Lattes lead espresso surge as specialty coffee gains popularity in America

A latte showed up in 21% of American adults’ cups last week, up 31% from 2025, and that single jump says a lot about where U.S. coffee habits are headed. Espresso-based drinks kept gaining ground overall, rising from 40% of past-week consumption in 2022 to 45% in 2026, with latte drinking up from 17% to 21% and straight espresso climbing from 16% to 20%.

The National Coffee Association’s Spring 2026 National Coffee Data Trends report, released April 14, showed that coffee remained America’s most popular beverage by a wide margin. Nearly 195 million American adults drank coffee each week, while 66% had coffee in the past day and 73% in the past week, both unchanged from 2022. The pattern was still rooted in routine: 86% of past-day coffee drinkers had their coffee first thing in the morning, 82% drank it prepared at home, and 28% had it prepared away from home.

That home-first routine has not kept specialty coffee from expanding. In the association’s June 2025 Specialty Coffee Report, 46% of Americans had specialty coffee in the past day, and lattes were already the leading espresso-based beverage at 18% in the past week, ahead of espresso at 16% and cappuccinos at 14%. By September, specialty coffee had reached a record 48% in the past day. The new spring data suggest the latte’s lead has widened further, as espresso drinks continue to dominate the specialty end of the market.

Bill Murray, the National Coffee Association’s president and CEO, said coffee “has long been a touchstone in Americans’ daily lives and a powerhouse in the economy.” The numbers behind that claim are substantial. The association says coffee supports 2.2 million U.S. jobs and contributes nearly $350 billion to the economy each year. The Spring 2026 survey was conducted Jan. 5-20 by Dig Insights among 1,850 Americans ages 18 and older, and it is part of the NCDT series the association has commissioned since 1950.

The broader picture is clear: Americans are still drinking coffee at steady rates, but more of those cups are espresso-based, and more of them are lattes. With drive-through and app-based ordering already setting records last fall, the modern coffee run looks increasingly built around café-style drinks that fit both speed and customization.