Forget About Joe - Why Soldiers In WWI Called Coffee A 'Cup Of George' - Tasting Table

"Originally, instant coffee was invented as a tool for making hot coffee possible for soldiers on the battlefield - portable, shelf-stable, and requiring only water to prepare. Coffee is famously known by the moniker "cup of Joe," but for soldiers on the front lines of the Great War, it was first called a "cup of George.""

"In 1853, U.S. food scientists developed a cake-form instant coffee product, which was released to Civil War soldiers on both the North and South sides of the fight. During this war (and seemingly every conflict thereafter), coffee became an important tool for morale and camaraderie. According to a New York Times article by Jon Grinspan, a curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Union soldiers were issued a whopping 36 pounds of coffee beans as part of their annual rations. "Men ground the beans themselves (some carbines even had built-in grinders) and brewed it in little pots called muckets," writes Grinspan. "They spent much of their downtime discussing the quality of that morning's brew," as recorded in diaries from the time. The advent of powdered instant coffee would have increased accessibility exponentially."

"Fast forward to 1901. After decades of research and development, Dr. Satori Kato, a Japanese chemist based in Chicago, successfully manufactured instant coffee in a soluble powder form."

Instant coffee originated as a battlefield convenience: portable, shelf-stable, and prepared with only water. In 1853 U.S. food scientists created a cake-form instant coffee that was issued to Civil War soldiers on both sides. Union soldiers received large annual rations of beans, ground them in the field, brewed in small pots called muckets, and often judged the morning's brew. Powdered instant coffee later increased accessibility for both military and civilian use. By 1901 Dr. Satori Kato of Chicago produced a soluble powder instant coffee and presented it publicly, and the George Washington Coffee Refining Co. dominated the early 1900s market.

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