Where Did The Term 'Cup Of Joe' Originate?

No matter where you live in the world, people love to delve into coffee culture. From the almost ritualistic ways people prep their drinks to the revolving trends on social media, coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages on the planet, with around 2.25 billion cups drank daily. People have been roasting, brewing, and creating new ways to enjoy caffeinated drinks for thousands of years, so it's no surprise there are a few well-known nicknames and slang terms associated with it.

The term "Cup of Joe" is a popular one, and there are a few interesting theories about how the phrase came about. Did a man named Joe originate it? Is there an ingredient in coffee that's short for Joe? In reality, there's quite a lot of guesswork in the history of coffee (Irish or otherwise) and several stories about how the familiar term may have entered popular vocabulary. From a Navy Secretary nicknamed Joe replacing alcohol with coffee on board naval ships to a New York coffee shop's attempt at a marketing strategy to a creative combination of the words java and mocha, these theories all hold some weight. Still, as history teaches us, sometimes, we'll never really know the truth for sure.

"Cup of Joe" seems like such a natural name for your morning coffee, but when it comes to the term's creator, a slew of historical figures are allegedly responsible. Between 1913 and 1921, a man named Josephus Daniels was a high-ranking member of the U.S. Navy. Daniels had a bit of a booze issue on his hands: His recruits liked to party, and it was getting out of hand. So, Daniels banned alcohol, leaving the sailors to resort to coffee if they wanted a buzz. "Cup of Joe" allegedly became the drink's nickname among the irritated, newly sober ranks.

Another theory comes from New York City in the late 1800s. A man named Joe Martinson, owner of a coffee shop called Martinson Coffee, approached his craft with an authentic and creative perspective. According to legend, he and his team used the term "Cup of Joe" for branding purposes and later trademarked it. Eventually, the phrase spread, and people started using it casually to refer to a cup of coffee. Lastly, another possible theory involves a good old combination of words. "Java" and "mocha" were popular slang terms for coffee in the 1930s, and the two merged to make a "cup of joe." The term may also have arisen from the widespread popularity of coffee, as it was drunk by "your average Joe." Wherever the term came from, it stuck around for years after the fact and is part of the coffee lexicon.