Some things a stepdad learns not to take personally.
A teenager answering a carefully considered question with, “I dunno.”
Finding an empty milk carton in the refrigerator.
And being expected to solve a family crisis before he’s had his first cup of coffee.
Fortunately, coffee lovers have two reasons to raise their mugs next week. National Coffee Day arrives in the United States on September 29, followed two days later by International Coffee Day on October 1.
This year, that international celebration has gained new significance. In March 2026, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated October 1 as International Coffee Day. The date had already been celebrated internationally since members of the International Coffee Organization agreed on it in 2014. (United Nations)
Our friends at WalletHub recently gave us a closer look at America’s coffee obsession with their 2026 Best Coffee Cities in America report. They compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 12 measures of coffee culture, ranging from coffee shops and cafés per capita to coffee prices and the percentage of residents with coffee makers at home.
They supplied the American coffee facts. We’re adding a few international ones -and, of course, the stepdad perspective and a little Friday humor.
So grab your mug. Preferably the one nobody else in the house is allowed to use.
☕ Fun Fact #1: Orlando Is America’s Top Coffee City
You might expect Seattle to wear America’s coffee crown. After all, Seattle and coffee seem to go together like stepdads and thermostats.
Apparently, Orlando would like a word.
WalletHub ranked Orlando, Florida, No. 1 among its 2026 Best Coffee Cities in America, followed by Portland, Miami, Long Beach and Seattle.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo also noted Orlando has the highest number of coffee and tea shops offering free Wi-Fi per capita.
That means Orlando has Disney World, sunshine, and plenty of caffeine.
Frankly, if you’ve ever spent an entire day walking through a theme park with children, the caffeine makes perfect sense.
☕ Fun Fact #2: Some Households Take Their Coffee VERY Seriously
According to WalletHub, households in Fremont, California, have the highest average annual coffee spending among the cities measured. Their spending is 3.7 times higher than households in Detroit, which ranked lowest on that measure.
Of course, every family has its own definition of a reasonable coffee budget.
Dad: “Do we really need to spend this much on coffee?”
Also Dad at 6:15 the next morning: “Nobody speak to me until this cup is empty.”
Suddenly, the budget seems perfectly reasonable.
☕ Fun Fact #3: New Orleans Knows How to Keep Coffee Affordable
Coffee prices aren’t the same everywhere.
WalletHub found that New Orleans had the lowest average price for a pack of coffee, while Boise, Idaho, had the highest. The difference between the two was about 1.2 times.
New Orleans already gave us jazz, gumbo, and beignets.
Affordable coffee seems like showing off.
☕ Fun Fact #4: Gilbert, Arizona, Loves the Single-Cup Brewer
If your kitchen counter contains one of those machines that magically turns a little pod into morning survival juice, you’re certainly not alone.
WalletHub found that Gilbert, Arizona, had the highest percentage of households owning a single-cup or pod-brewing coffee maker. Its share was 1.6 times higher than Newark, New Jersey, which had the lowest.
There is, however, one universal rule governing these machines:
The person who uses the last coffee pod is responsible for replacing the coffee pods.
Unfortunately, teenagers apparently haven’t been informed of this rule.
☕ Fun Fact #5: Portland Isn’t Playing Around
Portland finished second overall in WalletHub’s ranking, but it claimed an impressive coffee distinction of its own.
The city had the most coffee and tea manufacturers relative to its population – 26 times as many as Fresno, California, which had the fewest.
Twenty-six times.
At that point, coffee isn’t a beverage.
It’s municipal infrastructure.
America’s Top 10 Coffee Cities
For those keeping score – or planning a suspiciously caffeine-centered family vacation – WalletHub’s 2026 Top 10 are:
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Orlando, Florida
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Portland, Oregon
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Miami, Florida
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Long Beach, California
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Seattle, Washington
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Tampa, Florida
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San Francisco, California
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Oakland, California
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Austin, Texas
Here’s another interesting fact: Florida placed three cities in the Top 10 – Orlando, Miami, and Tampa.
Apparently, Floridians don’t rely exclusively on sunshine to wake them up.
☕ Fun Fact #6: Americans Aren’t the World’s Biggest Coffee Drinkers
For our Support for Stepdads readers outside the United States, this is where things get interesting.
Coffee may be deeply embedded in American culture, but when you measure consumption per person, several Northern European countries really know how to empty a coffee pot.
International Coffee Organization data for 2024 compiled by ANYSTAT puts Finland at 12 kilograms (26.5 pounds) of coffee per person annually, followed by Norway at 9.9 kilograms (21.8 pounds) and Iceland at 9 kilograms (19.8 pounds). Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden also appear near the top. (ANYSTAT)
Apparently, when your winters are long, dark, and cold, coffee stops being a beverage and starts looking like a survival strategy.
☕ Fun Fact #7: Coffee Culture Speaks Many Languages
Coffee may be universal, but how we drink it certainly isn’t.
Food & Wine’s 2026 Global Tastemakers survey asked more than 400 culinary professionals about the world’s great coffee destinations. The resulting international cities included Copenhagen, Hanoi, Melbourne, Istanbul, Milan, London, Cape Town, Tokyo, Vienna, and Seoul. (Food & Wine)
Each brings something different to the coffee table.
Hanoi is known for Vietnamese coffee traditions, including its famous egg coffee. Melbourne has built an international reputation around its café and barista culture. Istanbul carries centuries of Turkish coffee tradition, while Milan remains closely associated with espresso. Copenhagen has become known for lighter Nordic roasts. (Food & Wine)
A separate 2026 Time Out survey provides another indication of Melbourne’s coffee obsession: 79% of Melbourne respondents said cafés and coffee shops are something their city does particularly well, the highest percentage among the cities surveyed. (Time Out Worldwide)
So whether you’re ordering an espresso in Milan, a flat white in Melbourne, egg coffee in Hanoi, or a regular cup of coffee in Omaha, we may be united by one universal truth:
Morning comes entirely too early.
☕ Fun Fact #8: International Coffee Day Really Is International
International Coffee Day isn’t simply a catchy name.
The International Coffee Organization says the October 1 celebration brings together its 77 member states and coffee associations worldwide. The organization established the common international observance so coffee lovers could celebrate the beverage while also recognizing the millions of farmers whose livelihoods depend upon it. (ICO)
The United Nations’ recognition in 2026 takes that global observance a step further. The UN describes coffee as economically, socially, and culturally important to producing, exporting, importing, processing, and consuming countries alike. (United Nations)
In other words, that cup sitting beside you has probably had a much more interesting journey than you did this morning.
☕Fun Fact #9: Why Do We Call Coffee a “Cup of Joe”?
We’ve been calling coffee a “cup of Joe” for generations, but here’s something you can ponder while waiting for the coffee maker to finish:
Nobody knows exactly why.
One popular story credits Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson. After Daniels restricted alcohol aboard U.S. Navy ships in 1914, legend says sailors turned to coffee and sarcastically began calling it a “cup of Josephus,” eventually shortened to “cup of Joe.”
It’s a great story. Unfortunately, historians haven’t found much evidence to support it.
Another explanation is much simpler. “Joe” once referred to the ordinary fellow – the “average Joe” – and coffee was the ordinary person’s everyday drink. There’s also a theory that “Joe” evolved from “jamoke,” an old nickname for coffee associated with Java and Mocha.
So the true origin remains a little murky.
Which seems appropriate.
Most of us aren’t interested in conducting historical research before our first cup anyway.
☕ Why Do We Love Coffee So Much?
Maybe the answer has less to do with caffeine than we think.
In the expert commentary accompanying WalletHub’s study, Professor Emeritus Arthur W. Blaser points out that coffee is also social. The simple invitation to “meet for coffee” carries very little pressure. Coffee shops have become places to talk, work, meet friends, and simply spend time together.
That part seems particularly appropriate for Support for Stepdads.
Sometimes connecting with your stepchild doesn’t require a carefully planned heart-to-heart conversation.
Maybe it’s hot chocolate for them and coffee for you. Maybe it’s a Saturday morning trip to the neighborhood coffee shop. Or maybe you simply sit across the table from each other and talk about absolutely nothing important.
Those little moments have a way of becoming important later.
☕One Last Coffee Thought
Being a stepdad and drinking coffee have something in common.
You occasionally wonder what you’ve gotten yourself into.
Some days are stronger than others.
And adding a little patience usually improves the experience.
So, whether you celebrate National Coffee Day on September 29, International Coffee Day on October 1, or simply Monday morning, pour yourself a cup and enjoy it.
You’ve earned it.
And if someone drank the last cup without starting another pot?
Well…
That’s a topic for another Friday. ☕
Sources: WalletHub, 2026’s Best Coffee Cities in America; United Nations, International Coffee Day; International Coffee Organization; Food & Wine 2026 Global Tastemakers; and International Coffee Organization consumption data compiled by ANYSTAT. WalletHub’s report supplied the U.S. city rankings and statistics used throughout this article.
