Cool beans! Get some free perks on National Coffee Day - TribLIVE

Grab your cold press, your K-cup, your cafetiere — or hit your neighborhood cafe — it’s National Coffee Day.

It’s a great time to be a coffee drinker, with the recent proliferation of coffee shops and at-home coffee- brewing equipment offering something for even the most discerning coffee palate.

“Coffee making has really turned into an art,” says Nikki Saxion, owner of CoCo Coffeehouse in Leechburg. For a lot of people, that fancy brewed beverage is a treat that starts the day off just right, she says.

“Now that people know what the good stuff is, Maxwell House isn’t good enough any more,” agrees Carrie Boots, manager at Stanton Daily Grind in New Stanton. “Places like this have to give credit where credit is due — Starbucks started it, and everyone else is just running with it.”

Sharing coffee is the best way to enjoy it, says Robert Chaffin, director of operations for Pittsburgh-based Commonplace Coffee.

“People will always look for community, and the best coffee shops thrive on community building. The experience of good hospitality and pleasant conversations with friends are just as important as the quality of the product itself,” he says.

Coffee cities

Pittsburgh ranks No. 3 in Apartment Guide’s 2020 rankings of the best U.S. coffee cities. Rankings were calculated by the ratio of coffee- related establishments per 100,000 residents in each of 308 largest American cities with at least one coffee shop or business.

Outranked only by the California cities of Berkeley (1) and San Francisco (2), Pittsburgh has 52.8 coffee shops per 100,000 residents and 2.9 shops per square mile.

Coffee history

Legend has it, coffee was first brewed from beans growing in trees on Africa’s Ethiopian plain. From there, coffee drinking spread to the Middle East, making its way to Europe in the 17th century.

Gradually, coffee began to replace beer and wine as the common European breakfast beverage, and coffee sellers sprang up. The renowned insurance market, Lloyd’s of London, grew out of the Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House.

Coffee came to North America in the mid-1600s, although tea remained the preferred drink until the colonists’ tax revolt of 1773, known as the Boston Tea Party.

Coffee drinking surged during the Civil War, as soldiers relied on the beverage for its energy boost.

Coffee in da ’Burgh

In 1873, John Arbuckle, a Scottish immigrant to Pittsburgh, discovered a way to preserve already-roasted coffee beans by coating them in a mixture containing egg whites and sugar. The process preserved the coffee’s aroma and taste and created a smooth, sweet flavor.

He and his brother John began selling their pre-roasted coffee by the pound in paper bags under the Ariosa brand name. Eventually, John moved the business to New York City. After his death, it was sold and combined with Maxwell House, now part of General Foods.

Arbuckle’s Fine Roasted Coffees in Verona continues to use the Arbuckle name and roasting traditions.

Another long-standing local company, Nicholas Coffee Co. in Market Square, has been roasting and selling Arabica coffees since 1919.

Coffee consumption

With a coffee shop seemingly on every other city corner, it might be surprising to know that the U.S. ranks No. 25 worldwide in coffee consumption, at 9.26 pounds per person annually.

Then again, maybe it’s not surprising denizens of cold climates are the major consumers of a nice, hot cup of java. The top five coffee-drinking countries, with pounds per capita, are:

1. Finland (26.45)

2. Norway (21.82)

3. Iceland (19.84)

4. Denmark (19.18)

5. Netherlands (18.52)

Coffee deals

Check out these Coffee Day deals available from retailers around Southwestern Pennsylvania:

Barnes & Noble Cafes — get a free cup of freshly brewed hot or iced coffee with the purchase of any item from the bakery case.

Dunkin’ — get a free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase at a Dunkin’ restaurant. Limit is one per order, per day, and the deal does not include Nitro Cold Brew and Cold Brew.

Godiva — receive 30% off on bagged coffee at Godiva Boutiques and online at godiva.com. Godiva has a retail location at Ross Park Mall.

High Brew Coffee — at 2 p.m. Tuesday, the company website will offer a limited number of free product coupons for digital download to use at specific retailers nationwide that carry High Brew Coffee. Retailers include Target and Whole Foods.

McDonald’s — get any size premium roast or iced coffee for 99 cents with the offer in the McDonald’s app. Offer is redeemable once per day through Dec. 27.

Pilot Flying J — get a free cup of any size hot or cold Pilot coffee through the Pilot Flying J app.

Sheetz — get a free cold brew of any size and flavor by ordering through the Sheetz app. Offer is valid at all Sheetz locations and includes curbside pickup.

Starbucks — Starbucks Rewards members can order a handcrafted beverage (grande or larger) through the order-ahead-and-pay option in the Starbucks app and get a free drink reward loaded to their accounts to use on the next visit.

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley at 724-836-5750, smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .