Suspended Coffee Day Date in the current year: December 10, 2024

The tradition of caffè sospeso (suspended coffee or pending coffee) is said to have begun in the working-class cafés of Naples around 100 years ago. Someone who had experienced good luck and wanted to make a less fortunate person’s day a little better would pay for two coffees but drink only one. And someone who didn’t have enough money for coffee that day would inquire whether there was a caffè sospeso available and would then be served a free coffee.

The tradition almost went obsolete after World War II due to the post-war economic boom in Italy. Its revival began around 2008 in response to the Great Recession and the ensuing European debt crisis. Luciano De Crescenzo’s journalism collection entitled “Il caffe sospeso. Saggezza quotidiana in piccoli sorsi” (“Suspended Coffee. Everyday Wisdom in Small Sips”) helped the concept of suspended coffee spread outside of Italy. There were reports of suspended coffee being offered by cafés in Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Romania, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, the United States, and other countries.

The first Suspended Coffee Day (Giornata del Caffè Sospeso) was held in Naples on December 10, 2011; its date was chosen to coincide with Human Rights Day. The event was organized and promoted by the Suspended Coffee Network (Rete del Caffè Sospeso), a group of Italian art festivals and cultural associations that came together in 2010 in response to cultural budget cuts to promote social solidarity.

The main goal of Suspended Coffee Day is to make our world a better place, little by little, one small act of kindness at a time. The easiest way to support it is to pay for a suspended coffee at a coffee shop that supports the caffè sospeso trend, but it is not the only small gesture that can brighten someone’s day. Let us offer you a few ideas of small acts of kindness to perform on Suspended Coffee Day.

For example, you can pay the toll for the car behind you, give someone your seat on a crowded bus, buy a warm meal for someone who needs it, buy groceries for your elderly neighbors or offer to walk their dog, donate some canned food to your local food bank, volunteer at a soup kitchen or nursing home, give your barista an extra large tip, bring treats to your office, donate to a charity of your choice, give spontaneous small gifts to your loved ones, etc.

Suspended Coffee Day also aims to combat the social stigma that surrounds asking for help. A lot of people who really need suspended coffee are the ones who are hesitant to enter cafés because of their shabby clothes. They are afraid that they would be seen as a nuisance by the patrons and turned down by the staff. This is why it is important for coffee shops offering suspended coffee to make it clear that they have caffè sospeso available and that anyone is welcome to claim it, regardless of how they look.