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

CROFTON, MD — For many on the go in Crofton, 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 Crofton another reason to visit one of their local coffee shops.

In and near Crofton, local coffee shops include:

• Chesapeake Bay Roasting Company, 2100 Concord Blvd. Ste. J, Crofton
• Dunkin, 1200 MD-3, Crofton
• Krispy Kreme, 1149 MD-3 N, Gambrills
• Dunkin, 1051 MD-3 N, Gambrills
• Starbucks, 2389 Brandermill Blvd., Gambrills
• Dunkin, 1336 Defense Hwy., Gambrills'
• Starbucks, 2384 Brandermill Blvd., Gambrills
• The Buzz, 1413 S Main Chapel Way, Gambrills

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.