Coffee Trends to Look for This Year
When it comes to everyone’s favorite morning (and sometimes afternoon and evening) beverage, we’re often curious about what the next big trend will be. In the upcoming year, as every year, we expect to see several new trends in the coffee world.
Cold brew and iced coffees are one such trend. They aren’t exactly new, but while hot coffee has enjoyed the most flavor innovation during the past decade, iced coffee has just begun making its way into the spotlight. Cold brews are starting to show up in all sorts of coffee drinks such as coffee shakes, hopped cold brews, cold brew sodas, and more. There are even cold brew cocktails available if you know where to look (brunch, anyone?).
Draft coffees are also beginning to earn their place in the public view – most top coffee houses that open now include draft systems. This is a trend that will no doubt continue to increase as the innovation in cold brew does the same.
Another trend to watch for is a rise in signature sweetened drinks. Specialty cafes are carrying specialized signature coffee drinks, and customers love the unusual drinks they can’t get anywhere else. There are endless flavor combinations to choose from when creating a signature coffee drink, such as maple sage latte or espresso julep – the flavorist’s imagination is the limit! And speaking of espresso, it not only isn’t going anywhere, but it’s also expected to rise in popularity as consumers crave authentic, handcrafted coffee beverages more and more.
One big trend expected in coffee is to center on sustainability. Waste removal is an important buzz word in the coffee world. For example, farmers are making an effort to use every part of the plant, such as turning the cherry skin removed during the coffee harvesting process into a coffee flour that can be used in baking. Efforts are being made to replace trees and combat coffee rust, a plant fungus that damages coffee trees.
For as long as coffee has been around (well over 1,000 years), it’s amazing that we are still finding new ways to drink it. With new ways to learn about and enjoy coffee coming onto the scene every day, there’s no end in sight to the possibilities for creating new and different flavored coffee drinks. From French Vanilla, Chocolate, and Caramel to more obscure flavors that surprise and delight the palates of consumers around the world, coffee is certainly one area in which there is a lot of room for flavor experimentation and the creation of new, delicious specialty drinks.