How Coffee Changed America
• 2nd most traded commodity in the world taking a backseat only to petroleum, with the coffee market earing nearly 60 billion dollars annually
• 2nd most recognizable odor in America only surpassed by the smell of burning wood
• The nation’s most popular drink that isn’t water
• Americans over 18…52% drink coffee every morning, 30% drink coffee sometimes, 18% never drink coffee
• 80% of America drinks coffee
• US coffee drinkers consume 3.1 9oz cups on average per day
• Both the New York stock exchange and the Bank of New York started in coffeehouses on what is today known as Wall Street
• The founding fathers of the U.S., during the revolution, formed their national strategies in coffeehouses
1670- Dorothy Jones of Boston was granted a license to sell coffee, and so became the first American coffee trader.
By 1688, coffee replaced beer as New York City’s favorite breakfast drink.
1700’s- In the middle of 1700s, tea and coffee were equally favored; many taverns doubled as coffee houses. This all changed as a result of the famous Boston Tea Party of 1773. Thereafter it was unpatriotic to drink tea. Colonist found that they could import coffee from south and Central America, and more importantly, without the help of the British. Drinking coffee became a sign of independence and American autonomy. The Boston Tea Party of 1773 was planned in a coffee house called, “The Green Dragon”.
1861-1865- The Civil War in the US elevated the popularity of coffee to new heights. Soldiers went to war with coffee beans as a primary ration.
1865- James Mason created the coffee percolator providing the foundation of the modern coffee maker, and also making coffee much more accessible to the middle class.
1901- The first soluble “instant” coffee is invented by Japanese-American chemist Satori Kato of Chicago.
1914-1918- During World War 1, dehydrated packets of coffee were standard in military rations. To the dismay of their commanding officers, soldiers would often use their emergency matches to warm their small, metal cups.
1920-1930’s- After returning from the war, soldiers were so used to drinking coffee several times a day that the number of coffee houses grew 450% in the years following WWI. Up to that point, people generally went to a restaurant to eat or a coffee house or tavern to drink. The returning soldiers, however, wanted to be able to drink coffee and eat food at a neighborhood store… thus, the iconic American Diner was born.
1940 1950’s- The British may have invented “Tea Time” but America invented the “Coffee Break”. The practice began in WW II era war effort factories to give workers a brief rest and a jolt of caffeine. Thanks to a clever advertising campaign in the mid 1950’s by the Pan American Coffee Bureau, 70-80% of American workers were taking a coffee break- both factory and office workers.
1970’s- The 1970’s birthed specialty coffee houses, most famously Starbucks in Seattle in 1971, which sold freshly roasted beans and brewing equipment.
1995-Present- By 1995, Starbucks had become a pop culture reference, with a store on every block, and, in some cases, every corner. The Starbucks model was copied worldwide. From 1995 to 2000, coffee consumption skyrocketed, rising a whopping 700%. From 2000 to now, coffee has showed no signs of dwindling popularity!
