By Dan Bolton
Coffee drinkers in the US reversed a six-year decline as past-day consumption rose to 64% among adults, according to the National Coffee Association (NCA).
The annual survey, conducted since 1950, revealed a 4% increase to 79% for coffee drinkers consuming coffee at home. These “past-day” drinkers prefer gourmet coffee to traditional brew, with the survey showing gains across most age groups.
NCA president/c.e.o. Bill Murray said, “Younger consumers appear to be leading the charge.” During the organization’s annual conference Murray explained that America’s growing taste for gourmet varieties “is driving a wider trend toward specialty beverages.”
These include espresso-based beverages and non-espresso based beverages (NEBB), an emerging category that includes cold brew and nitro coffee.
The types of coffee showing the greatest gains are lattes, espresso drinks, cold brew, flat white, and nitro coffee.
When overall consumer preference for traditional gourmet (14%), espresso-based coffee (37%), and NEBB (17%) are tallied the trend is evident: Only 31% of past-day drinkers consumed a simple, unadorned cup of joe.
Away-from-home coffee drinking declined during the recession of 2007-08. The survey shows a gradual upward trend for the past five years, driven mainly by males under 40 years of age with higher incomes and kids at home. In 2018 a total 36% of past-day drinkers reported buying coffee out of home.
Michael Edwards with DIG Insights, observed that a sagging economy had little impact on home consumption but “a strong economy helps out-of-home.” The most frequently cited reasons for brewing at home include convenience, savings, and the ability to make drinks found only in coffee shops.
Sixty-six percent of respondents report that the coffee they make “tastes great” and is more convenient to prepare (55%) provides a welcome energy boost (50%) and is more affordable (50%) than coffee purchased out-of-home. One of the most frequently cited reasons for brewing at home is in preparation for the daily commute.
Most of the coffee consumed at home (48%) is traditional (not gourmet) reflecting the age bias of most home coffee drinkers, but the combination of traditional gourmet (24%), espresso-based (22%), and non-espresso based beverages (6%) follows a pattern. Americans prefer gourmet. Among previous-day coffee drinkers, the percentage of those consuming traditional (not gourmet) has declined from 39% in 2012 to 31%.
Reinforcing this point is the fact that fewer people reported using a drip brewer to prepare their coffee. The use of drip brewers as a brewing method has declined from 61% in 2012 to 45%.
The number of past-day coffee drinkers using either a single-serve home brewer or one at the office increased from 19% to 26% during the same period. Use of espresso machines declined slightly. Only 13% of the past-day drinkers consumed coffee brewed from an espresso machine, down from 15% in 2017.
Household penetration of single-serve brewers is at 41%. The percentage of bean-to-cup brewers in the home (a new device category) was 9%, tied with home espresso machines. French press brewers are present in 13% of homes and Chemex, Melitta, or similar pour-over devices are used by 4% of past-day drinkers.
While 63% of households own a drip coffee maker, these are mainly used by older coffee drinkers (40+). Some (13%) report they “definitely” intend to purchase a drip coffee maker while (28%) report they “definitely” or “probably” will buy a single cup machine.