Yes, yes, we know — You loooove coffee. You drink it habitually. You simply caaan't function without your morning injection of caffeine — but it's time to put your passion in its place, because no matter how much you think you love coffee, your grandparents love it more.
The National Coffee Association has been asking Americans about their coffee habits since 1950, and its latest report shows that people aged 65 and over are drinking everyone else under the table.
In a survey conducted in January, 70% of people over 65 said they had drunk coffee in the last day. That number fell to 63% for those aged 25 to 34, and just 51% for people aged 19 to 24.
Daily coffee drinkers, by age
So how is it that the Pumpkin Spice Latte Generation is getting so trounced by the Greatest Generation?
"For older people, it's ingrained," said NCA spokesman Joe DeRupo. Before companies like Starbucks flooded the country with all sorts of espresso drinks and single-origin varieties, "there was one type of coffee, that's it." And that one type of coffee wasn't competing with smoothies, energy drinks and a billion varieties of low-calorie sodas.
Younger people, on the other hand, "grew up with more options. It's more of a treat and an event than something that's part of your daily routine."
The trend correlates with an overall decline in coffee consumption over the decades: in the 1950s, nearly 78% of surveyed people drank coffee compared to 62% in 2017.
Not only does nana drink more coffee than you, she also is more likely to drink regular stuff like Folgers, while younger consumers drink more gourmet coffee. Overall, Americans' preferences are moving upscale — this was the first time in NCA's history that more than half (59%) of coffee cups consumed daily were made with premium beans.
And because nanna's got grit, she's more likely to drink her coffee black, from a drip coffee maker, not a frilly single-serve brewer like Keurig.
Meanwhile, about two-thirds of teens take their coffee with both milk and sugar, which was the most popular preparation with 46% of surveyed consumers saying their whiten and sweeten their java.
Stay caffeinated, grandma. You are a hero to us all.
