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Cheers to you on National Coffee Day

By Katherine Mansfield newsroom@heraldstandard.Com 8 min read
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Katherine Mansfield

National Coffee Day is celebrated throughout the U.S. every Sept. 29, and International Coffee Day, observed Oct. 1, is just around the corner, so now is the perfect time for an extra morning brew or afternoon pick-me-up.

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Katherine Mansfield

Coffee is a ritual 66% Americans, on average, enjoy daily. The most beloved way to brew coffee at home in the U.S. is a traditional drip coffee maker – think standard coffee pot – but specialty coffee, like cold brew, pour-over and the mocha pot, pictured here, has increased in popularity in recent years.

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Katherine Mansfield

Coffee is a breakfast staple for many Americans. According to the NCA, 84% of coffee drinkers enjoy a cup – or three! – with their morning meal.

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Katherine Mansfield

Espresso-based drinks are having a moment: 26% of Americans enjoyed an espresso beverage in the last day, according to the NCA. Americanos, left, and lattes, right, are among the most popular espresso-based drinks, and served beautifully at Table in Washington and other area coffee shops.

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Katherine Mansfield

Little City Coffee in Monongahela serves a lot of drip coffees, but pour-overs and specialty lattes are popular at the cafe, too.

Pour your favorite blend, put on Frank Sinatra’s “The Coffee Song” and dance, highly caffeinated, through the kitchen, for today is the mother of all holidays: National Coffee Day.

There’s much to celebrate this National Coffee Day, observed in the U.S. every Sept. 29.

Earlier this week, a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology reported something coffee connoisseurs have long suspected: Coffee is good for you.

According to the study, titled “Coffee drinking is associated with increased longevity,” people who consume two to three cups of coffee daily enjoy longer lifespans and lower risks of cardiovascular disease than their non-coffee drinking contemporaries.

“The results suggest that mild to moderate intake of ground, instant and decaffeinated coffee should be considered part of a healthy lifestyle,” wrote study author Peter Kistler.

For many Americans, a healthy lifestyle begins each morning with the first blissful sip of coffee. According to the National Coffee Association, coffee consumption in the U.S. is at a two-decade high.

About 66% of Americans drink coffee daily, making it the most reached-for beverage, ahead of tap water, bottled water and pop, according to the NCA’s “National Coffee Data Trends 2022” report, published this spring.

The U.S. drinks about 517 million cups of coffee a day, and when you break the data down, one coffee drinker alone guzzles roughly 3.1 cups of the stuff 365 days of the year.

Who do we have to thank for the mocha brown beverage that marks the beginning of a day or serves as a life raft during mid-afternoon energy crashes?

Legend has it that centuries ago, an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi noticed after eating a certain kind of berry, his goats became exceptionally energetic.

Kaldi, history claims, told a local monastery about the fruit. The monastery crafted a drink from the berries; the drink kept him wide awake through evening prayer.

News of the magical, energizing berries spread to the Arabian peninsula, and by the 16th century, public coffee houses in Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey were hubs for conversation and social activities.

Coffee made its way across the Atlantic, to the Americas, in the mid-1600s, and after the Boston Tea Party it became the drink of choice in the colonies. Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “Coffee – the favorite drink of the civilized world.”

Coffee is certainly a favored drink throughout the Pittsburgh region; earlier this year, WalletHub listed the ‘Burgh the seventh-best city for coffee. But you don’t have to drive north to Nicholas Coffee & Tea Co. or De Fer Coffee & Tea for a great brew.

Fayette, Greene and Washington counties offer excellent coffee experiences today and all year-round.

“Every day for us is National Coffee Day,” said Peter Simons, who owns and runs Ohiopyle Coffee Roasters with his wife, Abby Simons. “Coffee is an awful lot like wine in that it’s grown in different regions. The different regions have different flavor characteristics, and all the people on earth have different flavor preferences.”

Ohiopyle Coffee Roasters beans are carried in establishments throughout Fayette County and available for delivery in Washington County. The company offers a variety of blends, including a light Ethiopian and dark Costa Rican. Simons said choosing a favorite blend is like picking a favorite child.

“We all like them for different reasons. In summertime, I didn’t really want that super dark-roasted, espresso-y taste first thing in the morning. When it’s dark and gloomy … you’re going to want something a little bit darker,” he said. “It’s weather-dependent, it is personal taste preference-dependent.”

While bean blend is a personal preference, the majority of Americans agree on brewing methods. According to the NCA, 41% of coffee drinkers hit “start” on their home drip coffee maker each morning, while 27% opt for the single-cup system (think Keurig).

“The best way that we have found is usually the quickest way,” laughed Simons, who often brews large batches of coffee for folks at area events. “For us, if it’s made in the morning, we really enjoy it. If we’re able to brew it on the go, that’s great. The only real thing that you have to consider is the water-to-coffee ratio. You could have some of those super awesome beans roasted perfectly; if you don’t mix the right amount of coffee to water, it won’t taste good.”

The sweet spot, for the Simonses, is 2 ounces of ground coffee to 12 cups water — when you’re brewing in a drip coffee maker.

Drip coffee is so popular that folks who drop into Little City Coffee in Monongahela often order a cup of the coffee shop’s daily brew.

The regular brewed coffee — just plain coffee, as manager Angelica Brough called it — is Little City’s No. 1 order, she said.

“If they want a special kind, the pour-over is pretty popular,” Brough said.

Ben McMillen, co-owner of Hilltop Packs Coffee Co. in Waynesburg, said pour-over is his morning go-to.

“It’s a very manual process; one-cup-of-coffee-at-a-time kind of thing,” he said. “It’s not sitting there in the pot all day. As far as drip coffee, you can’t be afraid to add a little more coffee or a little bit less. Don’t be afraid to experiment.”

McMillen said coffee is fun because it can be whatever drinkers need it to be.

“It can be a very social drink: People typically would go to small cafes together. Of course, at home, it can be a nice little cozy thing. It’s just a daily ritual that I do by myself, kind of gets my day started. If you’re making it at home, it’s part of your daily ritual. It just makes you feel good.”

The feel-good history of coffee is why Brough thinks the beverage has endured, and soared in popularity in recent decades.

“I think the history of coffee and coffee shops being a place for people to gather – there’s just a pretty long history with coffee and with tea as a social drink,” Brough said. “I just love how versatile it is. There are just so many different ways you can make coffee and enjoy the drink. It’s really customizable. Whatever your personality is, there’s probably a coffee drink that matches it.”

Whether you join the 13% of coffee drinkers who enjoy cold brew or the 8% who pour espresso at home, or venture out for drinks at a local spot like Little City, Hilltop Packing or Chicco Baccello in Washington and Canonsburg, there are deals to be had this National Coffee Day.

Krispy Kreme is serving up free medium iced or hot coffees all day long, no purchase necessary, and Duck Donuts in Upper St. Clair will (metaphorically) toss a free medium coffee your way with the order of one donut.

Tim Horton’s medium iced and hot coffees cost a quarter today when you order through the Tim’s app, and Dunkin’ Donut Perks members will receive a free medium coffee when making any purchase Sept. 29 only.

Panera is offering new Unlimited Sip Club subscribers two months of free coffee when you sign up today, and current members receive $2 off select beverages and smoothies.

Sheetz runners can snag a free cold brew, any size, when they visit the gas station today, and if you find yourself at Burger King between 6 and 10 a.m. any day this week, don’t forget to grab a free small iced coffee with any purchase of a dollar or more (purchases must be made on the app or at bk.com).

If you’re looking to add to your at-home coffee collection, Death Wish Coffee is sending a free sample pack to new customers; current customers get a free tote bag with any purchase made today.

Bean Box shoppers will receive a free 12-ounce bag of coffee with any purchase, when they use the code FREECOFFEE at checkout, and Atlas Coffee Club will send new subscribers their first bag of beans free through Oct. 3.

Some local coffee shops, like Perked Up Cafe in Charleroi, are joining in on the coffee day fun. On National Coffee Day, Perked Up customers will receive 20% off all coffee and espresso drinks. The National Coffee Day “perk” extends to beverages of all sizes.

Other local shops, including Crazy Horse Coffee in Washington, are running specials Oct. 1, on International Coffee Day.

Those stepping out to celebrate National Coffee Day should call ahead to their favorite local coffee shop to see what specials they may be running. Today, like all days, but perhaps more so, is a good day for a visit to a local cafe.

To those who on weekdays roll out of bed only for that first life-giving sip of freshly brewed coffee; to those whose weekends begin with a slow java ritual; and to all the mid-morning espresso drinkers and late night decaf coffee enjoyers – yes, even to them – happy National Coffee Day.

Enjoy copiously.

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