Calling fellow coffee lovers! September 29th is National Coffee Day! And even though we don’t really need an excuse to talk about coffee, drink coffee, read about coffee, or think about coffee, we’re inviting you to do all of the above with us today, especially.
Free coffee on September 29
First things first: many top coffee companies are celebrating this wonderful day by offering free or reduced-price coffee to the masses.
- Dunkin’ Donuts – Buy a medium coffee, get a free medium coffee
- Cinnabon – Free 12 oz coffee all day on September 29th
- Krispy Kreme – Free coffee all weekend long, September 29-October 1
- 7Eleven and McDonalds – Free coffee options through the mobile app
- Peets – Get 25% off coffee beans plus a free medium coffee or tea
Now you just take your pick—or picks.
A case for coffee
Here are 17 coffee facts to fuel your fascination this year.
1. Coffee equals productivity
A study by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine discovered that caffeine can help improve memory and concentration while also reducing the number of mistakes made.
2. Coffee is hydrating
While many have claimed that coffee and tea are diuretics, recent studies found that participants were just as hydrated, whether their liquids had added caffeine or not. Good news: your three cups of coffee count towards hydration!
3. Reduced cirrhosis
While coffee cannot reverse liver damage or even help you sober up after a night out, one scientific study did find that coffee consumption can significantly reduce the risk of cirrhosis.
4. Increased blood flow
Researchers found that a cup of caffeinated coffee significantly improved blood flow in healthy adults, up to 30% more over a 75-minute period than decaffeinated coffee.
5. Decreased depression
A large study from 2011 found that depression risk decreases with increasing caffeinated consumption for women.
6. Antioxidants
Plus, coffee is full of antioxidants! Surely that makes it an officially approved health food.
7. 50-100 cups of coffee equals a lethal dose
It turns out that there is such a thing as too much coffee, but it would take a lot to get there. Pure, powdered caffeine, however, is a whole lot stronger, and even a teaspoon of it could kill you.
8. Geniuses drink coffee
True story. Ludwig Van Beethoven and Johann Sebastian Bach loved it. Søren Kierkegaard ‘prized’ it. And despite the above warning, Voltaire, Teddy Roosevelt, and L. Frank Baum were notorious for their copious coffee consumption.
9. Coffee Cantata
Also, Bach wrote an opera about a woman who was addicted to coffee.
10.Finland loves coffee
Consuming 12 kg (26.4 pounds) of coffee per person each year, Finns drink the most coffee per capita of any country in the world. Though its neighboring countries enjoy coffee almost as much. The Telegraph has a handy map for tracking consumption across the rest of the world:
11.Portland, Maine loves coffee the most in the U.S.
Taking into account percentage of households with a coffee maker, average household spend on coffee, cafes per capita, and percentage of people who drink coffee, Portland, ME is the most obsessed with coffee in the country, followed closely by Manchester, NH and Burlington, VT.
12.Jackson, Missouri likes coffee the least in the U.S.
With the same criteria in mind, Jackson is the least obsessed with coffee, but Fort Worth, TX and Memphis, TN are almost as ambivalent. To each their own.
13.Fancy a dip?
If you head to Hakone, Japan, you can bathe in coffee. Or green tea, wine, or sake. Yunessun Spa Resort has it all.
14.Brazil, the coffee heart of the world
With 30% of green coffee beans coming from Brazil, this country produces more coffee than any other country in the world.
15. Smells better than it tastes
Whether you’re one of those who likes the smell of coffee but not the taste (gasp) or love the full sensory experience, science has discovered that saliva wipes out nearly half of what makes the aroma so amazing. So coffee really does smell better than it tastes.
16. The best time to brew
Scientists agree that your body is most receptive to the powerful effects of caffeine a few hours after waking, making 9:30-11:30 the best time of day to enjoy.
17. Auto fuel
Brewed coffee fuels our daily lives, and one day coffee grounds could fuel our vehicles, too. It’s the circle of life.
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How will you be celebrating National Coffee Day? What’s your favorite fun fact about coffee? Share your stories!
