Cold brew was consumed by 18% of American adults in the past week, making it the most consumed non-espresso cold coffee drink, and cold brewing was the preparation method for 17% of past-day coffee drinkers. Cold, iced, and frozen blended coffee together hit 31% of all coffee consumed in the summer survey. Those are the cold coffee numbers with a named survey behind them. Every figure below is labeled with which survey it came from, because the denominators are not the same.
TL;DR: the five headline cold brew statistics for 2026
- Past-week cold brew consumption: 18% of US adults, ahead of frozen blended at 15% and nitro at 6% (NCA National Coffee Data Trends, spring 2026, as reported by Daily Coffee News, April 14, 2026).
- Cold brewing was the preparation method for 17% of past-day coffee drinkers, behind drip brewers at 38% and single-cup at 23% (NCA, September 9, 2025).
- Cold, iced, and frozen blended coffee accounted for 31% of all coffee consumed in the June 2025 survey, up from 23% in January 2025 (same NCA release).
- Ready-to-drink coffee reached 19% of past-day coffee drinkers, up from 9% in 2021 (same NCA release).
- Caffeine runs high in this category: a 16 oz Starbucks cold brew lists about 205mg and the nitro version about 280mg, against the FDA's 400mg daily figure for healthy adults (FDA).
How much cold coffee Americans drink
The NCA's National Coffee Data Trends survey is the longest-running consumption tracker in the category and the only one that publishes cold coffee splits. Two vintages are current: the fall 2025 release published September 9, 2025, and the spring 2026 release with fieldwork in January 2026. We rechecked the NCA newsroom on August 15, 2026 and no newer NCDT release has been published.
| Statistic | Figure | Survey and denominator |
|---|---|---|
| Cold brew, past week | 18% | Spring 2026, all US adults |
| Frozen blended, past week | 15% | Spring 2026, all US adults |
| Nitro, past week | 6% | Spring 2026, all US adults |
| Cold and iced formats | 17% of daily cups | Spring 2026 (January fieldwork) |
| Cold brewing as a preparation method | 17% | Fall 2025, past-day coffee drinkers |
| Cold, iced, and frozen blended share of consumption | 31% (June 2025) vs 23% (January 2025) | Fall 2025 release |
| Ready-to-drink coffee | 19%, up from 9% in 2021 | Fall 2025, past-day coffee drinkers |
The two things worth reading off that table. First, seasonality is real and large: the cold share of consumption moved from 23% in a January survey to 31% in a June survey within the same year. A winter-fielded number understates cold coffee, which is why the spring 2026 daily-cup share of 17% is not comparable to the June 2025 figure of 31%. Second, cold brew has separated from the rest of the cold category. It leads frozen blended by three points and nitro by twelve.
Cold brew at home
Cold brewing sat at 17% of past-day coffee drinkers in the fall 2025 release, up the ranking to fourth behind drip brewers (38%), single-cup machines (23%), and ahead of espresso machines (11%) and instant (11%). It is the only method in that list that requires no equipment beyond a jar and a filter, which is part of why it grew. Our own how-to and gear coverage sits in the cold brew maker guide and the cold brew ratio recipe.
Caffeine in cold brew
Cold brew tends to run stronger per ounce than drip because of the higher coffee-to-water ratio and the long steep. Verified menu figures from our caffeine database: a 16 oz Starbucks cold brew lists about 205mg and the 16 oz Nitro Cold Brew about 280mg, against about 150mg for a 16 oz latte. The FDA cites 400mg a day, roughly two to three 12-ounce cups of coffee, as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for healthy adults (FDA). Two nitros clear that figure. This is information, not health advice.
The numbers we cut
Every "cold brew market size" and "cold brew CAGR" figure we checked came from a paywalled market-research summary with an undisclosed category definition and no published methodology, and the circulating numbers disagree with each other by billions. None of them are on this page. Ready-to-drink coffee dollar sales are tracked by scanner-data providers, but those figures are licensed and not publicly citable at the level of detail people quote. Where a number is genuinely public, as with the NCA survey, it is above.
How to cite this page
Suggested citation: "Cold brew statistics 2026, Barista Life (baristalife.co), reviewed August 15, 2026. https://baristalife.co/blogs/blog/cold-brew-statistics-2026"
Quote any statistic here with attribution and a link to Barista Life, and credit the NCA or FDA as the underlying source where linked. Caffeine figures are also in our free dataset.
Related reading
- Coffee statistics 2026: the flagship roundup
- Caffeine statistics 2026
- Pumpkin Spice Latte statistics 2026
- Starbucks cold brew caffeine
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Gear from this guide
FAQ
How popular is cold brew in 2026? 18% of American adults had cold brew in the past week per the NCA's spring 2026 National Coffee Data Trends, making it the most consumed non-espresso cold coffee drink ahead of frozen blended at 15% and nitro at 6%.
What percentage of coffee is drunk cold? It depends when you ask. Cold, iced, and frozen blended coffee was 31% of all coffee consumed in the NCA's June 2025 survey and 23% in its January 2025 survey.
How much caffeine is in cold brew? A 16 oz Starbucks cold brew lists about 205mg and the nitro version about 280mg. The FDA cites 400mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects in healthy adults.
Last reviewed: August 15, 2026. Consumption figures from NCA National Coffee Data Trends; caffeine context from FDA. Information, not health advice.
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