Military History Talk: The US Army's Love Affair with Coffee

A now-forgotten staff officer once said, “The U.S. Army can fight any battle without a morning cup of coffee…We just prefer not to!” A stereotypical picture of the average U.S. soldier includes a cup of steaming coffee (joe, java, mocha, or jitter-juice) near at hand. However, coffee was not the original drink of choice during the American Revolution. The love affair began when the Army gave soldiers a weekly ration of coffee and sugar in the 1830s. Over the decades, Army quartermasters searched for the cheapest, yet drinkable, cup of coffee they could find, even at the Vancouver Barracks Regimental Canteen in 1886. Speaker Jeff Dacus, author, former local history teacher, and Marine Corps Reserve combat veteran, will discuss the origins and worldwide spread of coffee drinking, with a focus on its consumption in the Army.