While coffee has been enjoyed worldwide for hundreds and hundreds of years, the concept of the coffee break is a fairly recent development. In the United States, the idea of taking a break for coffee did not begin until early in the 20th century.

During the 19th century, the American workplaces were dreary, monotonous and draining, with workdays typically lasting 10-12 hours with only a short break for lunch. As the 20th century dawned, however, the concept of social reform began to gain popularity and laws were enacted to make the workplace more employee-friendly. Companies began to install lunch or break rooms, where employees could get away from their job for short periods of time. It soon became common for employees to have a short break in the morning and again in the afternoon.

While taking short breaks was widely in practice by 1910, they were probably not actually known as coffee breaks. The first reported reference to a coffee break is credited to the Pan-American Coffee Bureau which ran an ad campaign in 1952 urging consumers to “Give yourself a Coffee-Break — and Get What Coffee Gives to You.”

Today, the coffee break is firmly integrated into our culture and our workday. Many companies today even provide free coffee to employees, and the concept of taking a coffee break is definitely here to stay.

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