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AdSlocumsJoe d

An ad for Slocum Joe, showing a typical serving of coffee.

Coffee is a dark, bitter drink typically prepared from roasted coffee beans. It contains a substantial amount of caffeine, giving it a stimulating, invigorating property.

Background[]

Pre-War[]

TheSicilianEspressoMachine-VaultTecWorkshop

An espresso machine.

Coffee was a staple drink of American culture before the Great War, typically brewed in coffee brewers, percolator coffee pots or sold to go at one of the many coffee shops. Its invigorating effect was crucial to productivity in wartime, and even late into the Sino-American War it was commonly available without restrictions.[1][2] The skill of brewing good coffee was also very welcome in competitive environments.[3][4] It could even act as a tool of destruction, as boiling coffee disagreed with tapes commonly used as storage medium.[5]

Numerous coffee shops and cafes operated across the nation, including Amelia Espresso, A Cuppa Joe and others. These sold coffee not just as a full-sized beverage, but also as espresso, produced at high pressure using The Sicilian brand espresso machines. Many were staples of local communities[6] or favorite spots for celebrities.[7]

Slocum's Joe capitalized on coffee's popularity, and franchises selling their trademark donut-and-joe were a common sight on the East Coast, although their coffee was considered by some to be overpriced ($28 per cup), stale, and too acidic.[8] Regardless, Slocum's business model was a success, and even deliberately rundown shops could be extremely popular with Americans craving their caffeine fix.[9] The company even experimented with donuts filled with hot coffee, but the product failed before reaching the market due to a 90% risk of causing third degree burns.[10] Nuka-Cola Corporation also attempted to produce a coffee-flavored variant of its flagship beverage, including experimental versions replacing caffeine with dextromethamphetamine.[11]

VTU coffee cup

A branded coffee cup.

Coffee paraphernalia were also common gifts. Vault-Tec University gave branded coffee cups to visiting students, to encourage them to apply.[12]

Post-War[]

Heard folks had all the coffee they could drink before the war. Lucky bastards. Well, not lucky...what with the bombs, and everything.Rucker

Coffee achieved an enduring popularity that survived the Great War. Survivors retained their fondness for the bean, and freshly brewed pots were instrumental in many recovery efforts, as well as a prized item for scavengers.[13] However, time and the increase in ambient radiation resulted in a noticeably different flavor in coffee.[14]

Coffee was also available to denizens of Vault-Tec Vaults, both regular and decaffeinated.[15]

In the 22nd and 23rd centuries, coffee remained known, but increasingly difficult to obtain.[16][17][18][19] Substitutes using locally available ingredients (such as roasted coyote tobacco chew and honey mesquite pods) were common, as the morning coffee remained a common ritual.[20] Brewing good coffee was still an art, particularly in the NCR, providing coffee in large quantities to its workers.[21]

Examples[]

Black coffee[]

Coffee Mug
Gameplay article: Honest Hearts

A boiled coffee blend, made from roasted Coyote tobacco chew and Honey mesquite pods. It restores 5 hit points and increases Intelligence by 2, but reduces Agility by 1.

Canned coffee[]

FO76 Canned coffee
Gameplay article: Fallout 76

A metal can filled with ready-to-heat instant coffee, which can be brewed quickly with hot water or milk.

References[]

  1. Garrahan Mining Headquarters terminal entries; project manager's terminal, GMC02032077-HF
  2. Clara Song: "Hey, it's the coffee stand! This is where all we hardworking researchers catch a break, get some caffeine, and vent about our long, unpaid overtime hours. But sometimes you just have to buckle down and work, work, work! Growing up sure sounds fun, doesn't it?"
    (Clara Song's dialogue) Note: These lines are spoken at the coffee stand inside the RobCo Research Center as a part of the automated tour.
  3. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminal entries; research terminal, The Curious Ms. Jackson
  4. Hornwright Industrial Headquarters terminal entries; research terminal, AMS Hire
  5. Server maintenance
  6. The coffee
  7. Dean Domino: "The cafe survived? How about that. Had great coffee - and one of the waitresses? Rhonda? Piece. Of. Work."
    (Dean Domino's dialogue) Note: This line is spoken when Dean has been brought to the ruined cafe for the first time.
  8. Slocum woes
  9. The Switchboard terminal entries; signals intelligence terminal, Slocum's Joe Weekly Update
  10. Notice to Slocum's Joe
  11. Kanawha Nuka-Cola plant terminal entries; Nuka-Cola: Product Research, Walrus
  12. Enthusiastic collector: "I lost a VTU Coffee Cup. Students got those when they toured VTU to inspire them to apply. Imagine thinking you'd grow up to work for Vault-Tec. Ha!"
    (Enthusiastic collector's dialogue)
  13. Morgantown terminal entries; Responders HQ terminal, Day 1
  14. Gunther Jenkins: "Mornin's like this make me long for real coffee, not that eradiated crap."
    (Gunther Jenkins' dialogue)[verification needed]
  15. Vault 51 terminal entries; ZAX terminal, Emotional Response Experiment 23
  16. Bob the pre-owned cars salesman: "{127}{}{I'm on my coffee break, come back later.}"
    (Bob the pre-owned car salesman's dialogue)
  17. Fallout and Fallout 2 scenery description: "{30500}{}{Table}
    {30501}{}{This looks like an old coffee table, low to the ground for those really short mutants.}
    {30600}{}{Table}
    {30601}{}{This looks like an old coffee table, low to the ground for those really short mutants.}"
    (PRO SCEN.MSG (Fallout), PRO SCEN.MSG (Fallout 2))
  18. The Chosen One: "{245}{}{You know, there are decaf brands that taste just as good as the real thing.}"
    (Renesco's dialogue)[clarification needed]
  19. The Chosen One: "{419}{}{You know, there are decaffeinated brands that taste just as good as the real thing.}"
    (Joanne Lynette's dialogue)[clarification needed]
  20. Craig Boone: "Caesar's dead. Bet he didn't see this coming when he was having his coffee this morning."
    (Craig Boone's dialogue)
  21. Quarry worker: "Jas screwed up the coffee again. Wouldn't drink it if I were you."
    (Quarry worker's dialogue)
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