How Much Coffee Did Theodore Roosevelt Drink per Day?

Key Takeaways

• It’s estimated that Roosevelt drank a gallon or more of coffee per day
• The family doctor prescribed strong black coffee as a cure for asthma
• T.R.’s eldest son likened his father’s coffee cup to a “bathtub!”

Coffee: A Wonder Drug?

Theodore Roosevelt suffered from severe asthma as a child. Since there were no medications to relieve the wheezing and shortness of breath at the time, physicians prescribed all manner of “cures.” The Roosevelt family doctor advised that 6-year-old Theodore should drink large cups of strong, black coffee several times a day, among other “prescriptions.” After enduring such a regimen as a boy, one might think he’d never want to lift a cup o’ Joe to his lips again. Quite the opposite happened, after all his father, a noted businessman, philanthropist, and member of New York’s high society, was a voracious coffee drinker.

A Gallon a Day Keeps the Doctor Away?

Though it’s debatable what effect Roosevelt’s coffee consumption had on his asthma, it seems young T.R. must have developed a taste for the aromatic brew because as an adult, he drank massive volumes of coffee, some say a gallon or more a day, sweetened with as many as seven lumps of sugar. His eldest son, Theodore Jr., once remarked, that his father’s custom-made coffee cup was, “more in the nature of a bathtub.”

Coffee Is Life

To say Theodore Roosevelt was obsessed with coffee is an understatement. It was a vital part of his daily routine. Known for his big personality and sharp wit, T.R. said, "Without my morning coffee, I'm just like a dried-up piece of goat."

It’s a funny statement infused with a double-shot of truth.

Whether he was at his desk in the White House or bear hunting in Colorado, T.R. was never without his coffee.

T.R.’s Coffee Legacy

Theodore Roosevelt died in his sleep on Jan. 6, 1919. In November of that same year, his sons Kermit, Ted, and Archie, daughter Ethel and husband Richard, along with T.R.’s cousin Philip, and later, T.R.’s nephew Monroe Douglas Robinson carried on the 26th U.S. President’s coffee-loving legacy by opening the first of a four-chain coffeehouse franchise in New York City.

In direct contrast to the frenzied New York routine of grabbing a cup of coffee and rushing about, the group’s goal was to introduce the leisurely enjoyment of high-quality coffee, a lifestyle that Kermit witnessed while accompanying his father on business trips to Brazil. They wanted to encourage diverse groups of people to come together in community and conversation as they sipped. They succeeded. The theater district location was a popular social spot for artists, actors, musicians and journalists. The then little-known fiction writer of strange horror and fantasy stories, H.P. Lovecraft frequented the Roosevelt’s Double R Coffee House with his cronies and even wrote an ode to the place.

So, the next time you order your triple-shot, extra-sweet, non-fat, caramel-mocha macchiato with extra 2 percent foam, a sprinkle of cinnamon and dash of nutmeg, raise your steaming cup in a toast to Theodore Roosevelt.