The NYC Coffee Tradition Worth Traveling For

If you've ever wondered how New York maintains its reputation as "The City That Never Sleeps," the answer might be simple: a lot of caffeine. New Yorkers consume a lot of coffee, as evidenced by the abundance of locations to pick up a cup on just about every corner. Those cups might even be an iconic piece of New York City history. Perhaps you've seen the blue-and-white paper vessel thanks to a TV show or movie set in the Big Apple, and wondered where it came from, and how it came to be so pervasive in the city's imagery.

In the early 20th century, New York saw a major wave of Greek immigrants. In their effort to establish themselves in their new country, many opened coffee businesses. It wasn't until the 1960s though, when Leslie Buck, the marketing director for Sherri Cup Company, saw an opportunity to offer these vendors a vessel befitting of their immigrant story. Today, coffee nerds may seek out the best mug shape for coffee, but the Anthora cup — a name derived from a Greek word for container — was designed to reflect not only the business owners' heritage, but also the spirit of hospitality with the phrase, "We are happy to serve you."

For an American culture that was always on the go, the convenient take-away cup quickly became a ubiquitous symbol for busy New Yorkers who couldn't be without their caffeine. In the mid-90s, the Sherri Cup Company was selling around 500 million cups. By the early 2000s, it was recognized as a true piece of history and honored as such when the Museum of Modern Art started producing and selling a ceramic iteration.

In the years that followed, the proliferation of Starbucks and other coffee brands looking to assert themselves through proprietary containers cut into the sales of small shops serving Anthora cups. Ownership of the design has since changed hands a few times as sales declined, but today, multiple styles are still commercially available for caffeine seekers who still like their fix with a side of history. 

If you're one of them, next time you're trying to decide what to eat with 24 hours in NYC, make sure you include a stop at a bodega or deli, where you can usually still find these iconic cups. There are lots of additions that can give your coffee a flavor boost, but few connect you to American history the way drinking from an Anthora cup in NYC can.