Specialty Coffee Consumption Hits Record High
Plus, NCA said 55% of past-week, out-of-home coffee buyers ordered their drink at a drive-thru.
Sep 17, 2026 | 2 min read
Out-of-home coffee consumption is now nearing pre-pandemic levels and specialty coffee consumption hit a new record high, according to the 2026 National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) Fall Report, conducted by Dig Insights on behalf of the National Coffee Association (NCA) in June 2026.
“Overall, coffee remains America’s favorite beverage—consumed by more adults each day than any other beverage, including tap or bottled water. The vast majority of past-day coffee drinkers (83%) have coffee at home, while out-of-home consumption among past-day coffee drinkers reached 38% in the survey—the highest level since January 2020,” the NCA wrote.
The research also highlighted that more American adults now drink specialty coffee than traditional coffee, with 48% saying they had specialty coffee in the past day—a new record. Espresso-based beverages such as lattes, cappuccinos and caffè mochas “play a key role in specialty coffee’s rising popularity,” the report said. Arecord-high of 47% of American adults had an espresso-based beverage in the past week, up by 17.5% since 2022.
Other key NCDT findings include:
- Fifty-five percent of past-week out-of-home coffee buyers ordered at a drive-thru, and a record high of 40% ordered on an app.
- Grocery stores remain the leading channel for coffee purchases for in-home preparation, although their share declined to 35% from 42% in January 2026. Purchases at mass merchandisers increased to 28% from 23% in January 2026.
- Cold coffee consumption is up among past-day coffee drinkers, with 21% of past-day coffee drinkers having cold coffee, compared to 71% who had hot coffee (17% had cold and 78% hot in the January 2026 survey). Overall, cold coffee consumption is up from 16% in 2022.
The full report can be found here.
According to supply chain services provider The McLane Company, the global cold brew coffee market is currently valued at $1.2 billion and is projected to reach $4.2 billion by 2028. Read more about how c-store retailers are implanting coffee trends in the July 2026 issue of NACS Magazine feature “Perking Up the Coffee Bar.”
