National Coffee Day In Columbia: Where To Get Your Joe Fix

COLUMBIA, MD — For many on the go in Columbia, drinking coffee is celebrated seven mornings a week. But there’s a specific date that is specifically set to highlight one of the world’s most consumed beverages. National Coffee Day is Sept. 29 across the United States and falls on a Wednesday in 2021.

National Coffee Day gives java lovers in Columbia another reason to visit one of their local coffee shops.

In and near Columbia, local coffee shops include:

• Mad City Coffee, 10801 Hickory Ridge Rd. #101, Columbia
• Starbucks, 10801 Hickory Ridge Rd. #101, Columbia
• Dunkin, 5880 Robert Oliver Pl., Columbia
• Trifecto Bar, 12250 Clarksville Pike Suite A, Clarksville
• Roggenart, 6476 Dobbin Center Way, Columbia
• Starbucks, 6365 Dobbin Rd., Columbia
• Dunkin, 6365 Dobbin Rd., Columbia
• Starbucks, 5400 Lynx Ln., Columbia
• Dunkin, 7106 Minstrel Way, Columbia
• Starbucks, 8620 Guilford Rd., Columbia
• Dunkin, 9011 Snowden River Pkwy., Columbia
• Nordstrom Espresso Bar, 10300 Little Patuxent Pkwy. Suite B500, Columbia
• Dunkin, 10300 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia
• Starbucks, 6111 Dobbin Rd., Columbia
• Dunkin, 10430 Shaker Dr. Ste 100, Columbia
• Nourishing Journey Cafe, 8975 Guilford Rd #170, Columbia
• Starbucks, 5485 Harpers Farm Rd. A, Columbia
• Dunkin, 5485 Harpers Farm Rd., Columbia
• Starbucks, 10901 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia
• Dunkin, 8765 Centre Park Dr. Columbia Place Plaza #14, Columbia
• Starbucks, 7351 Assateague Dr., Jessup

The exact origin of how Sept. 29 (or Oct. 1 in other countries) became National Coffee Day is cloudy, according to a NationalToday.com summary of the country’s long connection with the drink. It points to the 1773 Boston Tea Party as a key moment in U.S. history for when the country, quite literally, dumped tea for coffee.

When the people of the 13 colonies revolted against King George III’s hefty tea tax, “tea was out, and coffee was in,” the summary states.

The United States’ connection with coffee only became stronger in the years to follow. Brothers John and Charles Arbuckle started selling coffee to cowboys in the American West during the mid-1800s, and James Folger introduced the drink to gold miners in California before creating the J.A. Folger & Co. in 1872, according to NationalToday.com.

Other brands still around today, such as Maxwell House and Hills Brothers, eventually entered the coffee market. And Starbucks “changed everything” when it formed in Seattle in 1971, according to the summary.

The U.S. coffee shop market has now grown into a $45.4 billion industry, according to an account that cites the Allegra World Coffee Portal’s 2019 Project Café USA report.

A number of chain coffee shops are expected to offer deals for National Coffee Day, TheSpruceEats.com says.

Among them, Krispy Kreme will offer a free coffee and doughnut on the day, Dunkin’ Donuts a free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase, and LaMar’s Donuts a free small cup of coffee.

Local 7-Eleven stores have also offered National Coffee Day deals. Coffee drinkers will receive one free, any size hot coffee with the purchase of a baked good at participating 7-Eleven stores nationwide. In addition, shoppers who use the store’s smartphone app can enjoy a free extra large hot coffee with any purchase.

Starbucks also typically offers free samples or cups of coffee on Sept. 29, Coffeeaffection.com reported this year.