Trend Watch: The Coffee+EDC Knife Meme

A Caffeinated Take On An Old Question

“What knife are you carrying today?”

It’s a question familiar to knife enthusiasts for ages, and it recently took a step forward in the age of social media, especially on Twitter.

“What knife are you carrying today? And how do you take your coffee?”

As part of an online trend, or meme, knife enthusiasts are answering both with photos of their everyday carry (EDC) knives alongside a cup of morning coffee. While knife+beverage photos themselves aren’t new, this caffeinated version appears to have creeped onto the scene around March 2013. Here’s an early example from Instagram, posted on April 29, 2013:

In 2018, Twitter accounts like @CoffeeNKnives, helped popularize the meme further. Early 2019 saw the meme gain new life as a way for knife enthusiasts to say “hello” in the morning.

Here are a few examples:

There are video versions as well:

It’s not limited to just Twitter. Instagram, where a lot of the knife community spends time, is no stranger to this meme: 

And if there is to be a meme, it must, at some point, eat itself. Hats off to this gem:

Why Is This Meme So Popular?

Internet memes are notoriously challenging to pin down, but there are a few factors that may contribute to this one’s popularity.

First, the timing is perfect. Preparing and drinking coffee coincides with getting ready for the day. Selecting an EDC for the day is also part of that routine. The pairing isn’t as random as it may seem. Coffee and knives are the perfect match.

Second, it gives knife enthusiasts a reason to engage with one another online. It’s not that the average knife nut is anti-social; it’s usually the opposite. But once a person becomes comfortable inside of a certain knife community, branching out isn’t always a top priority. These coffee+knife photos are a quick and easy way to connect with someone new.

Finally, many memes are successful because they plug into an existing piece of culture. This is a fresh spin on the age-old question of, “What knife are you carrying today?” The online crowd is already primed.

That’s not to discount the appeal of a knife photo itself. This community enjoys looking at pictures of knives online. It could be as simple as that.

How To Post A Photo

Want to post your own photo? There are only three simple rules:

• The photo must contain a knife
• The photo must also contain coffee
• Use one or both of the hashtags #knivesandcoffee and/or #coffeeandknives
• Bonus: tag BLADE magazine in your post

It’s All In Good Fun

BLADE hopes this isn’t a meme that dies down any time soon. Keep posting those photos! What knife are you carrying today? And how do you take your coffee? Let us know.

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