Hot, reheated or on the go? Jacobs community data reveals how women really take their coffee
25 August 2026 – As Women’s Month draws to a close, a Jacobs community poll reveals that coffee rituals are personal, practical and sometimes involve reheating the same cup more than once. There’s the coffee you make with every intention of sitting down to enjoy and then there’s the coffee that follows you around for the next three hours. You take a few sips while getting ready, put it down to answer a message, forget about it, find it again, reheat it and carry on. Sound familiar? For women who responded to a series of Jacobs social media polls, it certainly does. In fact, 77% said they reheat their coffee every day, while another 15% said they do so most days. It is perhaps the most relatable finding from the poll series, which explored how women in the Jacobs community actually drink their coffee. It points to something interesting: while coffee might be part of the daily routine, there is no single way to enjoy it.
The morning coffee starts early
For 43% of respondents, the first coffee of the day happens between 6am and 8am, while another 18% are already reaching for theirs before 6am. For many, that first cup is not necessarily a rushed affair. Fourteen of the 24 women who responded to another poll said they prefer to sit and relax with their coffee, while five said they drink theirs on the go and another five have theirs in the car. So even on a busy morning, there is still something to be said for sitting down with a cup and taking a moment.
Coffee isn’t just about waking up
The poll also suggests that the role of coffee extends beyond simply getting through the morning. Almost half of respondents, 47%, said they drink coffee to recharge. By comparison, 20% said they drink it to wake up, while 13% said coffee gives them an opportunity to take a break. Then the coffee moment tends to happen early. Three quarters of respondents said they have their coffee before work, while the remaining respondents chose during work. It makes sense. Coffee can be the first pause before the day properly begins, a quick reset before heading out, or simply something familiar to look forward to.
Then there’s the cup that gets forgotten
The reality of coffee rituals, however, isn’t always picture perfect. Sometimes the coffee goes cold. Sometimes it gets forgotten. Sometimes, as the Jacobs poll suggests, it gets reheated, again. But perhaps that’s what makes these everyday habits so interesting. Coffee doesn’t necessarily need perfect conditions to become part of someone’s routine. It adapts to the day around it.
“What these responses show us is just how personal coffee can be,” says Domaine Rautenbach, Senior Brand Manager at Jacobs South Africa. “Some women make time to sit down and enjoy their coffee, while others fit it around everything else happening in their day. Even the number of women who reheat their coffee tells us something about how coffee fits into their routines. They come back to it when they have a moment.”
That variety is reflected in the way people choose their coffee too. A quick cup before work might call for something different from a slower morning at home, while a mid-afternoon recharge can be a completely different occasion again. From instant coffee to cappuccinos, lattes and beans, there is no shortage of ways to make the cup fit the moment. And perhaps that’s the real takeaway from the Jacobs poll. There isn’t one right way to take your coffee. It can be enjoyed sitting down and savoured, grabbed on the way out, drunk in the car, used as a morning wake-up call or simply reheated when life gets in the way.
Because sometimes the coffee ritual isn’t about finding the perfect moment, it’s about making a moment for the coffee.
About Jacobs Coffee
Founded in 1895, Jacobs is a brand with a rich heritage of providing premium, aromatic coffee that enriches everyday moments. With more than 125 years of mastery in the making, Jacobs is committed to delivering quality coffee that everyone can appreciate, a commitment consistently recognised by international taste awards.
