We begin our list of all of the presidents of the United States of America, and a tidbit or two of their quirky or interesting relationships to coffee. This is part 1 of a 5 part series.
1) George Washington: he was a coffee importer according to some of his ledgers, bringing in as much as 200lbs of coffee at a time from overseas. Washington was also asking for what was considered the world’s best coffee beans just weeks before he died.
2) John Adams: It was unpatriotic to drink tea during the revolutionary years, and he stated that tea should be renounced universally, and to set an example he instead had coffee every afternoon.
3) Thomas Jefferson: Jefferson had a special silver urn specially made for his coffee, and imported and stored up to 60lbs of coffee at a time in his cellar.
4) James Madison: During the War of 1812, Madison’s most trusted subordinate was named General Coffee.
5) James Monroe: Louisiana and other French controlled territories in North America was a huge point of contention during Monroe’s presidency, and coffee and sugar were primary exports from those North American territories and slave uprisings dealing with these commodities helped tip Napoleon towards not wanting to hold those territories anymore.
6) John Quincy Adams:the Exchange Coffee House was one of the most social hubs of the early US, and John Quincy Adams had even joined celebrations there.
7) Andrew Jackson: he was once quoted as saying “Doctor, I can do anything you think proper, except give up coffee and tobacco.”
8) Martin Van Buren: the county he was born in was at the time named Coffee County.
9) William Henry Harrison: he was a distant cousin to JA Folger, who founded the Folger Coffee Company.
10) John Tyler: a severely critical letter of him, written by a friend, was called the “Coffee House Letter.”
Want some more? Keep an eye out for our 2nd addition, where he lay out the peculiarities between presidents #11-20 next.
Resources:
http://www.stateoftheunionhistory.com/2016/10/1813-james-madison-battle-of.html
http://www.projectknow.com/a-complete-guide-to-the-us-presidents-and-their-drug-and-alcohol-use/
https://www.theroasterie.com/blog/caffeinated-america-coffee-and-the-us-presidents/
https://driftaway.coffee/presidential-primary-candidates-coffee/
http://grundycountyhistory.org/Pryor/Phipps.pdf
https://famouskin.com/famous-kin-menu.php?name=4745+william+henry+harrison&kin=8483+j+a+folger
