Baristas are rebranding the Americano to ‘Canadiano’ in protest of Trump tariffs

Canadian baristas are rebranding a popular coffee drink—say your goodbyes to the Americano and embrace the Canadiano.

Barista Magazine credits British Columbia’s Kicking Horse Coffee with kicking off the new trend.

“For 16 years, our Kicking Horse Café has been quietly calling Americanos ‘Canadianos,’” they wrote on Instagram in early February. “Today, we’re officially making it a thing and asking coffee shops across the country to make the switch. Join us. Call them Canadianos.”

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A post shared by Kicking Horse Coffee (@kickinghorsecoffee)

Why are baristas renaming Americanos Canadianos?

The trend has started to catch on as the relationship between the United States and Canada has shifted. President Donald Trump placed a 25% tariff on products imported from Canada and Mexico, which many feared would spark a trade war between the countries.

Cafés across Canada have started renaming their drinks as a small but visible display of protest against Trump’s tariffs and his recent comments about the country.

Канадці перейменували Americano на Canadiano на знак протесту проти мит Трампа pic.twitter.com/VGpVSeorAr

— Ihor Lachenkov (@igorlachenkov) March 3, 2025

Who wants a Canadiano? ☕️
byu/Citaszion inBuyCanadian

Beyond the Canadiano

Canadian baristas aren’t the only ones making a statement by selling the drink under another name. Following the disastrous meeting between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of February, a coffee shop owner in the United Kingdom made a change of her own.

“If you were as incensed and annoyed by that ridiculous display of bullying in the Oval [Office] the other day, I’m making a stand,” Helen Gregory said via the Facebook page for The Seahorse Coffee Box. “So no more Americano. From today, we’re going to be calling it a Ukraino.”

Noting that she believes “all you lovely American people” will understand, Gregory also encouraged other coffee shops in Seaton Carew to make a similar change.

“It’s a protest against the American Government. It’s not only about Ukraine but that’s the last straw,” she told TeessideLive. “I know it’s not going to make a difference but at least in my little corner I’m making a stand… I’m frightened of what is coming and I think a lot of people are.”

Where did ‘Americano’ originate?

It’s generally believed that the Americano was born during World War II. U.S. soldiers in Italy reportedly took to diluting the local espresso, hoping to make it more reminiscent of American coffee. As a result, local shops started selling watered-down versions of espresso shots specifically marketed towards U.S. soldiers—and they called the drink a caffé Americano.

In other words, the name “Americano” is already more or less making fun of Americans who couldn’t handle regular espresso. Because of this, some people who might otherwise agree with the sentiment are a little iffy on the execution.

Still, these small acts of protest against the U.S. government certainly are not going unnoticed. Whether they will amount to anything is a question for a later time, but the message is getting out there.

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