Coffee tops Americans' beverage choices

NEW YORK, April 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 195 million American adults drink coffee each week, making coffee America's most popular beverage, according to the Spring 2026 National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) report released today (Tuesday).

Past-day and past-week coffee drinking remain at the same levels seen since 2022 (66% and 73% of American adults, respectively).

Other key findings include:

• Consuming coffee in the morning and preparing coffee at home remain by far the most popular choices. 82% of past-day coffee drinkers have coffee prepared at home; 28% have coffee prepared away from home. 86% of past-day coffee drinkers had coffee first thing in the morning, 38% at another time in the morning, 22% in the afternoon, and 11% in the evening. Time of day and place of preparation are largely unchanged since 2022.
• Traditional coffee popularity is unchanged since 2022 (62% of American adults had traditional coffee in the past week), while specialty coffee popularity has increased by 9.4% over the same time period (53% of American adults had specialty coffee in the past week in 2022, compared to 58% now).
• The increase in specialty coffee popularity is driven by espresso-based beverages, with lattes and espresso showing the largest increases in past-week consumption since 2022. Past-week espresso-based beverage consumption overall increased from 40% in 2022 to 45% now. Latte consumption increased from 17% to 21%; espresso consumption increased from 16% to 20%.

NCA President and CEO Bill Murray commented:

"Coffee has long been a touchstone in Americans' daily lives and a powerhouse in our economy, adapting to fit different tastes, trends, budgets, and routines over time. We expect that to continue for many decades to come."

For more information and to purchase the NCDT report, visit ncausa.org/NCDT. To download media highlights, click here.

About the National Coffee Association (NCA):
NCA, established in 1911, is the United States' oldest and largest trade organization representing coffee businesses of all types and sizes, including the producers, roasters, brands, and other companies responsible for 90% of U.S. coffee commerce. More American adults drink coffee each day than any other beverage, and coffee supports 2.2 million U.S. jobs—operating in every U.S. state and territory and contributing nearly $350 billion to the U.S. economy every year. For more information, visit ncausa.org or contact [email protected].

About the National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) report: 
The NCDT, conducted by Dig Insights and commissioned by the National Coffee Association beginning in 1950, is the longest-running study on U.S. coffee consumption, beverage preferences, and consumer behavior. The NCDT is now conducted twice annually. Data for the Spring 2026 NCDT were collected January 5-20, 2026, and respondents are a nationally representative sample of 1,850 Americans ages 18 and over. All respondents drank a beverage other than tap water past-day; drinking coffee is not a requirement to participate in the research.

SOURCE National Coffee Association