A Cup of Joe

Recently I bought a capsule coffee machine.  I also bought some capsules (pods) with Tim Horton’s coffee inside.  Tim Horton’s is the most popular café in Canada.  Today I shared the Canadian flavor with co-workers.

Actually, I learned a new Korean expression, 커혈.  It is a portmanteau of coffee (커피) + blood transfusion (수혈).  So, the phrase basically means that you have coffee in your veins.  “______ in your veins” is a way to describe something that is an important quality of the person.  Since it is part of your blood, it is a part of you.
Example:  He had fear in his veins.
Example:  She has soccer in her veins.

 Today’s expression, a cup of joe, means a cup of coffee.
Example:  Would you like to join me for a cup of joe?
Example:  It is a snowy day.  Let’s just stay inside with a nice cup of joe. 

The etymology of this phrase is not well known, but I’ll present you with four possible origins.
Origin #1:  The name Joe is a common name and is often used for a generalized man.  The phrase “average joe” just means a normal person.  Since coffee is a common person’s drink, it was given the name Joe.
Origin #2:  There is a theory that the phrase comes from Josephus (Joe) Daniels.  There was a ban on alcohol, so “Joe” would bring them some coffee instead of alcohol.
Origin #3:  Some linguists believe that joe comes from jamoke.  Jamoke was a portmanteau of Java (where a lot of coffee comes from) and mocha.  Over time jamoke was shortened to joe.
Origin #4:  American soldiers were given instant coffee from the George Washington Coffee Refining Company.  As a short form, they would call it a cup of George.  Over time this was corrupted to a cup of joe.

I like the story behind Joe Daniels.  But which origin do you like?  Which one is the most likely?

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