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Why Is Coffee Called a Cup of Joe? The Evidence Behind the Stories

Explore the evidence behind “cup of joe,” including early print clues, the 1914 Navy ban and why the exact origin remains uncertain.

By Ali Can DoralarPublished February 8, 2026Updated October 26, 20263 min read

Quick Answer

A cup of joe means a cup of coffee. The nickname's exact origin is uncertain; a shortening of older coffee words such as java or jamoke is plausible. A 1911 cartoon links Old Black Joe with coffee, while the full phrase a cup of Joe appears in a reported 1928 newspaper poem.

A plain mug of black coffee beside a drip coffee maker, beans and grounds.

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1911: Old Black Joe and Black Coffee

A February 27, 1911 Tacoma Times cartoon connected the song title Old Black Joe with coffee without cream. Language researcher Gerald Cohen reported the finding by Barry Popik in 2004, identifying the cartoon on page 4.

This is an early coffee association with the song title. The complete phrase a cup of joe appears in the later example below.

“Cup of Joe” Was in Print by 1928

The full phrase was in print by October 31, 1928. Ben Zimmer's research post identifies a poem in the Riverside Daily Press, page 6, column 3, attributed to a Marine writing about Nicaragua. It uses a cup of Joe in an ordinary morning routine.

Both examples follow the researchers' published transcriptions and newspaper identifications. They show the language in use, rather than identify who coined it.

Java, Jamoke and a Good Story

Java, the Indonesian island, gave its name to coffee. Jamoke and jamocha combine Java with Mocha, the coffee-trading port in Yemen. David Wilton's account includes an 1899 newspaper example of jamoca meaning a cup of coffee. Mocha in this word history refers to the port, not a chocolate-flavored drink.

Merriam-Webster dates the coffee sense of joe to 1911 and tentatively connects it to java. Michael Quinion also favors the older-slang connection and notes a 1931 naval glossary grouping jamoke, java and joe. These related words make a shortening plausible, but the exact transition to joe is not established.

The dictionary treats Joe meaning an ordinary man as a separate sense, from the familiar form of Joseph. That makes the idea of coffee as an ordinary person's drink appealing, but does not establish the nickname's origin.

What Josephus Daniels Actually Ordered

The popular Navy story credits Josephus Daniels, the Navy secretary who banned alcohol in 1914. His General Order No. 99 was dated June 1 and took effect on July 1. It prohibited alcoholic drinks aboard Navy vessels and at Navy yards and stations. The order does not name coffee as a replacement or explain its nickname.

The enlisted sailors' spirit ration had already ended in 1862, while the officers' wine mess continued until 1914, as the DocsTeach account accompanying an 1843 petition explains.

Does a Cup of Joe Have to Be Black?

No. A cup of joe can include milk or sugar. The phrase means coffee without prescribing a roast, brewing method or recipe. The black-coffee reference belongs to the particular 1911 joke. When ordering, specify any milk, sugar or preparation you want.

A personal note: I like how “a cup of joe” takes the ceremony out of coffee. It leaves room for an ordinary mug and an ordinary morning, without a performance of expertise. That is also why I want to be careful with its history: a phrase can feel familiar long before I know where it came from. I find the older coffee words more interesting than a neat naming scene. They suggest people passing language around, changing it a little, and leaving us something whose usefulness outlasted the explanation.