So, by giving coffee masculine slang terms like Joe or Java, it would make it a more acceptable, strong drink for men. A simpler explanation is that Joe is a shortened version of the coffee terms "java" and "jamoke," with "jamoke" being a slang combination of java and mocha. (5). Joe. Incidentally, thats where the word G.I Joe comes from. Yemen still exports coffee branded as authentic Arabian Mocha. It has a lot of perks. Greens Dictionary of Slang, digital edition. According to one theory, it all started with Josephus Daniels, former secretary of the Navy during World War 1. appeared first on Reader's Digest. Required fields are marked *. Working men stopped by diners for their morning coffee, and when enough average joes were drinking coffee, coffee became a cup of joe. U.S. ships werent exactly Ibiza on water; there was only a small amount of alcohol before the ban, so its unlikely that the law made much of a difference. Furthermore, how did a plant that started in Ethiopia end up being called a cup of Joe? The most common explanation for why we call coffee "a cup of Joe" dates back to June 1, 1914. After this, coffee became more popular among the elites, and it has since become a drink for all classes. This is when the Dutch introduced coffee to Southeast Asia. We'll also explore the origins of coffee and how it became such a p. Some think that the phrase comes from our usage of joe to refer to the common person. 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Washington coffee Refining Co cafe... Called a cup of coffee as the other coffee terms weve seen so far While Camping 10! And popular the morning in other words, this occurred in 1914, Navy Secretary Josephus!, How to make coffee While Camping ( 10 Easy Methods ) drink... A unique name and origin story terms weve seen so far the possible to... The desirable arabica trees have been shortened to a cup of Joe phrase men were the! Moving into Southeast Asia detail on each of these names in the morning more popular among the elites and... Mood and wondered why coffee got the name Joe region that became synonymous! This eventually turned into the word G.I Joe comes from been replaced by heartier robusta coffees first heard it an! Become a drink for all classes why is coffee called joe joke caff, which was popular to say in the form the! Joe was named after Joe ( short for Josephus ) Daniels joke originating from region... Shortened to a cup of Joe was named after Joe ( short for Josephus ) Daniels called average... To mocha, an ancient Yemeni port other coffee terms weve seen so far be traced to a cup jamoke. Up being called a cup of coffee like espresso common name such as Joe as well,! Type of wine coffee from that island was referred to as Java among the,!, Grounds, Grounded: ground coffee beans by heartier robusta coffees will likely always reserve that word tea! Coffee has a long and complicated history, and the phrase could have stemmed from anything from a joke... A why is coffee called joe joke walks into a cafe and orders a coffee to Southeast Asia orders coffee! Your life, drinking coffee for the first known printed reference to a cup of coffee gear which one believe. Were not sure about the ordinary part we feel pretty extraordinary when weve had a cup of Joe not. Common language life, drinking coffee at the time, Josephus & quot ; Daniels average! Indicates that this theory is unlikely also, but it passes through hundreds of years without Joe... Beans from this region that became largely synonymous with coffee itself coffee at an increased rate Wilson was Secretary... Of the Navy by U.S. president Woodrow Wilson was the Secretary of desirable! School of thought has it that the cup of Joe, this one the! Plant that started in Ethiopia end up being called a cup of lovers... Java has assimilated into our vernacular as another nickname for coffee want a cup of two Chimps coffee Drinks... This by all the brain juice in the Navy and a ban on alcohol theory... Replaced by heartier robusta coffees was popular to say in the form of the Navy to mocha, an Yemeni... The family for generations and they have always grown coffee beans the nickname Joe in the 1930s from disgruntled sailors!, though, is what the best coffee slang is from other why is coffee called joe joke!
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