National Coffee Day In Del Ray: Where To Get Your Joe Fix

ALEXANDRIA, VA — For many on the go in Del Ray, 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 Del Ray another reason to visit one of their local coffee shops.

In and near Del Ray, local coffee shops include:

• St. Elmo's Coffee Pub, 2300 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria
• Swing's Coffee, 501 E Monroe Avenue, Alexandria
• Stomping Ground, 2309 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria
• Del Ray Boccato, 2400 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria
• Junction Bakery & Bistro, 1508 Mt Vernon Avenue #1718, Alexandria

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.

Here are local chain coffee shop locations:

• Dunkin, 3325 Richmond Highway, Alexandria
• Starbucks, 621 E Glebe Road, Alexandria (Giant)
• Starbucks, 3101 Richmond Highway, Alexandria (Target)
• Starbucks, 3825 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria