Sept. 29: National Coffee Day 2012—Can I Get a Free Cup of Joe?

Are you a coffee fan? If so, tomorrow—Sept. 29, 2012—is your lucky day. It's National Coffee Day and the unofficial holiday has some local coffee peddlers offering free cups of joe.

Like last year, local brew-masters at McDonalds say they're offering free small coffees—pretty standard around the country, they say—and Twin Cities-based Caribou will be serving free small cups of Amy's blend coffee to customers who present official Amy's blend coupons. The coupon will be posted on Caribou's social platforms, the company said in a press release.

All day Saturday, buy one pound of Dunn Brothers' fresh roasted coffee beans and get the second pound at half price, according to the coffee retailer.

And while there aren't any outlets locally, 7-Eleven, Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts are giving away free or discounted coffee, too.

Starbucks isn't offering any promotions. Sad.

But in typical Lakeville Patch fashion, as you hunt down your free cup o’ joe, here are five things we discovered about coffee that every bean aficionado should know.

1. Is “I need a cup of coffee to start my day” part of your daily vocabulary? You’re not alone. Three out of five Americans think that about their first morning cup, according to a coffee consumption survey commissioned by 7-Eleven.

2. Your career could dictate whether you’re more likely chug coffee during the day, according to a Dunkin’ Donuts/Career Builder survey. The top 10 professions likely to “need coffee to get through the workday the most” are:

• Scientist/Lab Technician
• Marketing/Public Relations Professional
• Educator/Administrator
• Editor/Writer
• Healthcare Administrator
• Physician
• Food Preparer
• Professor
• Social Worker
• Financial Professional

3. Thank a goat for your caffeine jolt. If you believe the Ethiopian legend of Kaldi, the goat herder, that is. As recounted by the National Coffee Association, humans first discovered the magic of coffee thanks to Kaldi’s goats: “It is said that he discovered coffee after noticing that his goats, upon eating berries from a certain tree, became so spirited that they did not want to sleep at night.” Anyone who has a cup after 6 p.m. at night can probably relate to the goats.

4. Pouring coffee in your mug and going about your day seems simple, but there are 10 steps to creating that moment, according to the National Coffee Association. They are: planting, harvesting the cherries, processing the cherries, drying the beans, milling the beans, exporting the beans, tasting the coffee, roasting coffee, grinding coffee and finally, brewing coffee. If you’re rusty on any of these steps, the National Coffee Association explains it all.

5. Ladies, feeling down? Coffee can chase away depression blues, according to a new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Women who consumed two to three cups a day of caffeinated coffee were 15 percent less likely to develop depression compared to women who drank a cup or less daily. Researchers didn’t find the same link with decaffeinated coffee.

Don’t let National Coffee Day go by without a free cup. We know 7-Eleven is offering free medium hot coffees 7 to 11 a.m. and Krispy Kreme will give away 12-ounce cups of its house blend coffee all day. Dunkin' Donuts issued coupons for 50-cent medium hot and iced coffees all day long.