Coffee Lovers Rejoice! National Coffee Day is Today

Coffee lovers around the nation might not day off work on National Coffee Day, but they can celebrate with a cup of one of the world’s most popular drinks.

Some local and national businesses are offering free or discounted cups of coffee.

LaMar’s Donuts is among one of the big chains giving away 12oz. cups of free coffee; but only has 29 locations in six states: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

Barnie’s Coffee & Tea Co., located in Orlando, Florida also offers free coffee in celebration of the day.

Dunkin’ Donuts is not giving away coffee, but they said they are donating a part of their sales to the Special Olympics.

Today’s free or discounted cups of coffee from certain retailers are a welcomed break.

It should not come as a surprise that Starbucks, the nation’s largest coffee chain, is not offering free coffee. In the recent months, many retailers began raising coffee prices, but Starbucks prices have remained steady.

“While many, if not most, coffee roasters and retailers began raising prices months ago, we have thus far chosen to absorb the price increases ourselves and not pass them on to our customers,” Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said in a statement.

How to Combine Art, Music, and Coffee All at Once

Where did coffee come from and how did it get so popular?

Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Kaldi, an Ethiopian goatherder, noticed the energizing effects when his flocks ate the red berries of certain bushes. Curious, he began experimenting on those berries and the first cup of coffee was born.

Centuries later, the Arabs began to roast and trade coffee. From there, coffee made its way into India, Europe and the Americas, gaining huge popularity along the way.

Today, coffee is a world commodity second only to oil.

by Vicki Lin