Where to Get Free Java on National Coffee Day 2012

If the first words out of your mouth every morning are, “I’ll have a large coffee”—or if you can’t even speak until after you’ve had your java fix—there's a national holiday created especially for you.

The U.S. will put staunch tea drinkers to shame on National Coffee Day, Sept. 29, when coffee fiends can rejoice and celebrate their beloved coffee bean with free brew from national chains.

Coffee was first brought to America in the mid-1600s in a shipment en route to “New Amsterdam,” now known as New York, according to the National Coffee Association. We have that shipment and the Boston Tea Party to thank for turning the nation into coffee drinkers.  

Many local cafes and businesses are participating in the nationwide celebration. National coffee chains will also give out free cups of coffee throughout this week.  

McDonald's restaurants along the East Coast—including the one at 3111 Route 46 in Parsippany—celebrates all week long, giving away free 12-ounce coffees every day this week through Saturday. No purchase is necessary, and coffee will be available in the drive-thru or in the restaurants.

Convenience chain 7-Eleven celebrates a day early with CofFREE Day, which means a free large coffee for anyone who stops by a participating 7-Eleven store between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Friday. Take your pick: Parsippany has three participating 7-Eleven locations.

• Lake Hiawatha: 31 N Beverwyck Road
• Mount Tabor/Morris Plains: 959 Tabor Road
• Parsippany: 25 Route 46 (at New Road)

What’s your favorite blend, and where do you get it? Or do you know of another business offering free java on or near National Coffee Day? Tell us in the comments.