Why is Coffee Called a Cup of Joe? (Solved & Explained!)

The main reason the slang term “cup of joe” came about for coffee is because in 1913, the secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels outlawed alcohol on Navy vessels. This made coffee the most popular drink on these ships. Out of anger and to poke fun at the secretary, sailors began calling coffee “cups of Joe.” There are, however, other theories.

There’s plenty to know about the rich history of this slang term and other slang terms for America’s favorite hot drink, though. So grab yourself a hot cup of joe and read all there is to know about why this popular slang term came about. 

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The first and most popular origin story for the term “a cup of joe” came from the U.S. Navy. As mentioned above, when President Woodrow Wilson appointed Josephus Daniels as secretary of the Navy in 1913, Daniels thought it prudent to ban alcohol on all U.S. Navy vessels. 

Coffee was the strongest drink that sailors had available to them after that, so they started drinking it a ton. Becasue of this, it was coined “a cup of joe,” because they were only drinking it thanks to the secretary Josephus Daniels. The term spread from here and became popularized throughout the country, or at least that’s how the story goes. 

This is easily the most commonly cited theory for where the term comes from, but its hard to know if it’s actually true. Sure, Josephus Daniels certainly did exist, and he did ban sailors from drinking alcohol on ships. However, there are several other theories for where the term cup of joe originally came from. 

The “Average Joe” 

Another popular theory is that coffee was a drink for the common person. It’s always been a part of popular American vocabulary to call the average working man Joe or “average Joe.” Since coffee was the drink for the average working man, it quickly became popular to call it joe, or “a cup of joe.” 

Java + Jamoke

A third theory has to do with combining terms. At some point, before the term joe came about, the terms java and mocha were combined to make the term jamoke. After this, jamoke and java were shortened into joe. This term, since it is shorter and punchier than java and jamoke, began seeing popular use around the country very quickly.

Which theory is true?

Although it’s impossible to pin down if any of the theories, or even all three for that matter, are true, it is most agreed upon by linguists and etymologists that the third theory, that of combining other slang terms, is the most likely theory to be true.

The other two theories do make sense, though, and the first is a fun story and more of a legend than anything else at this point. Still, it is the most popular answer, so it’s good to know. 

Other slang for coffee

There is plenty of other slang for coffee, such as mocha, jamoke, java, and cuppa, among many other more modern terms like battery acid, bean juice, and mud.

That being said, joe is far and wide the most popular slang for America’s favorite hot beverage, at least in the United States. However, it’s good to know the other slang, as plenty of terms are used to describe this extremely popular drink.

Where does “java” come from?

The term java comes from the Indonesian island of java. Much of the coffee supply that was originally being shipped to America and Europe came from this island, and so westerners began to refer to the drink as java because of this fact. Soon, the name stuck and took on a life of its own, as most slang does, and the original reasoning behind the term was lost. 

Coffee is still referred to as java to this day, so it’s a great term to know! Its origin can also be a fun fact and a cool conversation topic. 

Where does “cuppa” come from?

Cuppa is not an American term for coffee, but you still may hear it from time to time. It actually comes from England, and is a shortening of the words “cup of.” However, a cuppa can be used for either tea or coffee, so it’s important that you understand the context when using or hearing the term. 

Do they call coffee joe in other countries?

Joe is mostly an American term, so you won’t really hear it used in other countries with too much frequency. If you do hear it being used in a country that’s not the United States, it’s probably a by-product of the influence U.S. culture has on other countries. Still, it’s very rare to hear coffee being called joe outside of America. 

Usually, other countries, whether they speak English or not, will have their own slang and colloquialisms for many things, including coffee. 

Using “A cup of joe” in a sentence

Using the term joe or “a cup of joe” in a sentence is very easy. Simply replace the word coffee with joe. You can either say something like “could I get a cup of joe?” or “that’s some tasty joe.” Joe can be used with the “cup of” before it or not, and most Americans will still understand what you mean. 

The term joe can be used both when talking about or when ordering coffee. However, be careful. If you are ordering something and want anything but regular black coffee or regular coffee with anything but milk and sugar, you should be more specific than saying joe, as that’s what the term joe usually refers to. 

Is “joe” capitalized in “cup of joe?”

If you’re writing the term “cup of joe” out, you do not have to capitalize the word joe. This is because joe when referring to coffee is not a proper noun. The name Joe is a proper noun and therefore has to be capitalized.

However, coffee is simply a regular noun, meaning joe, in reference to the same substance, is also a regular noun, and does not have to be capitalized.