So next time you drink a cup of coffee, think about all the history and culture. It has been around since the 1400s. Weve found several theories explaining why coffee is called joe. The first time coffee was mentioned in relation to the drink we know today was in 1675 in a London publication called The Advice to Young Women. 2. So by 1914, the only hard stuff that would have been left was wine served in the officers mess. Coffee has been Americas drink for centuries, and it shows no signs of slowing down. As alcohol consumption plummeted, coffee consumption rose. Coffee is the ordinary persons drink, and a fair few people think that this is why coffee is called joe. Kids may not drink coffee, but they can still enjoy these clean coffee jokes. Learn about brewing coffee, coffee beans, coffee machines, and more. ), Homemade Coffee Creamer Recipe (Easy & Tasty! Martinson Coffee, based in New York, was founded by a man named Joseph (Joe) Martinson. *Just like the original coffee, jamoke has seen several alternative spellings across the years: jamoca, jamoch, jamok, and jamoka have all turned up. This is in the Middle East on the very bottom of the Arabian Peninsula. This theory revolves around Josephus Daniel, a U.S. Navy secretary from 1913 to 1921. Cup of George: Yet another theory is that the term was derived from the individual servings of instant coffee included in the rations given to service members. High Octane This is mainly used for gasoline used for high-performance race car engines. A cup of Joe is one of the most popular nicknames for coffee, and it has some pretty intriguing origin stories. Grounds for divorce. The biggest credit for that goes to the phenylindanes, chemical compounds that are released during the roasting process. Unfortunately, this nickname is used in reference to the negative effect of taking excess coffee. It is still being referenced today. Why Coffee is Called "A Cup of Joe" The term "a cup of joe" is slang for the term Jamoke . Weve called bad or poorly made coffee battery acid, belly wash, and sludge. (4) And a certain brands coffee is sometimes called charbucks by those who dont appreciate really dark-roasted coffee. Martinson Coffee was Joe's Coffee. During World War II and the Korean War, many men served in the military. Ill go into more detail on each of these names in the next sections. 7. Bloomsbury, USA, 2013. Snopes.com. I figured that since Joe is such a common name, that someone many years ago just decided to name coffee a common and often used name. They probably used the term java to refer to coffee beans grown on that island. Many people believe coffee gained the Joe nickname due to it being a very common drink. Above this, the beverage causes adverse effects, one of which involves jittery sensations. (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. Pretty tough, huh? Secondly, it can be prepared in a dozen different ways. Interestingly enough, there are some holes in this story. It wasnt until 1650 that the word coffee began appearing in English publications. Over time, it came to mean coffee generically, not just coffee from that island. For example the new company Joe and the Juice. But have you ever wondered where this phrase came from? During the 1930s and 1940s common men were called Joes. Their origins are just not as obvious as the other coffee terms weve seen so far. The Complete Guide to Coffee Brewing Methods. The problem is most alcohol had already been banned on Navy ships 50 years earlier. Lets start our investigation with a trip to The Big Apple, where Joe Martinson founded Martinson Coffee in 1898. Sometimes the best names are right under your nose. Furthermore, this occurred in 1914, and the phrase cup of Joe did not become part of common language until the 1930s. Military Connection The first theory is the one most popularly associated with the origin of this phrase. Sam is the vice president of ACES, The Society for Editing, and is the managing editor of Tracking Changes, ACES' quarterly journal. Jamoke A nickname make from the combination of Java and Mocha. Why is coffee called joe? Java, pick-me-up, and of course, a cup of Joe. These coffee terms are based on the way coffee is made or what its made from. And the rest, as they say, is history. The island where they began planing coffee was on Java and therefore they called the coffee java. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Working men stopped by diners for their morning coffee, and when enough average joes were drinking coffee, coffee became a cup of joe. It debuted in 1995 with a cup of coffee as the icon. Today we will go through all the reasons why Coffee might have been called Joe. We first heard it in an old (the 1940s) movie, used by blue-collar type characters. (2). Well, there are a couple of reasons. The Martinson coffee company was founded by Joe Martinson in 1898 and has been producing premium coffee ever since. And the song was popular way back in the 1860s. Theres no question that coffee is one of the most versatile drinks. So as the story goes, cup of jamoke was shortened to a cup of joe, and the rest is history. Why is Joe Related to Coffee? Required fields are marked *. In fact, coffee consumption in the United States has increased. Another theory from Snopes about the origin of "joe" involves the slang term "joe." Joe is a slang word for the common man, or an "average joe." This slang term has been used to describe the average man in English since 1846. In slang, the word is used to refer to a fellow, guy, or chap. As such, people likely called coffee a cup of Joe to refer to a beverage taken by any average individual and using it to describe a common mans drink. Why Do We Call Coffee a Cup of Joe. 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. "Java" refers to a region of Indonesia where coffee is grown, and "mocha" relates to coffee produced in the Middle Eastern country of Yemen. Java and mocha refer to the Indonesian island of Java, where coffee is widely grown, and Mocha, the ancient Yemeni port which was the first to export coffee. Daniels wished to enforce a stricter morality in the Navy(America has a history of strongly Puritan values). (3), Americans have borrowed the British expression a cuppa, referring to a cup of tea, and now use it willy-nilly to refer to a cup of coffee. Millions of people travel to and from New York City and they could have picked up this nickname for coffee during their time there. Coffee goes by many nicknames, bean juice, java, brew, and the most common, a cup of Joe. Accessed September 23, 2019. the consumption of alcohol in the Navy, so soldiers started drinking more coffee and began referring to it as a cup of Joseph Daniels, or a cup of joe in a veiled slight towards Daniels. First, coffee is a global drink, and it is consumed in many different countries. The problem is the comic is making a joke, suggesting that when that song is played in a restaurant, it means a customer wants coffee. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[970,90],'dripped_coffee-medrectangle-4','ezslot_9',117,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-dripped_coffee-medrectangle-4-0');Although its a fascinating concept, this tale probably isnt accurate. As a result, mocha spread along the trade routes. Joe was commonplace. You and I are meant to bean. Jamocha is another name for jamoke; hence, it originates from the same combination of the words Java and Mocha. The two are some of the most popular coffee-growing areas in the world. No one is sure that this is truly where the cup of joe nickname comes from. Weve called fake coffee Boston coffee, Canadian coffee, and crumb coffee. These so-called coffees were made in the U.S. after the Revolutionary War, when Americans were abstaining from tea because of high British taxes, yet also suffering from high coffee prices. According to this theory, cowboys would often refer to coffee as "joe" because it was strong and helped them stay awake during long nights on the trail. There are a few reasons for this. The nickname could have evolved from different terms for coffee. Happy brewing! 17th-century Dutch traders brought coffee to the Indonesian island of Java. Of course, sailors were not too happy about being denied their favorite drink, so they began calling coffee a cup of joe in a mock salute to Secretary Daniels. 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;}. Since so many people travel to and from New York, the phrase could have spread this way. If that Joe wasnt behind the phrase, which one might be? In those days, the Navy was a frat-like organization, and heavy drinking and promiscuous girls were commonplace. There, the Turkish ambassador to France, Suleiman Aga, helped to make coffee the it beverage in the court of Louis XIV. There are four common theories. Coffee has many nicknamesyou may know it as the thing that gets you out of bed in the morningand theyre all pretty straightforward, especially if you take your coffee black. . However, coffee was originally used for religion. Joe's grandfather was the one who started the plantation and it has been passed down through the family ever since. For example, there is espresso, cappuccino, latte, and many others. One is because its a beverage thats taken by the average man, or rather the average Joe. The most common theory revolves around the Navy and a ban on alcohol. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. These funny coffee jokes, latte puns and espresso puns will kick-start your morning with enough energy to last all day . Check out the best gifts for coffee lovers. The first known printed reference to a cup of coffee as a cup of joe appears in a book from 1936. According to local legend, a French-speaking Creole server at Martin's Coffee House referred to their freshly brewed brew as "Caf au Joseph" translated as "coffee from Joseph" after one of his regulars. A company called the Martinson Coffee Company was the first to trademark the phrase cup of joe.. So, we can see that coffees English name is likely derived from the Italian and Arabic versions of the word. Fortunately, there is lots of coffee slang, nicknames for coffee, and coffee synonyms to choose from. It was never going to be simple, was it? This theory states that Joe is the simplified form of the word jamoke, which began as a nickname for coffee in the 19th century, a portmanteau of the coffee beans Java, and mocha. Therefore, cup of jamoke may have become shortened to a cup of Joe.(new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=38cf8a01-c7b4-4a61-a61b-8c0be6528f20&cid=877050e7-52c9-4c33-a20b-d8301a08f96d'; cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: "38cf8a01-c7b4-4a61-a61b-8c0be6528f20" }).render("6ea159e3e44940909b49c98e320201e2"); }); A third theory is based off the meaning of the word Joe in slang, as in Hes just an average Joe. This Joe refers to the common man on the street, a fellow, a guy, your neighbor who mows his lawn every Saturday at 8 a.m. (we wish he didnt drink coffee). Deriving from this is phrases like ''Lucky Joe'', or ''Average Joe.'' Weirdly, it can also refer to a steaming hot cup of coffee. 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