National Coffee Day: Celebrating Community & Collaboration
Updated September 29, 2017
September 29th is National Coffee Day (see where to get free coffee and specials inChicago).
Dunkin Donuts will be selling medium coffees for 66 cents to celebrate its 66 year anniversary.
Eataly's Caffè Lavazza will be handing out free coffee with any pastry purchase.
La Colombe may win the most unique offering today with its Origin Sweepstakes: The winner and a friend travel with La Colombe's CEO and sourcing team to coffee farms in Haiti. Coffee culture involves a sense of community, supporting sustainable and fair trade products, collaborating with local businesses and causes, and facilitating interaction. Whether or not you celebrate on the 29th, here are some ways to experience community and collaboration with great coffee.
Support Local Artists.
Coffee Shops tend to attract their fair share of artists. Your local hangout may host open mic poetry, stand up, musical performances, or even burlesque. Chicago's Cup and Spoon started as a pop-up shop at farmer's markets, and through their engagement with their local community, successfully funded a brick and mortar location via IndieGogo. This may be the only spot where you can find both locally created pop art and locally baked pop tarts.
Photo: DiscoverSD
Save a Cat from Purrkatory.
San Diego's Cat Cafe has partnered with local rescue organizations to host adoptable cats in its cafe-playpen. Visitors enjoy local coffee from Cafe Virtuoso and espresso from West Coast Roasters. You've gato visit them!
Compost It.
What do you and your garden have in common? A healthy love for coffee, and in particular, Nitro. Austin's Ground to Ground Compost Coalition works with local coffee shops and other organizations to collect used coffee grounds and distribute them to individuals and businesses who can use them to give their gardens the nitrogen they crave.
Bathe with It.
Fisherman's Soap, a collaboration between Roots Soap Company and Coava Coffee can be used to mask your human scent before fishing, remove fish scent after fishing, or for general coffee-aroma cleanliness.
Try a Seasonal Brew.
Freaktoberfest is a seasonal collaboration between Brooklyn's Cafe Grumpy (yes, the one featured on HBO's Girls) and Coney Island Brewing Company. Similar to a pumpkin spice latte, you can expect a rush of espresso, caramel, and pumpkin flavors with hints of allspice and cinnamon. Not so similar to a pumpkin spice latte - it's beer.
Eat It.
Photo: Salt & Straw
Salt & Straw's Stumptown Coffee Burnside Bourbon Ice Cream is a trifecta of Portland's delicious well crafted treats: Stumptown Sumatra, HolyKakow Chocolate, and Eastside Distillery's Burnside Bourbon. Take it up a notch by having a scoop affogato style! In fact, if you're in San Francisco you can visit the SoMa Affogato Bar, a collaboration between Salt & Straw and Sightglass Coffee.
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