National Coffee Day 2011

No one on the Internet ever talked about the origin of this special day. After a comprehensive research, it looks like that people started to talk about this festival as early as 2005, but there has been virtually on mentioning of this term until 2009 when a few local coffee shops began offering free drinks and discount coupons. In 2010, there has been news on national newspaper that briefly talks about activities on the day.

My conclusion is that the history of this festival is relatively short and my own conspiracy theory is that some sort of a national coffee association started to promote it as a way to generate more business. Afterall, there are so many food festivals these days, and I don't think the 111 million coffee drinkers would mind having a special day for their favorite drink!

Talking about the origin, some of you may be interested in the origin of coffee as well.

Legend has it that the Ethiopians invited this heavenly beverage in the 13th century.

The story of Kaldi, the 9th-century Ethiopian goatherd who discovered coffee, did not appear in writing until 1671 AD and is probably apocryphal. From Ethiopia, coffee was said to have spread to Egypt and Yemen.

The earliest credible evidence of either coffee drinking or knowledge of the coffee tree appears in the middle of the fifteenth century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. By the 16th century, it had reached the rest of the Middle East, Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa. Coffee then spread to Italy, and to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas.

Source: Wikipedia on Coffee

7-Eleven

Get a free medium coffee from the morning of Sept 29, 2011 (from 7 to 11 am) at 7-Eleven stores. The offer is good in both the U.S. and Canada (but excludes Quebec), but check with your local 7-11 store to confirm.

Thornton's

Generous deal! Thornton's is giving away any blend of Coffee and Cappuccino from 6AM to 2pm on Sep 29.

Cafe Kili

Print the flyer and bring it to any Cafe Kili from 6:30am to 9pm to get your free cup of Joe.

Klatch Coffee

Klatch Coffee, a popular Southern California neighborhood coffee house, will offer a variety of specialty coffee drinks for free at all retail locations:

• 7-8am Free Single Macchiato


• 10-11am Free Single Espresso


• 2-3pm Free Bru Bar Special


• 6-7pm Free Traditional Cappuccino

Each offer is limited to one per person, but I guess you can go multiple times throughout the day to try all of them?

Dunn Bros

You can celebrate National Coffee Day in Bold Standard style: try a cup of our Organic Kenya Muiri Estate coffee for only $1 until 10am or while supplies last.

Cafe Brazil

Visit any of Cafe Brazil in Texas from 6:00 AM to Midnight and receive a free "Bottomless Cup of Coffee" with the purchase of an entrée.

Dunkin' Donuts

I don't see this in the official site yet, but according to this reporter Dunkin' Donuts will be offering their medium hot or iced coffee at $0.5 each for the whole day.

Also, for selected DD in Rhode Island and MA, $0.25 per cup will be donated to Special Olympics (i.e. similar to last year's).

Bailey Creamers

Bailey Creamers is giving away a Keurig® Brewing System. First place winners will take home a pair of limited edition BAILEYS Coffee Creamer glass mugs. You can click on the link to find out more.

Filterfresh

Filterfresh would like to celebrate National Coffee Day with you! Simply take their survey to see what your coffee preferences say about your work style, and you'll be entered for a chance to win a $300 American Express gift card.

People haven't announced the free drinks and great deals for National Coffee Day 2011 yet, so let's take a look at what was offered last year for reference. Chances are that these coffee shops and national drinks will do it again for all the great publicity!

Dunkin' Donuts
Internet rumor stated that participating Dunkin' Donuts (heard it included at least chains in Rhode Island and Bristol County, Massachusetts) offered a free cup of coffee and a portion of their sales was to be donated to the Special Olympics.

LaMar's Donuts
A coffee chain with locations in six states offered a coupon on Facebook and Twitter for a free 12 oz. coffee.

Bennett's Fresh Roast
Coffee house in Fort Myers, Florida

Barnie's Coffee
Coffee house in Orlando, Florida

Tea Company and Bohemian Coffeehouse
Coffee house in Melrose, Massachusetts

There are also lots of local stores and cafes distributing coupons on the day.

Big Coffee Chains That Didn't Participate In Coffee Day Free Drinks In 2010

• Starbucks


• Peet's


• Coffee Bean


• It's a Grind

Looks like West Coast hasn't caught up with the wave yet!

It's really a pleasant surprise to get something from mail (that's not junk mail) these days.

Celebrate the happy moments in your life with this sweet Coffee Day greeting card. Your good friend will appreciate your thoughtfulness and taste when he or she opens this special greeting.

A clever coffee-themed card that will amuse your love one on your special day.