Canadian nationalism is growing in response to Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs and other actions, such as his proposal for a takeover of Canada. Even though the Gulf of Mexico isn’t yet internationally recognised as the Gulf of America or Canada isn’t yet the 51st state in the US, a number of coffee shops in Canada have already changed the name of the well-known coffee brand “Americano” to “Canadiano.”
Cafes and coffee shops play a major role in the contemporary urban lifestyle. In his groundbreaking book The Great Good Place, American sociologist Ramon Oldenburg defined “home” as the “first place” and “work,” whether at a college or an office, as the “second place.” The term “third place” refers to “a great variety of public places that host the regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work.” But the current Canadian episode is undoubtedly about more than just the social lifestyle; it’s about cafes playing a role in political and cultural revolution.
During the French Revolution, Paris cafes were a source of “Mad Agitation” and a perfect place for Republican agitation and organisation, thanks to their social egalitarianism. “From a crowd of minor clerks and lawyers, from unknown writers, starving scribblers, who go about rabble-rousing in clubs and cafés. These are the hotbeds that have forged the weapons with which the masses are armed today,” claimed a royalist of the day. The call to arms for the storming of the Bastille was really held at the Café de Foy in Paris.
American patriotism
Coffee represented American patriotism in the Revolutionary Era and the Civil War. Historian Harry Schenawolf wrote “Coffeehouses Brewed Patriot Passion in the American Revolution” for The Revolutionary War Journal.
Men from all walks of life came together to talk about the news of the day while enjoying a coffee at the coffee bar. They read papers and pamphlets aloud and shared ideas, which frequently sparked action. According to John Adams, “the debates and deliberations in Congress are impenetrable secrets; but the chat of the coffeehouse, are free and open…”
Daniel Webster dubbed Boston’s Green Dragon Tavern the “Headquarters of the Revolution” because it served as the venue for numerous Sons of Liberty meetings both before and during the Revolutionary War. Patriots seeking to overthrow George III were known to congregate at Merchant’s Coffee House in New York. Merchants gathered there in the 1780s to restructure the New York Chamber of Commerce and establish the Bank of New York.
The effect of coffee also extended to the Civil War, as described in a 2014 New York Times article titled “How Coffee Fuelled the Civil War” by Jon Grinspan.
By making a bold political statement while sipping an Americano — sorry, Canadiano — across Canada, coffee is once again taking the lead. The National Post called it a “quiet rebellion” against Trump in Canada. It reportedly began with British Columbia-based coffee company Kicking Horse Coffee, which on February 6, 2025, posted: “For 16 years, the Kicking Horse Café has been quietly calling Americanos ‘Canadianos.’ Today, we’re officially making it a thing and asking coffee shops across the country to make the switch. Join us. Call them Canadianos.” Following suit, other coffee shops in Canada began joining the uprising.
The Americano may be undergoing a cultural rebranding in Canada, but it’s worth noting that food renaming for political reasons has a long history. Sauerkraut was dubbed “Liberty Cabbage” in the US during World War I in an effort to disassociate it from its German origins. And in 2003, some American eateries protested France’s opposition to the Iraq War by renaming French fries “Freedom Fries.”
Canada is now changing the course of events. Canadian coffee shops are transforming a common menu item into a subdued representation of national pride by rebranding it. In fact, Americano was named for American soldiers in Italy during World War II. As a result, it’s fascinating to see that an already rebranded coffee is getting rebranded once more.
The Canadiano is a modest message rather than an aggressive one. But it still has significant resonance today. Indeed, over a cup of coffee, a lot may happen, including a quiet revolution.
The writer is Professor of Statistics, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
