Slang Words For Coffee (And How To Use Them)

Written by Gabriel Cruz - Foodie, Animal Lover, Slang & Language Enthusiast

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Coffee was described by ancient civilizations as the nectar of the gods, and rightfully so. The exotic taste, alluring aroma, and the electrifying boost that comes from it is simply amazing and out-of-this-world. Over the years, we have come to use different words refer to it, showing how universally important it has become.

Reading through this article, you will discover the slang words associated with coffee. Maybe reading this might even energize you like coffee. Enjoy!

Slang Words for Coffee (In Alphabetical Order)

B

Balanced

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) It describes coffee with its various aspects, such as acidity, viscosity, sweetness, bitterness, are at a point where they complement each other well and do not overwhelm each other. 
  • Example: A masterful barista is capable of creating the perfectly balanced coffee that takes you to heaven.

Bean Juice

Meaning:

  • (Noun) It denotes the fact that coffee is similar to regular fruit juice, just involving coffee beans and water. It substitutes the word coffee.
  • Example: Cheap bean juice might not be for everyone but it’s all I can afford to energize me in the morning.

Black Eye

Meaning:

  • (Noun) An extremely dark and strong coffee usually made using two shots of espresso.
  • Example: I had a paper due the next day so I had to power through the night with black eye.  

Blend

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Refers to a mixture of coffee and other ingredients.
  • Example: My blend is simply superior in terms of taste and aroma.

Body

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Body is a slang word used to describe the feel of the coffee in the mouth, usually a combination of smoothness, temperature, and creaminess. 
  • Example: A coffee having a full body brings about a particular texture and experience in the mouth that I enjoy as an avid fan of drinker.

Brain Juice

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Coffee is usually used by students and employees to power the brain, especially during long hours of work. Hence, it is sometimes called “brain juice.”
  • Example: John is making the brain juice now. We are going to need about a liter each to cram for the exam.

Brew

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Brew is used sometimes to refer to the drink itself. Also used with beer and tea. 
  • Example: Jackson’s brew uses fine imported beans and an expensive machine. He can start his own shop if he wants to.

C

Cold Brew

Meaning:

  • (Noun) It is a slang term for iced or cold coffee. It can also be used for cold beers. 
  • Example: Most people drink their coffee hot, but in this summer heat, I can only take a cold brew.

Cup of Joe/ Cup o’ Joe

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Coffee is often denoted as the working man’s or average Joe’s drink, hence the slang "cup of joe."
  • Example: I can't start my day without a cup of joe.

Cuppa

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Originally from Britain, short for “cup of.” It became “cuppa” and is used to refer to coffee and tea.
  • Example: Fancy a cuppa? I just made one myself this morning. It’s still hot.

D

Dirt

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Another slang word for coffee. Often used in coffee that is bad and has coffee grounds mixed in, usually from bad filtering. 
  • Example: My coffee filter got really weak and wet so it got ruined. I had to drink dirt because of that.

Dirty Bean Water

Meaning:

  • (Noun) A quirky and bashing slang word for coffee, as it is technically water that “ran through” and “cleaned” the coffee beans.
  • Example: I am addicted to dirty bean water every morning. I couldn't work well if not for it.

F

Finish

Meaning:

  • (Noun) It describes the aftertaste of coffee after it has been sipped, one of the criteria looked into by connoisseurs. 
  • Example: I am not an expert so I could only describe this brew's finish as bitter and earthy.

Fix

Meaning:

  • (Noun) A dose of coffee. A fix is often described as the dose or cup of coffee an avid enjoyer of coffee needs to function properly.
  • Example: I am very cranky in the morning until I get my fix.

G

Go Juice

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Similar to brain juice. Coffee makes the body “go” and be active by pumping it with caffeine, hence the slang.
  • Example: The company has to have enough budget for go juice because we have to work very long hours.

H

High Octane

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Commonly used in cars with high horsepower, it describes coffee with high levels of caffeine for the sake of energizing the body. 
  • Example: I had to pull an all-nighter so no decaf for me; high octane, please.

J

Java

Meaning:

  • (Noun) the slang word “java” came from the island of Java in Asia, where coffee was harvested during the colonization period. Because of that, java is also used to refer to the drink.
  • Example: I like the aroma of freshly ground Java.

Java Lava

Meaning:

  • (Noun) A play on word java. Java Lava is used to describe hot, almost burning, coffee, since lava is obviously very hot. 
  • Example: I used to drink java lava all the time until I got my tongue burned so bad, I couldn’t taste anything for a week.

Jitter Juice

Meaning:

  • (Noun) A substitute term for coffee, originating from the fact that having too much coffee can make you twitch and feel nervous.
  • Example: Too much jitter juice can literally cause a heart attack, or so my mom says.

Joe

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Shortened version of “Cup of Joe”.
  • Example: Joe in the morning is a must to start the day

L

Leaded

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) Used to describe fuel (leaded gas). Leaded coffee means strongly caffeinated coffee.  
  • Example: I feel like a car speeding on the freeway after drinking some leaded coffee.

Liquid Energy

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Coffee is also known as liquid energy in reference to its caffeine content and its energizing properties.
  • Example: Drinking all that liquid energy last night just to binge on that Korean drama is so not worth it; now I feel sick.

Liquid Gold

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Often used to refer to expensive, high-grade coffee.
  • Example: Call me uncultured; but this liquid gold tastes just like any other coffee for me.

M

Mood Mover

Meaning:

  • (Noun) It is a slang substitute for coffee, obviously referring to how it can alter one's mood (in a positive way, hopefully).
  • Example: Sheila didn’t have her mood mover today so get out of her way.

Morning Jolt

Meaning:

  • (Noun) It is what people who drink coffee in the morning daily call coffee.
  • Example: My morning jolt is part of my daily routine. I honestly can't do without it.

Mud

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Similar to dirt. It describes coffee that is has gone stale, tastes terrible, or has big coffee grounds mixed in. 
  • Example: I can't believe I was tricked into paying 3 bucks for this mud.

P

Pull

Meaning:

  • (Verb) It means extracting coffee essence from highly compacted grounded coffee beans using pressurized warm water. Nowadays, it refers to making coffee or espresso in any manner.  
  • Example: My dad has this espresso machine that pulls coffee almost instantly.

Q

Quaker

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Bad beans or defective beans that result in bad coffee when brewed. 
  • Example: Quaker mixed with good coffee beans is often terrible and ruins the batch.

R

Rocket Fuel 

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Similar to brain juice or cupped lightning. It simply refers to coffee that has high sugar and caffeine content that results in a sugar rush. 
  • Example: I drank too much rocket fuel last night and I didn't sleep at all.. 

U

Unleaded

Meaning:

  • (Adjective) Decaffeinated coffee. Opposite of leaded.
  • Example: I can only handle unleaded coffee because the real thing gives me palpitations.

W

Wakey Juice

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Used as a substitute word for coffee, referring to the coffee's ability to keep someone awake.
  • Example: Henry was going to bed but he remembered he had a paper due. He almost drowned on wakey juice just to get it done.

Worm Dirt

Meaning:

  • (Noun) Strong but bad-tasting coffee. Similar to mud or dirt, but with a blacker color and more viscous thickness. 
  • Example: Everyone in the family old enough to drink coffee doesn’t like worm dirt. 

Wrap Up

Coffee is one of the most drunk beverages in the world, second only to tea. As it is pretty universal, it's not wonder then that there are so many creative slang words and phrases that have been used to refer to it. I hope you learned a word or two from this article and get to use it with your friends the next time you go out for a cup of joe.

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