What’s In A Name - Why Do We Call Coffee Java?
When you crawl out of bed in the morning and eventually make your way into the kitchen, it’s likely the first thing on your to-do list involves making a wonderfully aromatic, decadently smooth cup of java.
Or, when you’re out and about, either on your way to work, enroute to meet a friend, or simply out for a leisurely shopping trip, it’s likely you have your favorite tumbler with you, housing a delicious hot or iced cup of java.
And, for those of you spending ample time sitting at your desk while working, it’s likely you have a tremendously tasty mug of java within reach at all (or most) times.
Now…in the above scenarios, I’ve yet to say the c-word, but I highly doubt any of you had any trouble understanding exactly which beverage I was referencing in each scene.
Why?
Because no matter whether you frequently use the term java or not, in today’s day and time we all know and recognize java as a nickname for coffee.
But, where did this nickname come from?
Do we call coffee java simply because we’ve heard it referenced as such in movies, songs, and sitcoms?
- Like our favorite group of friends sitting at Central Perk referencing Java Joe’s
- Like the reference to the world’s favorite brew in the 1940’s song Java Jive
Or, do we perhaps use this term as a result of a collective knowledge of the similarly named software company or programming language?
Hmmm, makes you wonder, is this term actually connected to coffee at all?
Let’s find out…
A Historical Look At Why We Call Coffee Java
Coffee has a lot of nicknames - java, joe, brew, drip, mocha, and more.
Sometimes those names reference common coffee additives, like mocha, which includes a tasty dose of chocolate in coffee or espresso.
Other names, like brew, refer to the way coffee is prepared.
Then, some names, like java, actually reference a bit of our favorite brew’s backstory, or history.
So yes, java is indeed connected to coffee.
But, why do we call coffee java?
To explain this moniker in detail, I’d like to invite you on a journey, a voyage to the island country of Indonesia during the 17th century…
During the 1600’s, trade was vitally important. In fact, without trade, our world would not be what it is today, in many regards.
In the 17th century, in particular, trade fueled economic growth.
It was also at the heart of man’s drive for exploration as well as the eventual colonization of many territories.
Trade also greatly impacted power and leadership all across the globe.
In fact, coffee may not be the beloved beverage that it is today apart from such ventures in trade more than 300 years ago.
During this time, it was actually the Dutch who are said to have influenced man’s long-lasting love of coffee.
As Dutch explorers and traders brought coffee to Southeast Asia, to places like Bali and Sumatra where coffee continues to thrive even today, they also set their sights on another island within Indonesia.
Indonesia is actually made up of many islands, and one such parcel of land proved to be exceptionally fit for growing coffee, an island by the name of Java.
If you research the word Java, you’ll find that this name is an Arabic word which literally means “island in Indonesia.”
Java (the island) was likely a prime trade destination as it was the most populated island, one which served as a “crucial stopover for merchants from various parts of the world.”
Ah, but now that we’ve seen the connection between trade, coffee, and the island of Java, an unspoken link between this beloved brew’s now-common nickname, who was it, exactly, that began using this name in a broader sense?
The definitive link between the start of Java’s coffee growing industry and the common use of this nickname for any mug of coffee is technically unknown, but most believe the Dutch were the first ones to call coffee by this term.
In the years following the introduction of coffee to the Indonesian islands, the Dutch are thought to have only used the term to refer to single origin beans grown in Java.
But, as coffee’s popularity grew, trade for this commodity increased as well, and eventually folks began referring to any and all coffee as java, removing the distinction between coffee grown on the Indonesian island of Java and coffee grown in any number of other locations across the globe.
Though coffee is generically referred to as java in many parts of the world, true single-origin java, as the Dutch originally termed it, is a brew that coffee connoisseurs still appreciate sip after decadent sip.
What sets this brew apart?
I’m glad you asked…
True Java - An Island Country Treasure
Java, the island, is said to be the “original coffee planting area.”
Located between the well-known islands of Bali and Sumatra, Java is said to have the perfect microclimate for growing coffee.
Like the South American coffees many of us are accustomed to, Java is also located near the equator.
And, when Dutch traders first brought coffee to Java, they were likely unaware of how the popularity of this brew would soon explode.
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Dutch brought the fruits of the first coffee plantings in Java back to Europe to showcase both the plant itself as well as the amazingly tantalizing product it produced.
This unfortunately led to the exploitation of this island and its production of true, Java coffee, but it also paved the way for the island of Java to eventually (by the 19th century) become the world’s largest provider of Arabica coffee beans.
Java might have still been the world leader in Arabica coffee production today if coffee leaf rust had not destroyed nearly all of these precious plants within this same time period.
Due to this setback, the Dutch introduced Robusta varieties of coffee to the region, and while most coffee lovers aren’t fans of this noticeably more bitter, earthy, and malty brew, it still remains the largest variety of coffee exported from Java today as the Arabica varieties were mostly destroyed.
What does remain of the Arabica coffee variety grown in Java is considered to be some of the best coffee in all the world!
Here at Lifeboost, we actually carry a line of rare, exceptional, “notch above” coffees.
We refer to these as our Luxe line of coffees, each of which are, as noted in the line above, rare and exceptional.
Of course, we couldn’t offer rare and exceptional coffees without including some amazingly decadent beans from Java, Indonesia.
We refer to this coffee as Java Blue, as the beans are commonly described as having a dark, slightly greenish-blue hue.
And, what makes our small family farmed batch of Java Blue so special is something Dutch traders found to be true so many years ago, leading to this bean’s nickname and fame all across the world!
Due to the coffee leaf rust plague that nearly wiped-out Arabica coffee entirely in Java, growers had to move their efforts high into the mountains, away from the coffee leaf rust resistant Robusta variety coffee plants, and into terrain which many growers do not dare to travel.
While we cannot speak to the practices of other growers, those who grow our Luxe line of Java Blue coffee can only reach their small plantations on foot, which speaks volumes regarding the type of diverse, natural, terrain where this exceptional variety of java (pun intended) is grown.
At these high elevations, as the island is almost entirely volcanic, the soil is dark and rich which produces dense, verdant, lush, green plant life providing a canopy of shade as well as the perfect level of humidity for coffee plants to thrive.
Then, once ready to harvest, Arabica coffee grown in Java receives a rare and special treatment in regards to processing the beans.
Java coffee is processed wet, which means the coffee cherries are fermented to help break down the pectin in the mucilage of the bean.
After the fermentation period, water is used to wash off the mucilage before it is dried to reduce the moisture content.
Next, the thin layer of paper-like substance known as parchment, which surrounds the inner coffee bean, is removed prior to sorting.
This meticulous process, combined with the delicate yet rich growing region, produces a coffee that is not only unbelievably smooth, but nearly velvety or creamy, while also being bright, low acid, and ranging in natural flavors from chocolatey and nutty to floral and spicy (depending on the precise growing area).
Many say wet processing, or monsooned coffee as some call it, is key to producing what Europeans likely experienced in their first sips of single origin Java coffee grown during the Dutch trading years, for when the traders brought coffee cherries back to Europe from Indonesia, the harvest likely fermented on the long journey back to their homeland.
This step in today’s processing methods is said to be vital in producing a coffee with a pure, clean taste, mellow or subtle body, and a creamy, velvet-like texture, which many describe as unparalleled in the coffee world.
While, again, we can’t speak to other Java-grown coffee, we can certainly attest that Lifeboost Java Blue Coffee from our Luxe line is indeed something truly special, rare, and undeniably exceptional!
Java - Music Coffee, Movie Coffee, Computer Coffee
As we mentioned above, the name java, in reference to coffee, likely originated with Dutch traders after their introduction of this plant to the Indonesian island of Java.
Here, once the coffee plants flourished with such ease, yielding some of the world’s best coffee, it certainly seems entirely reasonable that they’d then refer to coffee solely as java.
But some have been skeptical over the years, not believing the term java to be popular enough amongst coffee lovers to truly be classified as a name synonymous with this brew.
Shocking, right?
So, we’d like to tackle this notion, seeing how the nickname java has influenced the modern world.
We gave a few glimpses of this in the intro, but java, solely in reference to coffee, has been used in music.
Most notably, in the 1940’s the Ink Spots released Java Jive, their song about a love for the world’s best brew.
Okay, they actually reference tea as well, but if you ask me, most of this tune hinges on coffee.
If you’re unfamiliar with the song, take a look at these lyrics, and tell me they aren’t referencing coffee as java…
“I love coffee, sweet and hot,
Whoops, Mr. Moto! I’m a coffee pot…
Waiter, waiter, percolator!
I love coffee, I love tea,
I love the java jive and it loves me…”
Later, there was actually a bar named after the song, the unique building even shaped as a coffee pot.
Bob’s Java Jive was originally known as the Coffee Pot Restaurant, built in 1927 in Tacoma, Washington.
It was referred to as a place uniquely built to serve as a location where artists could come and express themselves.
After years of rebranding, the restaurant was eventually purchased by Bob Radonich and his wife, who named the coffee pot shaped building, now a dive bar, after the Ink Spots’ Java Jive hit.
Then, while coffee, java, cups of joe, brews, and so on are all now commonly referenced in movies and sitcoms, one of the most popular sitcoms references java as a coffeehouse, when Ross and Monica, on the hit, now seemingly timeless, series Friends read the notations on the back of a photo with ‘nana’ and her friends at Java Joe’s, a parallel nod to their favorite cafe Central Perk.
And lastly, one java reference that makes folks ponder which came first, the coffee or the software, is Java, not the island or the brew, but the programming language.
The logo for this company, Java, is indeed a visibly steaming hot cup of coffee, and this not only confuses some folks, prompting inquiries of whether or not the software platform is actually a cafe or coffee company, but it also begs the question - did the name java (in reference to coffee) start with this company?
Thankfully, Java has set the record straight.
The original name for this software platform and programming language, or for the company in its entirety, was planned to be Oak; however, this name could not be used due to an existing trademark.
And, as the company has confirmed, this led them to the name Java, “inspired by a type of coffee grown on the Indonesian island of Java.”
In 1991, Sun Microsystems started the Java Project, and within a year “the team had created its first device running on Java technology.”
Hmmm, kinda funny considering how many folks “run on java (coffee).”
Since this time, Java has become a programming language, a software platform, and it has been used to create applications for gaming consoles, scientific supercomputers, laptops, mobile devices, large-scale enterprise systems, and more.
Some might say this company name, its popularity and recognition, surpasses any references to coffee, but I can’t imagine many folks aren’t aware of coffee’s Indonesian island nickname.
Thankfully, coffee needs no contest.
We’ll let the programmers do what they do best, and we’ll do what we do best - sip incredibly delicious coffee, or java - now thinking of that rich, Indonesian soil, the smooth and mellow brew, and how the rest of the world must’ve felt when they tasted their very first sips of java.
I can only imagine the Dutch traders and European merchants felt as we do with each glorious sip, happily recognizing the subtle notes, the mellow mouthfeel, the smooth, yet bold flavors, the entire experience continually beckoning them (and us) to come back for more.
Happy java sipping, friends!
Check out Lifeboost Coffee Espresso.
References:
- https://driftaway.coffee/coffee-called-java/#
- https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-history/period-2/transatlantic-trade/a/transatlantic-trade#
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/041615/how-did-mercantilism-affect-colonies-great-britain.asp#
- https://thegreatcoffeeproject.com/blogs/inside-the-great-coffee-project/10-must-know-coffee-references-in-pop-culture-history?
- https://www.ccbp.in/blog/java-tutorial/history-of-java#
- https://www.ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/java#
- https://library.sweetmarias.com/coffee-producing-countries/indonesia-se-asia/java-coffee-overview/#
- https://blackinkcoffee.com/pages/java-coffee#
- https://www.lavazzausa.com/en/recipes-and-coffee-hacks/difference-type-arabica-robusta-coffee#
- https://perfectdailygrind.com/2015/10/indonesian-wet-hulled-coffee-processing/
- https://www.genuineorigin.com/java-g1-semi-washed-2024?quantity=1&custcol3=1
- https://www.southsoundmag.com/eat-drink/the-legendary-history-of-bob-s-java-jive-lives-up-to-rumor-mill/article_baf19c28-22d7-51e8-9869-e9d9926b3114.html