Icon Coffee Americano

Coffee, a cup of Joe, is known by many different names.  It is unknown exactly where this slang term, “a cup of Joe,” originated. It seems that there are several different theories. 

One is that a naval captain did not allow alcohol aboard the naval ships. His name happened to be Josephus Daniels. The sailors were not pleased with this decision. Because coffee was allowed on board the ships, some of the sailors started calling coffee “a cup of Joe” after Josephus Daniels. Many think that this is just a story that was made up and passed down.

Another theory is that two words were combined and shortened to come up with this term. Jamoke was a combination of two words – java and mocha. “A cup of Joe” may have been an abbreviation for “jamoke.”

The other theory is that just an average Joe was the name for the common man. Coffee was what the “average Joe” drank; so, it became “a cup of Joe.”

Are you familiar with any of these other names for coffee: cup of Joe, cuppa, java, brew, mud, etc.? 

There are many different types of coffee and many words that refer to coffee. Take a closer look to understand these confusing terms. 

  • Espresso is a stronger form of coffee; it is more concentrated than coffee. Most coffee shops start out with espresso as the main base for their drinks. 
  • Americano is a diluted espresso. 
  • A Cuban is an espresso with sugar added as it is being brewed.
  • Cappuccino has three main ingredients: espresso, milk, and foam.  It usually has equal parts of the three ingredients.
  • A latte is different from a cappuccino in that it has more milk.
  • The flat white is similar to a latte, but the milk is a micro-foam.
  • A Macchiato is espresso with just a little bit of foam.
  • The mocha is a cappuccino or latte which contains chocolate.
  • A white mocha is a cappuccino or latte which contains white chocolate.

This site gives a detailed description of each type of drink mentioned above.

What is the origin of coffee, “a cup of Joe”?

Coffee comes from a bean.  It was first discovered in Ethiopia. Coffee moved from Ethiopia to Yemen through the port city of Mocha. So, that is how coffee became associated with the term “mocha.” They began planting coffee in Yemen, and coffee houses became a normal thing. For a while, some countries banned coffee because they claimed it was too stimulating.

At first, Yemen required that all coffee be purchased from them. Eventually, someone smuggled fertile beans out of the country. Coffee then spread into India and Europe. The Dutch began growing coffee in the 1600s. Java, Indonesia, became a main place for growing coffee. That is how “java” became associated with coffee. A Frenchman took coffee to the Caribbean. The Caribbean had good growing conditions for coffee. From there, it continued to spread to other countries. Coffee became popular in America after the Boston Tea Party; no one wanted to drink tea.

This site gives the entire history of coffee.

Coffee is the second largest product that is traded world-wide with oil being the first. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer today. Surprisingly, Vietnam is the world’s second largest coffee producer, followed by Colombia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Honduras, India, Mexico, Peru, Uganda, Guatemala, Nicaragua, China, Malaysia, and Ivory Coast. 

This site gives the top 25 coffee producing countries in the world. 

Types of Coffee Beans

There are four main types of coffee beans – Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa. 

  • Sixty percent of the world’s coffee comes from the Arabica bean. The Arabica bean is the most delicate bean. Arabica beans need high altitude, lots of rain, and lots of shade. The Arabica bean is very sensitive to disease. It takes vigilant work to keep the Arabica beans alive. 
  • Robusta beans are the second most common coffee beans. The Robusta bean can thrive in almost any climate. 
  • Liberica beans are not as common as Arabica or Robusta. When a disease wiped out the majority of the Arabica crop, Liberica was more popular for a short period of time. The Liberica bean is a larger, strange-shaped bean. Some say it has a “woody” taste. 
  • The Excelsa bean, an almond-shaped bean grown mostly in South-East Asia, is popular in blends instead of by itself. 

For more information on the types of coffee beans, go to this site.

Where did you have your favorite cup of coffee ever? 

We asked several people where they had their favorite cup of coffee. One said that the best cup he ever had was in Surinam. Although he was never able to get anyone to give him any of their coffee beans, they did make a great cup of coffee. They grew their own coffee, roasted it, and ground it themselves. 

Another said that their favorite cup of coffee ever was in Germany. He enjoyed sitting downtown in the market area of a small town watching the town come alive. Finding himself surrounded by older German men, he did not understand anything they said, but he just enjoyed being there. 

One man said one of the strongest cups of coffee he ever had was Turkish coffee in a very small cup in a hardware store in Ivory Coast. See, we are not the only hardware store with coffee!

Coffee is universal!

Coffee is universal! Who knows, Bonnie and Clyde may have had coffee in San Augustine, TX, back in the day! They did frequent this area. Even when hiding out, coffee is a necessity. Get a cup of Joe today! 

Come see us at Hardware On The Square in San Augustine, TX, or Broaddus, TX! If you would like to contact us online, please go to https://hardwareonthesquare.com/contact-us/.