STiR coffee and tea magazine

22 STiR coffee and tea | 2026 Quarter 2 Summer (Jun/July/Aug) A By Bhavi Patel NCDT Report: America's Coffee Culture Deepens merica runs on coffee, and the numbers have never made that clearer. The National Coffee Association's Spring 2026 National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) report confirms that 66% of American adults drank coffee in the past day, outpacing bottled water (64%), tea (47%), soda (46%), and juice (26%). The average coffee drinker consumed 2.8 cups daily. What this edition of NCDT reveals, however, is not merely that Americans love coffee. It is how deeply, consistently, and creatively that love has evolved. The Northeast Leads Regional Consumption, but All Regions Hold Strong Regional disparities in coffee consumption have long been a feature of NCDT, and the spring 2026 report reveals nothing new, though the scale of the Northeast's lead is striking. Three-quarters of adults in the region drank coffee in the past day, the highest of any US region. In an interview with STiR Coffee and Tea, a spokesperson from NCA placed this in a broader context: "The Northeast does typically have the highest concentration of past- day coffee consumption, and our Spring 2026 NCDT report found that this is still the case, with 75% of Americans in that region having a coffee in the past day, up from 61% in fall 2025," explained the representative. "Past-day coffee consumption by Americans in other regions has also remained stable, with 68% of those in the West having a coffee in the past day, 66% in the South, and 57% in the Midwest," they continued. That regional stability is itself a story. Coffee consumption across the US is not concentrated in one corner of the country; it is a genuine national habit, with even the lowest-ranking Midwest region surpassing the majority threshold. Hot Coffee Dominates Winter, but Cold Coffee Refuses to Yield One of the more nuanced findings in the Spring 2026 NCDT report concerns tem- perature trends. Conducted in January, the survey captured consumer behavior in the heart of winter, and the data reflects it. Seventy-eight percent of yesterday's cups were served hot, a significant seasonal lift. "Warm coffee consumption naturally tends to rise in the colder winter months, and cold coffee consumption typically rises in the summer," the spokesperson explained. "Research for our latest NCDT report was conducted last winter, and we found that 78% of yesterday's cups were served hot. That is up 13% since summer 2025. Cold coffee consumption also remains popu- lar in winter months, with 17% of yester- day's cups served cold or iced and 5% of yesterday's cups served frozen blended; this is consistent with cold coffee con- sumption in previous winters." The persistence of cold coffee through the winter months reflects a structural shift in American consumption habits. Cold brew, iced lattes, and frozen blends are no longer just warm-weather indulgences. They have become year- round preferences for a meaningful share of the population. Specialty Coffee Surges, Driven by Younger Drinkers Perhaps the most commercially signifi- cant finding in the Spring 2026 NCDT report is the continued rise of specialty coffee. Fifty-eight percent of Americans had a specialty coffee in the past week, up from 56% in 2025. Among espresso- based beverages, latte leads at 21%, fol- lowed by espresso (20%), cappuccino (17%), caffè mocha (12%), americano (10%), macchiato (9%), and flat white (5%). Cold brew tops the non-espresso specialty category at 18%, with frozen blends at 15% and nitro coffee at 6%. Coffee continues to be America's favorite beverage, and NCA has the data to prove it. Drip coffee makers remain the most popular at-home brewing method; however, single-serve machines are on the rise. Chart credit: NCA NCDT Spring 2026 Report Coffee at Home and On the Go Past-day coffee drinkers aged 18+ 85% drank coffee at home—the highest amount since 2012 Top 3 Brewing Methods Owned at home: 36% drank coffee out-of-home The Most Popular Out-Of-Home Consumption Locations: 60% Drip coffee maker 35% Instant coffee 47% Single-cup machine 14% Workplace 10% Eating place 13% In transit

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