{"id":97785,"date":"2019-08-15T21:04:42","date_gmt":"2019-08-16T01:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/?p=97785"},"modified":"2021-08-14T15:45:37","modified_gmt":"2021-08-14T19:45:37","slug":"why-coffee-is-called-a-cup-of-joe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rbach.net\/index.php\/why-coffee-is-called-a-cup-of-joe\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Coffee Is Called \u201ca Cup of Joe\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WhyFollowers of the Bach Seat<\/a><\/em> know that coffee is vital to life<\/strong>. And while there and many ways to have a coffee – <\/strong>drip<\/a>, cold brew<\/a>, cappuccino<\/a>, Irish<\/a>, latt<\/a>es<\/a>, macchiato<\/a>, mochas<\/a>, even worse – iced mochas<\/a>. And many places to get your coffee<\/strong> from home<\/a>, Starbucks<\/a>, Dunkin Donuts<\/a>, or the best – Tim Horton’s<\/strong><\/a> to get your morning pick-me \u201ccup of joe<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tim's<\/a>Why do we call our morning pick-me a \u201ccup of Joe?\u201d\u00a0 There are a number of theories<\/strong> why it’s “Joe.” The first theory dates back to 1898<\/strong>\u00a0when according<\/a> to Driftaway Coffee<\/a>‘s blog, Martinson Coffee<\/strong><\/a> trademarked<\/strong> the term \u201ccup of joe<\/strong>.\u201d Martinson Coffee<\/a> was founded in New York<\/strong> in 1898 by Joe Martinson. The author speculates that the coffee may have locally been called \u201cJoe\u2019s coffee\u201d or a \u201ccup of joe.\u201d As the company grew, \u201ccup of joe\u201d could have expanded from a local nickname to a more widely used term by the 1930s<\/span><\/p>\n

Brooke Nelson<\/a> at Readers Digest<\/a><\/em> says<\/a> the most popular origin story<\/strong> goes back to Josephus Daniels<\/strong><\/a> during World War I<\/strong><\/a>. Mr. Daniels was appointed Secretary of the U.S. Navy<\/strong><\/a> during World War I by President Woodrow Wilson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"USS<\/a>Mr. Daniels, a teetotaler<\/a>,<\/strong> and vehement white supremacist<\/a>\u00a0imposed General Order 99<\/a> that prohibited alcohol aboard U.S. Navy ships<\/strong> on June 01, 1914. According to this theory, the loss of easy access to booze aboard U.S. Navy ships led to increased coffee consumption<\/strong> by sailors. The sailors sarcastically called it their new beverage \u201ca cup of Josephus<\/strong>\u201d in honor of the man who had banned their booze. The snarky name stuck and eventually turned into \u201ca cup of Joe\u201d for short.<\/p>\n

Ms. Nelson concludes that this origin story for \u201ccup of Joe\u201d is amusing, but probably not true<\/strong>. She points out that the term \u201ccup of Joe\u201d only appears in writing for the first time in 1930\u2014long after the Navy\u2019s alcohol ban. Barbara Mikkelso at\u00a0 Snopes.com<\/a><\/em> also points out<\/a> that U.S Navy ships had been officially dry<\/strong> for enlisted men since the spirit ration was abolished<\/a> in 1862<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Not<\/a>Another theory is that \u201cJoe<\/strong>\u201d refers to the average man<\/strong> and is often used as slang for \u201cfellow, guy, or chap.\u201d Snopes<\/em> reports this usage dates to 1846<\/strong> and is still present today. \u201cJoe<\/a>\u201d is used to describe a typical guy who is interchangeable with any other guy:<\/p>\n