Coffee Slang Explained

Hello World! Welcome Friends! Everyday, people in the United States drink about 400 million cups of coffee. That’s more than a cup per person. It should come as no surprise that a strong culture has developed around coffee in this country. One of the defining characteristics of a culture is having its own set of slang and dialects. Often, these terms become so removed from their source, it’s difficult to know how they came into being. These are some of the most common coffee slang and buzzwords, with explanations.

Cup of Joe

The phrase “cup of Joe” is one of the mostly widely recognized when it comes to coffee slang. Despite this ubiquity, no one can point to the origin of the saying with complete certainty. There are, however, a few popular theories. Some people think that “cup of Joe” refers to Joe Martinson, the person who founded Martinson Coffee, which was once a major player in the coffee world. Martinson was apparently quite the character; so, it would make sense that coffee would share a nickname with him.

There are a few other ideas for the conception of this term. Some have argued that it might just be the phonetic version of Java and mocha added together, although this might be a stretch. Another idea is that it’s simply referring to coffee as the drink of the common person. There’s another popular idiom — average Joe. “Cup of Joe” could certainly be derived from any of these places.

Café Americano

If you’ve ever seen anyone order an Americano, you know it looks just like a cup of black coffee. What gives? Is it the same drink with a fancier name? Well, not exactly. A café Americano is espresso and hot water, whereas a black coffee is the end result of hot water filtered through coffee grounds. This gives the beverage a smoother, less acidic taste.

The term Americano means American and may refer to diluted espresso sipped by American G.I.s in Italy and Spain during World War II. However, modern coffee aficionados sometimes prefer luxury, liquid coffee capsules that deliver the same smooth taste without the use of an espresso machine. It just goes to show that coffee is continuing to evolve!

Java

It doesn’t matter if you’re brewing your coffee with a French press or coffee capsules, you’ve likely referred to it as Java at some point. Even though this is a highly popular name for coffee, not everyone knows what it means.

The origin requires a bit of a history lesson. Back in the 1600s, the Dutch were colonizing many Asiatic islands. Java was one of these places. And of course, these colonizers weren’t just dropping a flag and leaving. They brought coffee with them. Java went on to become one of the major coffee producers in the world. So eventually, the two names became synonymous.

Baltimore

This is yet another, somewhat confusing, coffee slang term. When you hear someone refer to their coffee as a “Baltimore,” it likely means that it’s half regular coffee and half decaf. This can be a nice compromise for people who want a coffee later in the day, but don’t want to risk being kept up by caffeine late at night. Like many other coffee terms, it’s not entirely clear how this one came into existence. It’s probably fair, however, to assume that it all began in Baltimore.

Red Eye, Black Eye, and Green Eye

You’ve likely heard of people drinking red eye coffees before. This a famous drink, as it’s a drip coffee combined with a shot of espresso. This provides a serious jolt of energy when you drink it. The name actually comes from flying. A red eye flight is an overnight trip from the west coast to the east coast. Making this voyage requires a little extra something. Thus — the red eye is the perfect drink, as it packs the perfect punch for such a trip.

However, if one shot of espresso isn’t enough for you, there are options. A black eye is the next step on the ladder. This is when two shots of espresso are added to your coffee. The name originates from the black “eye” that forms when you pour the espresso shot into a creamy cup of coffee. And then, there’s the green eye, which is reserved for the most fanatic of coffee drinkers. A green eye is a cup of drip coffee with three shots of espresso added. The strength of this drink is so high, it’s possible you’ll start seeing your black cup of coffee as green.

These are a few of the more applicable coffee slang terms. Now you can talk about your love for coffee with greater confidence.