National Coffee Day Brews Excitement In Tuscaloosa, Where Shops Thrive

The average coffee drinker reports having three cups per day and today celebrates the caffinated treat - it's “National Coffee Day!”

If you don’t believe coffee is king in Tuscaloosa and Northport, then just look at the lines of cars that form in the drive-thru at the growing number of coffee stands across the area. There are all sorts of freebies and deals being offered today, so you can bet those lines will be even longer.

Seattle-based Starbucks got it started when they opened their first store locally in the early 2000s. Since then, they have added more stores, but so have several other coffee companies that have also joined the competition, such as Dunkin, 7 Brew, and Scooter's, which are credited for expanding the local coffee market. A Dutch Bros has also been announced for the Tuscaloosa area.

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The development of widespread drive-through coffee shops may represent a shift in the culture of coffee shops. Although the drive-through shop maximizes profits due to its smaller space requirements and high customer turnover, the social element of coffee culture is lost when coffee shops prioritize customers in cars.

Just who discovered coffee trees and their use as a beverage is a mystery according to the National Coffee Association, but there is no question its popularity spread across the Middle East, and the drink quickly became the center of social interaction, with coffee houses springing up in Ethiopia as early as the ninth century.

The westward spread of coffee's popularity almost ended in Venice in 1615 until Pope Clement VIII stepped in. Some people feared the growing popularity of coffee was the "bitter invention of Satan." But when the pope was asked to rule on it, he liked it and gave it papal approval.

The popularity of coffee was brought to Europe from the Middle East in the 17th century and rapidly became the place to go for intellectual conversation. When the new world was colonized, coffee shops in New England became centers for discussion, political dialogue, and business.

King George III's imposition of a heavy tax on tea in 1773 led not only to the Boston Tea Party but also to the replacement of tea as the most popular drink in the colonies.

It wasn’t until the 19th century that America made its own significant contribution to the world of coffee. As South American countries began cultivating coffee trees, the drink became more affordable in the U.S. This led to the emergence of large coffee brands, which contributed to the widespread popularity of coffee as the nation expanded westward.

Though instant coffee has been around since the late 1700s, it wasn't until the development of Nestle's Nescafe just before World War II that made it popular. A packet of it was placed in every soldier's ration kit.

The popularity of coffee only grew with the availability of numerous brands in grocery stores and then took off even more with K-Cups and single brews.

So, coffee drinkers celebrate, this is your day to enjoy a brew and get a bargain too.