NEW YORK, USA – 45% of American adults had specialty coffee in the past day, up 80% since 2011 and surpassing past-day traditional coffee consumption (44%) for the first time, according to the National Coffee Association (NCA)’s consumer insight report on specialty coffee trends released today (Wednesday).
Specialty coffee’s growth plays a key role in coffee’s overall record popularity, with NCA’s full Spring 2024 National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) report having shown that 67% of American adults drank coffee in the past day—a two-decade high.
Drawing on a nationally representative survey conducted by Dig Insights and released in partnership with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), the report further reveals that 66% of 25–39-year-olds drank specialty coffee in the past week, more than any other age group.
The report also found that specialty coffee drinkers drink more coffee on average than traditional coffee drinkers at 2.8 cups per day, compared to 1.8.
NCA President and CEO Bill Murray commented:
“Coffee’s enduring popularity and growth shows that America’s favorite beverage keeps up with consumers’ taste for tradition just as well as it meets changing needs and preferences over time.
Consumers’ interest in specialty coffee also coincides with a growing interest in health and wellness, another area where coffee delivers unique benefits as demonstrated by decades of independent scientific evidence showing that coffee drinkers live longer, healthier, happier lives.”
Peter Giuliano, SCA Chief Research Officer, remarked:
“Every specialty coffee business can benefit from having good quality market research, and the NCDT is among the very best sources for consumer sentiment in coffee. We’re proud to help bring this information to the specialty coffee community.”
Additional key findings on specialty coffee consumption include:
- Specialty coffee is more popular with younger coffee drinkers, those aged 25–39 drank more in the past week than any other age group (66%).
- The Northeast has the highest past-week specialty coffee consumption (61%) in the United States.
- Within the specialty category, espresso-based-beverages are up 4% and non-espresso-based beverages are up 7% since last year.
- Ready-to-drink is now the third most popular preparation method among past-day specialty coffee drinkers—up by more than 83% since 2023.
Specialty coffee is defined as including any espresso-based beverage (lattes, cappuccinos etc.); non-espresso-based beverages like frozen blend, cold brew, nitro; and traditional coffee that consumers perceive to be brewed from premium coffee beans/grounds.
