Coffee is the drink that keeps the world going. All across the globe, people start, maintain, and end their days with coffee. In fact, about 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed around the world every single day!
This common, yet complex drink has been a favorite for hundreds of years. What’s popular in the world of coffee today isn’t what was big 100 years ago—or even 10. Here are six of the hottest trends sweeping the coffee industry right now.
Cold Brew
For a while, iced coffee was the “hot” thing. Now it’s cold brew.
Yes, there is a difference between iced coffee and cold brew. Iced coffee is faster and easier to make. All you do is make coffee (perhaps double the strength), then allow it to cool for a few minutes and mix it with ice. The melting ice dilutes the extra-strength coffee to create a palpable cup of cold, crisp coffee.
Cold brew, on the other hand, requires a long steeping process. It’s kind of like french press coffee, but different. Brewers let cool water sit with coarse-ground beans for a prolonged period of time; usually around 12 hours. Hence the name “cold brew” as opposed to warm-brewed coffee then cooled with ice. See the difference?
Cold brew is a huge trend right now because many believe it has a superior taste profile to iced coffee and is less acidic. However, there’s a major drawback to cold brew – it can’t be warmed up. Time will tell if cold brew has real staying power, or is just a fad.
Mushroom Blends
Not so long ago, most people would have thought you were out of your mind if you were mixing mushrooms into your coffee. Not anymore. This is now one of the hip things happening in the coffee universe.
Mushroom-infused coffee is popular right now because of the supposed health benefits; including help with digestion and brain function. Many people also enjoy the distinctly “earthy” taste when these two flavors come together.
Coffee Capsules, Minus the Machines
Coffee capsule machines have been around for a while now. Their primary claim to fame was ease of use. However, traditional machine-based coffee pods also had many known drawbacks—such as harboring mold or bacteria in machine parts and being rough on the environment.
This is why machine-free coffee capsules are surging in popularity. Liquid coffee capsules, like Caffè di Artisan, come in a variety of flavors and can be used to make all types coffee drinks, in a matter of seconds, without a machine. Many of these capsules also use sustainable packaging, so they don’t harm the environment.
Water Quality Improvement
We often forget that a cup of coffee is almost entirely water. Therefore, it’s imperative not to ignore the quality of your water when making coffee. This has recently come to the forefront of the coffee world. It’s now a major trend to filter your water brewing coffee. There are even specialized machines out there designed specifically for this purpose. Similarly, alkaline water is being used to brew coffee for its purported health benefits on digestion, the immune system, and more.
Super Coffee
It’s not a bird or a plane it’s super coffee! What in the world is “super coffee” and what makes it super?
These days, people are combining various forms of superfoods and other non-traditional ingredient with their coffee. This has led to the coining of the term “super coffee.” Some people add butter in order to supplement a ketogenic diet. Others add things like protein, collagen, or cacao to their coffee. There are many ways to define super coffee and no shortage of possible add-ins. That’s part of the reason why it’s such a big trend at the moment.
Premium Quality
In the past, people were okay with drinking coffee that would be considered “low quality” by today’s standards. Dried coffee crystals were A-OK, so long as it contained caffeine and was easy to brew. Thankfully, things have changed. Premium beans combined with expert roasting techniques are now expected by most coffee drinkers. There are new, high-end coffee companies sprouting up to meet this growing demand for luxury coffee. This is a trend that will continue to grow in the foreseeable future.
Coffee is cherished by people all over the world. Due to its popularity, people are constantly working to make it better. These current trends are the result of peoples’ tireless effort and love for coffee. But it’s up to you to decide which ones to embrace and which to ignore.
