Temecula folks, if the first words out of your mouth every morning are, “I’ll have a large coffee”—or if you can’t even speak until after you’ve had your java fix—there's a national holiday created especially for you.
America will put staunch tea drinkers to shame on National Coffee Day on Sept. 29, when coffee fiends can rejoice and celebrate their beloved coffee bean with free brew from national chains.
Coffee was first brought to America in the mid-1600s in a shipment en route to “New Amsterdam,” now known as New York, according to the National Coffee Association. We have that shipment and the Boston Tea Party to thank for turning the nation into coffee drinkers.
Many local cafes and businesses are participating in the national celebration.
National coffee chains will also be giving out free cups of coffee during the week of Sept. 23.
McDonald's restaurants along the East Coast will be giving away free 12-ounce coffees every day from Sept. 23 through Sept. 29. No purchase is necessary, and coffee will be available in the drive-thru or in the restaurants.
It’s CofFREE Day at 7-Eleven, which means a free large coffee for anyone who stops by a participating 7-Eleven store between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sept. 28.
However, Starbucks, of which there are nearly 10 in Temecula, has not indicated it will give out free cups of joe.
Here are some interesting notes on coffee.
1. Is “I need a cup of coffee to start my day” part of your daily vocabulary? You’re not alone. Three out of five Americans think that about their first morning cup, according to a coffee consumption survey commissioned by 7-Eleven.
2. Your career could dictate whether you’re more likely to chug coffee during the day, according to a Dunkin’ Donuts/Career Builder survey. The top 10 professions likely to “need coffee to get through the workday the most” are:
- Scientist/Lab Technician
- Marketing/Public Relations Professional
- Educator/Administrator
- Editor/Writer
- Healthcare Administrator
- Physician
- Food Preparer
- Professor
- Social Worker
- Financial Professional
3. Thank a goat for your caffeine jolt. If you believe the Ethiopian legend of Kaldi, the goat herder, that is. As recounted by the National Coffee Association, humans first discovered the magic of coffee thanks to Kaldi’s goats: “It is said that he discovered coffee after noticing that his goats, upon eating berries from a certain tree, became so spirited that they did not want to sleep at night.” Anyone who has a cup after 6 p.m. at night can probably relate to the goats.
4. Pouring coffee in your mug and going about your day seems simple, but there are 10 steps to creating that moment, according to the National Coffee Association. They are: planting, harvesting the cherries, processing the cherries, drying the beans, milling the beans, exporting the beans, tasting the coffee, roasting coffee, grinding coffee and finally, brewing coffee. If you’re rusty on any of these steps, the National Coffee Association explains it all.
5. Ladies, feeling down? Coffee can chase away depression blues, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Women who consumed two to three cups a day of caffeinated coffee were 15 percent less likely to develop depression compared to women who drank a cup or less daily. Researchers didn’t find the same link with decaffeinated coffee.
What’s your favorite blend, and where do you get it? Tell us in the comments.
