A new study has revealed which viral coffee flavors are most popular on social media — and it’s not pumpkin spice. The study, led by the team at Ice Maker Hub, analyzed Instagram hashtag data to determine which trendy coffee flavors have received the most social media posts. Researchers found (to their surprise) that vanilla is the most popular coffee flavor, receiving a total of over 9.9 million uploads on Instagram. In particular, this trend is in part due to the interest in iced vanilla lattes, a flavor coffee lovers can enjoy year-round.
Most viral coffee flavors
The study also found that the second-most viral coffee flavor on social media is strawberry, featured in a total of over 8.3 million Instagram uploads. This slightly more unusual flavor picked up traction on social media sites last summer, as coffee drinkers find new ways to integrate fruity flavors like strawberry into their daily coffee routines.
On Instagram, #StrawberryLatte has amassed over 233,000 uploads alone. Other recurring hashtags include #StrawberryFrappe, #StrawberrySeason, and #StrawberryFlavor, depicting the drink’s widespread aesthetic appeal on social media. Other flavors that made the top 10 list include caramel, lavender, honey, cinnamon, tiramisu, mocha, and maple flavors.
“While pumpkin spice still reigns as one of the most viral flavors in the ranking, this study depicts social media’s embrace of some of the more unconventional coffee flavors, like tiramisu and lavender,” says Scott Carswell, founder of The Ice Maker Hub. Although seasonal flavors like pumpkin spice and cinnamon still have that limited-time appeal, this study shows that it’s actually some of the more long-lasting and traditional flavors that take the top spots in the ranking.”
