Coffee and political action have always been intertwined.  At one point King Charles II tried to shut down coffee shops believing that the citizens complaining about his governing were spurred on by coffee consumption.  

On December 29, 1675, King Charles II issued A Proclamation for the Suppression of Coffee Houses.  In it he banned coffeehouses as of January 10, 1676, since they had become “the great resort of Idle and disaffected persons”  where tradesmen neglected their affairs.  The worst offense, however, was that such houses “divers false malitious and scandalous reports are devised and spread abroad to the Defamation of his Majestie’s Government, and to the Disturbance of the Peace and Quiet of the Realm.”

An immediate howl went up from every part of London.  WIthin a week, it appeared the monarchy might once again be overthrown–and all over coffee.  On Jan. 8, two days before the proclamation was due to take effect, the kind backed down.  

Excerpted from Mark Pendergrast’s Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed the World

Coffee and Politics cannot be torn apart!  This weekend coffee shops all over the US are donating proceeds to the ACLU.  See the list of coffee shops in New York City below to see if your caffeine fix might help fix the country this weekend.  

New York City Coffee Shops Donating a Percentage of Your Coffee Cost to the ACLU this Weekend!

Baked, New York, NY (2 locations)

Bakeri, Brooklyn, NY (2 locations)

Birch Coffee, New York, NY (7 locations)

Black Fox Coffee, New York, NY

Brooklyn Roasting Company, New York, NY (8 locations)

Cafe Grumpy, New York, NY (8 locations)

Dot & Line, Brooklyn, NY

Elk Cafe, Brooklyn, NY

Espresso 77, Jackson Heights, NY

Everyman Espresso, New York, NY (2 locations in Manhattan)

 

Gimme! Coffee, New York, NY (7 locations)

Gotham Coffee Roasters, New York, NY (2 locations)

Grade Coffee, Brooklyn, NY

Irving Farm, New York, NY (8 locations)

Joe Coffee, New York, NY (15 locations in Manhattan and Philadelphia)

Kettle & Thread, Brooklyn, NY

Kos Kaffee, Brooklyn, NY

Lark Cafe, Brooklyn, NY

Lunitas Cafe, Brooklyn, NY

 

Northerly Coffee, New York, NY

Oren’s Daily Roast, New York, NY (8 locations)

Plowshares Coffee, New York, NY

PLG Coffee House and Tavern, Brookyln, NY

Prodigy Coffee, New York, NY

Pudge Knuckles Cafe, Brooklyn, NY

Red Eye Coffee, New York, NY

Rubyzaar Baked, Brooklyn, NY

Southside Coffee, Brookyln, NY

Spreadhouse Coffee, New York, NY

Stand Coffee, New York, NY (2 locations)

Stinky BRKLN, Brooklyn, NY

Supercrown Coffee Roasters, Brooklyn, NY

 

The Chipped Cup, New York, NY

The Pantry, Cold Spring, NY

 

Third Rail Coffee, New York, NY

Toby’s Estate Coffee, Brooklyn, NY (5 locations across New York City)

Variety Coffee Roasters, Brooklyn, NY (3 locations)

Outside NYC? See the full map here.