Do Amish Drink Coffee?

Maybe you heard that the Amish don’t drink coffee? It’s not true! The Amish and coffee go together like peanut butter and jelly. Amish people enjoy a cup of coffee in a wide number of situations, including at breakfast, with dessert, at the after-church fellowship meal, at community gatherings and other occasions. Read on for more on the Amish and coffee.

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Do Amish drink caffeine?
Do Amish drink tea?
Amish Coffee
When do Amish drink coffee?
Amish Coffee Soup
Other Amish drinks

Do Amish drink caffeine?

Despite what you might have heard (or read), the Old Order Amish have no religious restrictions against caffeine. Those who claim they aren’t allowed to drink caffeine, are probably getting the Amish confused with another distinct religious group, such as the Church of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon Church).

Hand holding coffee cup on back porch summer backdrop — Me enjoying coffee on an Amish friend’s back porch. *Die Botschaft* is an Amish-run newspaper

The Amish consume caffeine not only in the form of coffee, but in other drinks as well (more below). For that matter, Amish generally don’t have any religious dietary restrictions, unlike some other groups (for example, the Amish readily eat pork).

Do Amish drink tea?

Amish do drink ice tea or hot tea, though it’s not as popular as coffee. Amish also drink “meadow tea”, an herbal tea including mint which is sweetened with sugar or honey. This tea is drunk cold. Amish may drink various herbal and other teas as home remedies. Tea is generally not as popular as coffee is with the Amish, though.

Amish Coffee

When you say “Amish coffee” or “Amish-style coffee”, you mean coffee one way – black. Amish tend to favor black coffee above other kinds. They enjoy a strong brew. And when you consider how active the average Amish person is with all their various tasks – waking before dawn, working on a farm, construction crew, in a factory or small business, watching children, cooking, managing a home – they can often use the extra “kick” a strong cup of coffee can provide.

Black coffee in a white mug — Amish tend to drink their coffee black

Amish may drink instant coffee, or grind their own. They use a hand-grinder to grind-down the beans. Even small Amish children drink coffee, or at least get a small taste from their parents’ mugs.

Though they tend to favor coffee without dairy products, this doesn’t mean that Amish don’t take cream with their coffee, or that they don’t order fancier coffees like a cappuccino or latte, say when they’re out and about. It’s just to say that black coffee without milk or creamer is the most traditional Amish way of serving coffee.

When do Amish drink coffee?

This is the type served at the fellowship meal after Amish church service. You’ll see it served in large thermoses at Amish gatherings, such as youth singings or weddings. And of course, the typical Amish breakfast will include coffee. It’s not uncommon to keep a pot on the stove in an Amish home, ready to be warmed up.

Wooden box with coffee and water cups for an Amish church service — This box contains supplies for coffee and water served at the Amish church meal. Each district has something like this shared by the church

The Amish will also drink coffee with traditional Amish desserts, with pies such as shoofly pie (in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in particular), with ice cream, cookies, cakes, and other treats.

Amish Coffee Soup

Amish coffee soup is a simple dish which is just like it sounds – a soup made from coffee! The ingredients of Amish coffee soup are simple staples found in every kitchen:

Coffee
Cream
Sugar
Bread

The instructions for preparation of coffee soup couldn’t be simpler. You simply pour a cup of fresh brewed coffee into a bowl, add cream and sugar, and break up pieces of bread to add to the mix. Coffee soup is by no means a fancy dish, but shows some creativity in making a dish out of meager ingredients.

And there are certainly variations on coffee soup. Some use crackers in place of bread or you can use half-and-half instead of full cream. You might add other ingredients as well. Check out this resource for more on Amish coffee soup.

Coffee mug advertising Amish logging business — Amish businesses often produce their own coffee mugs, as a form of advertising

Other Amish drinks

Amish of course drink a variety of other beverages besides coffee. Here are a few noteworthy ones:

Meadow Tea

As mentioned above, this is a sweetened, refreshing herbal tea with a minty taste. If you’d like to make it yourself, here is an Amish meadow tea recipe.

Raw Milk

Amish farmer families will get their milk directly from the milk house each morning. A child will usually do this as a morning chore. They’ll run out to the holding tank and fill up a pitcher or two so there is milk for the morning meal. Some Amish farms are organic, while others are not.

Water

Plain old water is probably the most common drink served at Amish family meals. Some Amish may be on city water depending where they live, but many get their water from wells.

Soda

Amish do drink soft drinks such as Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, and other carbonated beverages.

Alcohol

Some Amish do drink alcohol. This may be in more traditional forms, such as homemade wines like dandelion wine or beet wine (often for health purposes). Other Amish will drink store-bought alcohols, such as liquors like whiskey and vodka, or beer.

Alcohol use among the Amish will vary. Some Amish are completely against alcohol use. In other Amish communities, alcohol use is a problem – both among youth and even some adults. Alcohol consumption can vary across Amish groups.

The Amish & Coffee

So in conclusion, the Amish as a whole are big fans of coffee. They have it as a staple drink at their mealtimes and other gatherings, such as after church. This doesn’t mean that every Amish person loves coffee, of course. Amish people are individuals too. But for the most part, coffee is a favorite drink in Amish communities.