Answer: Coffee
Clues: “Cup” and “Bean”
It’s National Coffee Day
There was a time when Seattle was the coffee capital of the U.S., but is it still? An annual report on the Best Coffee Cities in America ranked 100 cities based on things like: Local coffee popularity, coffee roasters and shops, coffee spending and prices, and coffee culture.
This year, Orlando is #1. Laredo, Texas brings up the rear at #100, with Milwaukee at #89.
A study looked into the most popular coffee beverage in every state, and espresso takes the top spot in 28 states, mainly in the Northeast and out West. It’s a latte in Wisconsin, which are popular in 14 states, and cappuccino is preferred in 11 states. (You can see the full map, here.)
66% of Americans say they drink at least one cup daily, up nearly 7% from 2020, according to a survey from the National Coffee Association. The average coffee drinker has nearly three cups per day.
“Specialty coffee” is surging in popularity. 48% of adults say they’re into “specialty coffee,” up from 37% in 2021. And 47% of American adults had an espresso-based beverage in the past week, up by 17.5% since 2022.
Coffee prices have been soaring, largely due to tariffs and weather. Last month, the average price of a pound of ground roast coffee cost $9.30, up 5% from a year ago, and up 47% from two years ago, when it was $6.31.
For National Coffee Day, a lot of places are offering free coffees, mostly through their loyalty apps. They include: Starbucks (today is also National Starbucks Day), Dunkin’, Tim Hortons, Peet’s, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Circle K, Sheetz, and Whataburger. And Krispy Kreme has an Original Glazed Coffee Flavored Doughnut.
(There are rundowns of the Coffee Day promos, here, here, and here.)