“A cup of joe” is one of the most popular American slang terms for a cup of coffee — but have you ever given any thought to where this term comes from? If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably used this term hundreds of times without giving so much as of a second of consideration as to what it even means. Personally, I always associate this term with those boxed to-go coffees at chains like Dunkin’ that were once called a “box of Joe”.
Why is coffee called Joe? Where did this term come from? As it turns out, there’s several theories behind where this term came from (and no one’s quite sure of the full truth). Michael Cramer, Founder and Product Developer (and coffee lover) at Lardera Coffee expert shares his thoughts on the meaning behind this interesting coffee nickname.
Why is coffee called Joe?
“The most likely origin of people referring to coffee as “joe” is that it’s an everyday drink for the average American,” says Cramer. “Average Joe” is a common colloquial term, so it was natural for the standard beverage of an average American to be referred to as Joe. “The other theory is that “Joe” is a derivative of Java, a coffee-growing region in Indonesia, but there’s scant evidence for this claim.” This theory suggest that Joe could be a shortened version of Jamoke, a common nickname used in the 30’s (Java + Mocha = Joe). Again, there’s not enough evidence for any one theory to really conclude the exact origins of this name.
In my research, other theories suggest that coffee may be called joe stemming from a navy reference. Between 1913 and 1921, Josephus Daniel was the U.S. Secretary of the Navy. During this time period, the Navy had a “party” reputation which caused Secretary Joe banned alcohol on ships in 1914. From there, sailors were forced to skip booze and switch to drinking coffee instead. Theories suggest this may be where the “cup of Joe” term stems from, referencing the Josephus Daniel. Some, however, say this theory isn’t documented enough to really believe.
Do people still use this term today?
Today, “People continue to use this term, but its prevalence varies by region. The parts of the country that use it most are North Carolina and Illinois. Interestingly, it’s rarely used in the Pacific Northwest, the epicenter of the third-wave coffee movement,” Cramer shares.
“Coffee is an integral part of people’s lives, so it’s not surprising that most languages have casual, even playful, ways of referring to it,” he says. Outside of the U.S., many other cultures have nicknames for coffee, too. Some examples include “buna” in Ethiopia, “bica” in Portugal, and “un tinto” in Colombia. In the U.S., beyond the “cup of Joe” nickname, I’ve heard other coffee nicknames too like brew or java used (though less frequently).
While it’s unlikely we’ll ever learn exactly where the term “cup of Joe” stems from, it’s pretty clear this term is probably here to stay. What we do know is that this term likely originated sometime around 1930.
