National Coffee Day freebies and deals: Where to get your caffeine shot today, from Dunkin’ to Peet’s

Many employees know the power of caffeinated coffee (or as the late Dolly Parton so poetically called it, “a cup of ambition”) to get them through a long workday. Since today (Tuesday, September 29, 2026) is National Coffee Day, it’s the perfect excuse to get yourself an extra cup of joe because of all the great deals going on. Before that, you can even learn a thing or two about this magical brew. A brief history of coffee It is believed that the coffee plant is native to the Keffa region of Ethiopia. A popularly accepted origin story or legend attributes its discovery to a goat herder named Kaldi around AD 850. He noticed his flock was energized and happy after eating berries off a bush. He sampled them and felt the same good vibes. Eventually, the plant and its powerful properties traveled to Yemen, where it was cultivated. The exact details of this cultivation are not known, but around the fifteenth century, Sufi monks helped brew some of the first batches. The drink became an important beverage throughout the Middle East. Long before Starbucks, establishments known as qahveh khaneh paved the way for the modern coffeehouse. The Ottoman Empire’s expansion further spread coffee …