Coffee, the kitchen table staple, remains at the top of Americans’ beverage choices, with more American adults (66%) drinking coffee each day than any other beverage, other than bottled water (per a recent study via the National Coffee Association). Each year on September 29, we celebrate National Coffee Day not just to appreciate and celebrate America’s favorite drink, but also to highlight the journey from bean to cup and raise awareness of fair trade practices in coffee farming. Think you know coffee? These 5 interesting facts about coffee might surprise you.
5 interesting coffee facts
- Americans are more interested in specialty coffee than traditional coffee: Specialty coffee drinks are consumed by a record 48% of American adults in the past day (up from 37% in 2021). Traditional coffee is consumed by 41% of American adults each day (compared to 38% in 2021).
- App-based and drive-through coffee purchases are at record highs: An all-time high 59% of coffee drinkers who bought a coffee out-of-home in the past week purchased it at a drive-through (up 9% since 2024), and 36% ordered through an app (up almost 6% over 2024).
- Drip-coffee brewers are still the most popular preparation method: 38% of past-day coffee drinkers had coffee prepared with a drip brewer.
- Multiple cups of coffee a day is the new standard: Americans consume an average of 2.8 cups of coffee per day, making it the most popular drink other than bottled water
- America’s southern states love coffee: Research examining past-day coffee consumption found that coffee consumption was highest in the South. 69% of respondents in the South noted they’ve consumed coffee in the last day, compared to only 61% in the Northeast.
