How Millennials Drink Coffee: Coffee Shops and the Internet

Rebellion is as American as apple pie, baseball and the county fair. So, it’s not entirely surprising that Millennials are saying ✌️️ to the coffee of our parents. The 2016 National Coffee Drinking Trends report has, for the first time in its 67-year history, found that less than 50% of coffee drinkers are brewing at home. For example, my mom brews two pots of coffee everyday using an electric coffee maker. By contrast, we hit the gas station or whatever and grab our caffeine out of a cooler. There are a number of reasons why people age 18-39 are looking for unique ways to drink coffee. Some are obvious like convenience and flavor, and others are a little more nuanced like community and identity.

Let’s look at the math. (These numbers represent the change from 2008-2016)

The number of espresso based drinks consumed on the daily has tripled

Gourmet coffee consumption has grown from 13% to 36% for people age 18-24 and from 19% to 41% for people age 25-39

The NCDT also found a continued rise in the popularity of retail coffee shops, office coffee and a tendency to drink coffee anywhere that isn’t at the pad amongst all coffee drinkers but most notably, those age 18-39

Now, let’s bust out the Rosetta Stone and translate this ish. Coffee brewed at home is generally not as good as the stuff you can buy at a coffee shop. You probably don’t have a kitchen full of crazy expensive appliances with fancy ass names specifically designed to brew dank coffee. You also probably haven’t been trained, nor are you getting paid, to make your morning cup of jo. Coffee shops provide an increase in quality and also convenience, which brings us to our next point. It’s really hard to put a price on someone’s time.

Even we don’t want to wake up in morning, stumble out of bed and fight with a coffee machine. That’s part of why we started Brojo Coffee Co. We wanted to just grab a bottle of great coffee out of the fridge and go. We didn’t want to deal with any nonsense and we aren’t alone. You can’t go to a convenience store, gas station or grocery store without running into a massive wall of bottled caffeine. Opening a bottle or can (just clap your hands) is way easier than grinding beans, finding your coffee filters, filling the tank with water and then waiting for your coffee to drip into a pot with residue from late 90s. That shit is whack. Not to mention, all those pre-packaged drinks have a ton of caffeine and extra stuff in them so they taste bomb AF.

The other reasons of why Millennials don’t brew at home is social media and the pursuit of individuality. (Stats taken from Instagram)

62 million posts with #coffee

More than 700,000 posts with a # relating to flat white coffees – you know, those coffees with the cute hearts and whatnot drawn in foam

Well over half a million posts with #coldbrew or something like it

Coffee has and always will be a social beverage best enjoyed with company; be it that of a good book or family and friends. It’s also a great way to break the ice, “wanna grab a coffee?” Or make sure you get a smile with your morning hello, “What up!?! I got you a mocha frap!” Ain’t nobody mad at a free mocha frap not now, not ever. You add social media into the mix and you have a perfect storm for tons of online interaction.

This is a big part of what is driving the shift in the way coffee is consumed. People are always looking for ways to assert their uniqueness or #humblebrag about how dope their life is. A picture of a jacked up Coffee-Mate dumping some Folgers into an old pot is lame but a picture of a flat white with a unicorn drawn in foam at a coffee shop no one has ever heard of is the coolest. It’s like wearing the right brand or being the first one to discover the new jam. It’s a way for us to proclaim our individuality and maintain our 😎 with nothing more than a little digital image maintenance. Click, enhance, ###, post and wait for the likes to roll in.

The world is changing, coffee included. Just as younger generations have always redefined the future, the Millennials are poised to do so once again.

At Brojo we are trying to embrace that future and help influence it in the most positive ways we can. We believe in great coffee and never compromising on quality. This means our focus is always firmly on producing the highest quality product we can. We also believe in value and fair business practices. That’s why we work with ethical coffee growers who use sustainable farming practices. This is also why a bottle of Brojo Coffee is only $2 and makes two legit cups of coffee. Like we said. No Bullshit. ✌️️