Free Java on National Coffee Day, Sept. 29

If the first words out of your mouth every morning are, “I’ll have a large coffee”—or if you can’t even speak until after you’ve had your java fix—there's a national holiday created especially for you.

America will put staunch tea drinkers to shame on National Coffee Day on Sept. 29, when coffee fiends can rejoice and celebrate their beloved coffee bean with free brew from national chains.

Coffee was first brought to America in the mid-1600s in a shipment en route to “New Amsterdam,” now known as New York, according to the National Coffee Association. We have that shipment and the Boston Tea Party to thank for turning the nation into coffee drinkers.  

Many local cafes and businesses are participating in the national celebration. In addition, national chains will also be giving out free cups of coffee during the week of Sept. 23.  

McDonald's restaurants along the East Coast will be giving away free 12-ounce coffees every day through Sept. 29. No purchase is necessary, and coffee will be available in the drive-thru or in the restaurants. In Melville, local coffee lovers may visit the location on Route 110 just north of Northern State Parkway.

It’s CofFREE Day at 7-Eleven, which means a free large coffee for anyone who stops by a participating 7-Eleven store between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sept. 28. The closest locations are Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station, Jericho Turnpike and Verleye Road in Elwood and Route 231 in Deer Park.

What’s your favorite blend, and where do you get it? Tell us in the comments.