Iced coffee drinkers can get a cheaper dose of caffeine at home this summer.

People are buying more iced coffee – often at a higher price.

You can call it a comfort bonus, but in a year where Coffee prices hit record highsGetting a cold caffeine fix on the go this summer may cost you more than you used to. Now, many consumers are finding better deals at grocery stores and by brewing coffee at home.

Darren Seaver, a food and beverage analyst at research firm Circana, said 35% of coffee orders in cafes and restaurants are cold, up 7 percentage points since 2017. But as longtime coffee drinkers know, cold orders tend to be more expensive.

During the first quarter, U.S. consumers paid an average of $3.08 for a cup of regular coffee, $5.14 for a cold brew, and $5.46 for a latte. According to digital payments processor ToastCold drinks are typically more expensive — like shaken iced espressos and matcha tea lattes — Starbucks helped offset the drop in traffic. In the second quarter.

“If you want the cheapest option, go ahead and get it from a retailer,” Seaver said, adding that grocery stores “may also be able to undercut QSR prices a little bit.”

Some consumers are already turning away from coffee shops.

From March 2023 to March 2024, 60% of iced coffee spending was on drinks purchased outside the home, down from 68% four years ago. At the same time, dry conditions in key growing regions This has led to a rise in global coffee prices. Even as coffee prices in U.S. grocery stores have fallen, prices fell 1.6% in June compared with a year earlier, according to federal data.

Fortunately, coffee lovers have more and more options for enjoying a cold cup of coffee in their own kitchens.

In April, Nescafe instant coffee maker It has been revealed. “The first-ever cold brew coffee,” which makes dozens of cups from bottles that retail for $7.39 each, a few dollars more than a single 16-ounce iced coffee at some Starbucks locations after tax. The company said it has seen “growing demand for espresso-based cold brew coffee drinks — along with a growing interest in making these high-quality beverages in cafes from home.”

Later this year, Keurig will introduce the K-Brew+Chill for home iced coffee lovers. The company says the machine will cost around $200 and promises to brew hot coffee and then cool it to “coffee shop-grade” temperatures in three minutes or less.

“The next evolution is the ability to bring cafe-style drinks back to the home and to the counter,” said Josh Howlett, senior vice president of product management, at a recent press conference. Promotional video.

Some of this evolution has been years in the making. During the pandemic, many Americans have shifted from grabbing coffee on their way to the office to brewing it on their way to the couch. While brands that sell coffee in grocery aisles like Nestlé and Keurig are looking to boost that habit, coffee shop operators are trying to keep cold brew drinkers coming back. And brands that sell in both environments are trying to do both.

Dunkin’, for example, is Looking to attract consumers The company began promoting its iced coffee and “refreshments” this summer, under the slogan “Big Dunkin’ Iced Energy.” The company also recently relaunched its iced coffee products. Iced coffee bottles for on-the-go and at-home use On retail shelves.

Smaller operators are also trying to chase customers who may not want to pay $5 or more for a barista to serve them a cold drink from a pitcher.

The at-home coffee-brewing classes the cafe has been offering for years are now “full of demand,” said Dave Ward, co-founder of Buddy Brew Coffee in Tampa, Florida. The two-hour sessions, held inside the original cafe, include a $69 class on the science of coffee brewing and a $175 class on creating latte art.

Buddy Brew raised menu prices by about 20% in 2021 and 2022 to offset higher costs for everything from labor, real estate and shipping to the coffee beans themselves. Like other big chains, the company has also seen customers become more frugal lately. Average order value is down about 3% since last year, even as foot traffic has picked up slightly.

But there’s a positive side to the Buddy Brew line of coffee products that it sells in supermarkets like Whole Foods and Publix. The chain’s 12-ounce bags of coffee, which make about 24 cups, include “cold roasting” Prices start at $18 on its website — about 75 cents a cup. That’s compared to $4.75 Hyde Park, Tampa, Location Fee for either 20 ounces of cold brew coffee ordered online for pickup or a 10.5 ounce canned option.

While Buddy Brew has raised grocery prices modestly, Ward said those sales “continued to perform amazingly.”