We’ve all had breakfast at least one point in time in our life, and of course if you’re here, you probably care deeply about coffee. At least I do. Even though I’ve never been a fan of breakfast, I can look back and remember what coffee has meant at various times in my life. Yes, coffee means something to Darrin of Darrin’s Coffee. 😉 I’ve had the best brunch in Indianapolis before at a place called A2Z Cafe in Indianapolis, they need my coffee there.  At any rate, let’s talk about what brought you here, the history of coffee and breakfast.

 hard cider for breakfast

Coffee a Morning Drink?

Mark Twain wrote in A Tramp Abroad, published 1880: “the average American’s simplest and commonest form of breakfast consists of coffee and beefsteak.” However, it’s a matter of fact that the best time to drink coffee is actually a couple of hours after you’ve been awake. Wild right? Let’s just say this, coffee is better than it’s previous alternative. We’ll talk about that later.

Before coffee came along, what did people drink with their breakfast?

Actually, coffee became the replacement to alcohol. What? Alcohol. Across all of Europe, it was common for people to consume alcoholic and fermented drinks for breakfast. The Romans ate bread soaked in wine, British soldiers in the 1890s are said to have kicked off their days with rum and tea, children in the US used to drink hard cider, and in Germany beer soup was the morning drink of choice. Figure that. Beer was the previous choice for breakfast? Reminds me of college. When we drank beer in the morning, we called it, “the Breakfast of Champions“. I mean we do have a good mimosa with our Sunday brunch, so I guess not a lot has changed.

During the Industrial Revolution, coffee kept the workforce going through the day, because they were paid low wages and worked long hours. And it was because of those long hours, they weren’t able to cook meals. Coffee was the fuel of the Industrial Revolution.


kids drink coffee for breakfast

Coffee and Breakfast a Match Made in Heaven.

Do we drink coffee because it gives us a buzz but doesn’t leave us drunk? Drink a cup of coffee (or two) and you know what it feels like when the effects kick in. You feel excited and ready to take on the world. The wonderful chemical of caffeine does give us a bit of a buzz. Albeit probably a touch safer to have in the car on the way to work than a beer or hard cider buzz, coffee gives us the buzz that we humans crave for in the morning. With a side of bacon and toast.