Coffee Consumption
Coffee consumption rose over the past-year, and single-cup growth showed no signs of slowing.
Some 83% of U.S. adults polled said they consumed coffee in the past day, a 5% uptick over last year. At the same time, daily consumption remained steady at 63%, while the percentage of those who drink coffee at least once a week was up only marginally to 75%.
Past-day coffee consumption among Hispanic Americans again trended stronger than that of other Americans, affirming a trend NCA first identified last year when it enhanced its ethnic sampling to better mirror U.S. demographics.
Some 76% of adult Hispanic Americans said they drank coffee yesterday. By comparison, 47% of African-Americans and 64% of Caucasian-Americans said they drank coffee yesterday.
NCA's latest coffee market research also suggests that the single-cup brewing format continues to grow dramatically. Some 12% of American adults said they now own a single-cup brewer, up from 10% last year and 7% in 2011. Awareness of single-cup brewers reached 82%, up from 71% last year.
The recent report also revealed that nearly one in three of those polled (31%) drank a gourmet coffee beverage yesterday. At the same time, consumption of traditional coffee was down 7% to 49%, versus 56% in 2012.
Hispanic Americans also trended stronger in gourmet coffee consumption than other ethnic groups, with 44% consuming it in the past day, versus 30% for Caucasian-Americans and 25% among African-Americans.
For espresso-based beverages, past-day consumption was 24% among Hispanic Americans, 10% among Caucasian-Americans and 12% among African-Americans. For gourmet varieties of traditional coffee, the breakdown was 23% among Hispanic-Americans, 20% among Caucasian-Americans and 13% among African-Americans.
Younger consumers also showed more affinity for espresso-based beverages than other age groups, with 16% of those ages 18-39 drinking them in the past day, compared with just 6% of those 60 and older.
Overall daily consumption of coffee by younger consumers, however, appears to have fallen. Among the 18 to 24 group, daily overall coffee consumption dipped to 41% from 50% last year, and for those 25 to 39, consumption dropped to 59% from 63%.
The 2013 levels are more on par with earlier years, suggesting that the apparent decline indicates volatility in these segments rather than softening, according to NCA.
Conversely, overall daily consumption of coffee among those 60-plus rose to 76% from 71% in 2012, and for those ages 40-59 to 69% from 65% last year.
The 2013 NCA study suggests that the 60-plus cohort favors gourmet varieties of traditional coffee, with daily consumption climbing to 24% from 19% in 2012. For the 25-39 group, conversely, the corresponding figures dropped to 18% from 26% last year. For non-gourmet traditional coffee, daily consumption was essentially steadied for those 60-plus, but softened among those ages 18-24, moving from 27% to 17% this year.
"NCA research finds that American coffee consumption continues to trend upward as consumers respond to variety and convenience," said Robert F. Nelson, NCA president and chief executive. "Building on existing market enthusiasm, changing U.S. demographics and single-cup brewing may be adding momentum to already enthusiastic consumer engagement."
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