2025 National Coffee Data Trends Specialty Coffee Breakout Report Now Available
The 2025 National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) Specialty Coffee Breakout report has been released by the National Coffee Association (NCA).
Drawing on a nationally representative survey conducted by Dig Insights, this report is released as part of a partnership between the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and the National Coffee Association.
Specialty coffee’s growth plays a key role in coffee’s overall popularity, with the full Spring 2025 National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) report having shown that 66% of Americans had a coffee in the past day. The report also shares that 64% of 25–39-year-olds drank specialty coffee in the past week, more than any other age group.
The report found that past-day specialty coffee drinkers are more likely to have their coffee prepared out-of-home (35%) than past-day traditional coffee drinkers (20%). 87% of past-day traditional coffee drinkers had their coffee prepared at home, while 74% of past-day specialty coffee drinkers had theirs prepared there.
The Specialty Coffee Report also found that specialty coffee drinkers are aware of the health benefits associated with drinking coffee, with 61% saying they believe coffee is good for their health. This follows the FDA’s “healthy” rule recently going into effect, which automatically qualified plain coffee to be labeled as healthy, for the first time.
NCA President and CEO Bill Murray commented: “Coffee’s remarkable ability to meet coffee drinkers' evolving needs and preferences over time, is one of the many reasons it remains America’s favorite beverage. While specialty coffee’s rise in popularity has now reached record levels, traditional coffee remains a staple, too. Consumers’ interest in specialty coffee also coincides with a growing interest in health and wellness. Decades of robust, independent scientific evidence has shown that coffee drinkers live longer, healthier, happier lives.”
“These findings affirm what our community has long believed—specialty coffee isn’t just growing; it’s becoming a defining part of how people experience coffee today,” said Yannis Apostolopoulos, SCA CEO, “From origin to café, consumers are seeking quality, connection, and meaning in every cup."
Additional key findings include:
The West has the highest past-week specialty coffee consumption (58%) in the United States.
43% of American adults enjoyed an espresso-based beverage, and 28% enjoyed a non-espresso-based beverage in the past week.
Past-day specialty coffee drinkers' favorite method of coffee preparation is the drip coffee maker, with 36% choosing to have their coffee made this way.
Their favorite type of roast is a medium roast, with 62% of past-day specialty coffee drinkers enjoying this type of coffee in the past day—up 35% since 2020.
For this report, “specialty coffee” is defined as defined as including any espresso-based beverage (lattes, cappuccinos etc.); non-espresso-based beverages like frozen blend, cold brew, nitro; and traditional coffee that consumers perceive to be brewed from premium coffee beans/grounds.
The 2025 NCDT Specialty Coffee Report is available here.