Peet's Sells 25-Cent Coffee for Its 60th Anniversary

Peet's marked National Coffee Day by charging its original 1966 price of just 25 cents for medium coffees, as chains nationwide rolled out freebies and firsts.

National Coffee Day landed on Tuesday, September 29, and coffee chains across the country marked it with giveaways and throwback pricing. The standout for coffee devotees: Peet's Coffee turned the clock back to 1966, offering medium drip coffees at its original price of just 25 cents at participating coffee bars nationwide — a nod to the company's 60th anniversary year. Starbucks, meanwhile, used the day to launch an entirely new drink, the Aerocano, an iced espresso beverage it describes as a modern take on the Iced Americano, made from Starbucks Blonde Espresso air-whipped into a light foam.

In a year when coffee prices have been a sore subject for drinkers, a quarter for a medium drip reads like a reversal. Peet's framed the 25-cent coffee as a birthday celebration for its 60th anniversary, and USA Today reported the chain also paired the in-store deal with 25 percent off online orders at peets.com. Mashable, covering the same promotion, noted Peetnik Rewards members could pay $0.25 for a medium coffee and buy a Cold Brew Pass for $30 through September 30, good for one free medium cold brew every day for 30 days from purchase.

Starbucks treated the holiday as a launch day rather than a giveaway day. USA Today says the Aerocano is a 'smooth Starbucks Blonde Espresso air-whipped to create a light foam and cascading visual effect.' Three new Mini Pies also arrived on menus September 29: an Apple Crumble Mini Pie with a buttery streusel topping, a Pecan Mini Pie with toasted nutty notes, and a Pumpkin Mini Pie with gentle fall spices. Brit + Co reported the same lineup, calling the pies 'comforting fall' companions to the new drinks.

Dunkin' Rewards members could claim a free medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase through the app, while Tim Hortons went further with a free coffee of any size, no purchase necessary, activated in its app — details corroborated by both USA Today and Mashable. 7-Eleven loyalty members could grab a $1.49 large coffee plus $1 mini doughnuts, per Brit + Co. Krispy Kreme combined its new Original Glazed Coffee Flavored Doughnut with a free small or medium hot or iced coffee with any purchase and $5 dozens when buying a dozen at regular price.

The deal blitz arrived amid record-setting consumption numbers. USA Today, citing the National Coffee Association's 2026 National Coffee Data Trends Fall Report conducted by Dig Insights, reported that 66 percent of American adults had coffee in the past day — more than any other beverage, including tap or bottled water. Specialty coffee set a new record with 48 percent of adults drinking it in the past day, and 47 percent had an espresso-based drink in the past week, while out-of-home consumption among coffee drinkers hit 38 percent, the highest since January 2020, according to the report.

Several offers outlast the holiday itself. Panera told Brit + Co its Pour on the Perks MyPanera+ Sip Club deal runs through December 31, letting new and lapsed members subscribe for $5 a month for five months, and it offered 50 percent off barista beverages for National Coffee Day. Dairy Queen's small DQ Coffee Cooler stays at $3 at participating U.S. locations through November 1, per USA Today, and Ziggi's Rewards members can keep claiming a free small Daily Brew, Cold Brew, or Iced Coffee with another purchase through October 5, according to USA Today and Mashable.