Top 11 (and a half) Coffee Trends for 2022
With another year behind us there's a lot to look forward to for coffee lovers in 2022. As passionate coffee roasters the subject of coffee and all things relating to it gets us excited.
There's an endless amount of ways to prepare coffee with seemingly new methods to consume the world's favourite drink being created continuously.
More recently whipped coffee also known as 'Dalgona coffee', healthy coffee and plant based coffee has been on the rise and with 2022 ever closer we've pulled together our predictions for the top 11 (and a half) coffee trends to look out for in 2022.
1. Healthy Coffee
Healthy coffees will become more important as people examine how to reduce their dietary fat intake, increase their overall health, and in particular their body’s gut health. Thankfully, coffee as a fermented food, so it ticks that box rather well but only when it’s enjoyed black or with plant-based milks. Expect to see coffee alternatives become more prominent too including mushroom coffee and chicory root coffee and expect to see matcha making it big.
2. Coffee Bags
While nothing new you can expect to see a rise in coffee bag usage, they’re convenient especially as all the hard work has been done with pre-ground coffee sealed in one cup brew bags, much like the nation’s favourite brew time tea bags. We think you’ll see a big move towards speciality coffees being bagged and sold in this format – we reckon you need to watch this space!
(Image by @nate_dumlao on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/5rdDfDSpin4)
3. Snapchilling
Snap chilling is slowly replacing cold brew, and it has to be said that’s no real surprise, especially because snap chilled coffee takes a less time to create than cold brew formats and it has lots more flavour too. Not only that it’s also a much better alternative to iced coffee, mainly because you don’t need to mess about with ice cubes, which just dilutes your coffee even more.
4. Canned & Bottles Coffee
Canned and bottled coffees are becoming a staple in the grab and go sector, especially as there’s no additional cost to retailers to include them in fridges and vending machines, so expect them to grow in popularity, especially with younger audiences.
5. Coffee Tourism
Coffee tourism is becoming a thing, and once the pandemic is behind us coffee drinkers will be once more seeking out authentic experiences in unique coffee growing and harvesting settings around the world, very much like the field-to-fork movement, alongside that people are also seeking out educational coffee experiences centred around their coffee shop or their coffee supplier.
6. Sustainability
Sustainability will play an ever-increasing role in the coffee market, especially as we’ve moved past the initial impacts of the pandemic and once more look at how our foods are packaged. But alongside that the pandemic has raised a significant awareness among many of us as to the origin of our food and drink. That holds true for coffee too, we want to know where the coffee we drink comes from, how it’s grown, how it’s harvested, if the growers are paid a fair price, and if the whole process is ethical. The simple fact of the matter is that coffee drinkers don’t just want their coffee to be packaged sustainably, they also want it to be sustainably sourced and produced too.
7. Hard Coffee
This one is definitely totally bucking the healthy drinks trend! It’s probably down to the fact that coffee and alcohol are two things quite a few folks love lots and when they get mixed together that love goes through the roof!
8. ‘In-speriences’
Lockdown has impacted on many of us, with most of us working from home and because of the constant potential for flare ups restrictions are constantly being adapted and added to. As a result, companies have become very creative, with many developing a range of ‘In-speriences,’ a series of experiences where people can taste, learn, do, and get involved in the comfort of their own home using online platforms like Zoom, to do blind coffee tastings and barista experiences at home.
(Image by @thoughtcatalog on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/505eectW54k)
9. Superior Quality Coffees
Quality coffee has been a thing for a few years now, but its popularity certainly isn’t declining. Coffee fans are still going out of their way to find superior-quality coffees and are searching for the best they can find especially when it comes to small batch single origin coffees that are sustainably sourced, with a great back story and above all a distinctive taste.
10. Plant-Based Milks
Plant-based milks are becoming ever more popular as a replacement for milk in coffee. Many people feel that plant-based milks bring more flavour to coffee especially nut, soy, almond, coconut, and other plant-based milk flavours, watch this space as demand for these milks continues to grow.
11(A). Coffee Subscriptions
With customers brewing craft cups of coffee at home, coffee subscriptions have hugely increased in popularity. As a result, people are searching out points of difference as they look to increase the choices available to them and find their favourites, all with the added bonus that they are delivered direct to the home.
11(B). Adaptogens
This one sneaked in at number 11 (B) and is rapidly on the move, so we thought we’d better slot it in. We all know that eating plants is good for our health, but it seems that there are a few with additional benefits and these are known as adaptogens. In recent years they’ve been promoted as playing a part in improving mental clarity, motivation, memory, as well as mood. Some of the most notable include; Liquorice Root, Magnoli Berry, Ginseng, Astragalus, Goji Berry, Reishi, Holy Basil, Maca Root, Rhodiola, Jiaogulan, Cordyceps, Turmeric, and Ashwagandha, which are all in some shape or form starting to make an appearance as additives to coffee and will only grow in popularity as celebrities begin to latch onto them…