National Coffee Day Is Here: What Are You Ordering?
September 29 has arrived, and for coffee lovers, that means there is finally an excuse to take the ordinary morning cup a little more seriously. National Coffee Day has become a day of free drinks, app deals, limited-edition treats, and, perhaps most importantly, an opportunity to reveal just how particular people are about their coffee. And this year, the celebrity coffee orders are giving us plenty to talk about.
Everyone Has a Coffee Personality
You can learn surprisingly much about someone from what they order before noon.
Some people want a basic hot coffee and nothing else. Others treat their morning drink like a carefully engineered dessert, complete with syrups, specialty milk and enough customization to make the barista pause. On National Coffee Day, those differences become even more entertaining, especially when you look at the celebrity orders collected by People’s roundup of famous coffee favorites.
Ben Affleck reportedly keeps things relatively simple with iced coffee, milk and sugar, while Ariana Grande has favored a soy latte. Pedro Pascal’s famously intense order involves six shots of espresso over ice, while Ashton Kutcher has experimented with adding orange juice to black coffee. Suddenly, asking someone whether they want coffee is not nearly as simple as it sounds.
September 29 Comes With Perks
The best part of National Coffee Day may be discovering that your usual coffee run could cost less than expected.
Across the United States, chains are using the occasion to bring customers through their doors with free drinks, discounts and rewards-app promotions. The offers are not all identical, and some require a purchase or membership, but the variety is impressive. National Coffee Day deals across the Capital Region include everything from free coffee to discounted specialty drinks and subscription promotions.
Dunkin’ rewards members, for example, can get a free medium hot or iced coffee with an in-app purchase. Aroma Joe’s is offering free 16-ounce hot or iced coffee to guests, while Pilot is offering a free hot coffee through its rewards app. Dairy Queen is also joining the celebration with $3 Coffee Coolers at participating locations.
Related: The World’s Coffee-Loving Countries: Ten Places Where Coffee Runs the Show
Coffee Is Having a Little Fun With Itself
This year’s promotions show that coffee culture has moved well beyond the basic cup of black coffee.
Krispy Kreme has turned the celebration into a coffee-and-doughnut event, offering a limited-time coffee-flavored Original Glazed doughnut and a free small or medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase on September 29 at participating locations. Meanwhile, Jamba is putting its own spin on the holiday with $3 small topped blended coffees, including the Buzzin’ Mocha Moo’d and Coffee Dream Machine.
That variety says something interesting about how Americans drink coffee now. The traditional mug still sits on the kitchen table, but cold brews, iced espresso drinks, blended coffee beverages, protein lattes, and elaborate seasonal creations are everywhere. Coffee has become as much about personal taste and routine as it is about caffeine.
Your Coffee Order Says More Than You Think
The drink you reach for every morning can become part of your identity without you ever planning it that way.
For some people, coffee is about getting through a busy morning. For others, it is the quiet ten minutes before the rest of the household wakes up, the conversation with a coworker, or the familiar stop at the same café every day. That is why changing a coffee order can feel strangely significant, even when the change is as small as choosing oat milk instead of dairy.
It also fits naturally into those morning rituals that turn an ordinary start to the day into something more enjoyable. The coffee itself may take only a few minutes to drink, but the ritual around it can be what people remember.
Maybe Today Is the Day to Try Something Different
National Coffee Day is a good excuse to stop ordering the same thing simply because you always have.
You could go completely classic with a hot brewed coffee, try an iced latte, order a seasonal drink or borrow inspiration from one of the celebrity combinations making the rounds. If your usual coffee already makes the morning better, there is nothing wrong with sticking with it; sometimes the familiar order is familiar for a reason.
And if you are looking for a small way to make your daily routine more enjoyable, even a simple coffee break can become one of those small habits that gives the day a little structure.
Coffee can be both incredibly ordinary and deeply personal. On a day built around celebrating it, the real question may not be whether your coffee is fancy enough, strong enough, or fashionable enough—it is whether it is the cup you genuinely look forward to.
If you could order one coffee today without worrying about the price, calories, or caffeine, would you choose your usual favorite or try something completely different?
