If there is any company that knows about the latest trends in the world of coffee, it would have to be Starbucks. After all, their entire business model depends on it.
If you are anything like us, it does not matter what time of year it is. You still love to drink iced coffee. We don’t care if it’s spring, summer, fall, or even winter. Iced coffee simply hits different, okay? Don’t judge.
Hot coffee drinks are in the past tense for us. We can’t think of too many contexts where we would be reaching for one, even if the weather is cold. While this might seem like a crazy take to some, Starbucks’ info on the matter would seem to disagree. The vast majority of their sales at this point are “cold beverages.”
In fact, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson confirmed as much during the third quarter sales report. According to that report, 74% of all Starbucks sales are of the cold variety, which marks a 10 percent increase over the past two years.
A spokesperson from the coffee giant even shared another surprising fact. Last year, the iced pumpkin drinks outsold their Pumpkin Spiced Latte. This may be a surprise to many but not to us.
Hot coffee is a classic beverage but even the classics have to get replaced sometimes. It is interesting to consider the role that the pandemic may have played in this. If you do not need a warm drink to get heated up in the morning, what’s the point? Once you’re inside all day, the last thing that you need is a hot beverage.
The numbers might be trending in a certain direction but that does not mean that hot drinks are completely forgotten about. Starbucks has so many options for us to choose from, whether you are looking to have an iced coffee or something a bit more traditional. The apple crisp macchiato has arrived and this is one of the best drinks for those who cannot decide. These beverages are just as good hot as they are cold.
The true adventurers out there are going to be sure to try them both out, we bet. At the end of the day, you have to do you and we support you 100 percent in all of these endeavors. As for the rest of us? We are taking solace in the fact that iced coffee drinkers have finally become the majority!