There is something about a regular cup of coffee. In its warmth and simplicity is the power to gather, to share, to welcome and to bond. Perhaps these same qualities exist in a flavored latte or other careful barista-crafted cup, but TJ Ellis, owner of Six Over Coffee & Company in Monterey, cites an intangible in the appeal of traditional joe.
“Drip coffee – you sit and enjoy it more,” he says.
Over the past several decades, coffee trends have favored the crafted drinks, coffee as art and as terroir. As recently as a year ago, reports showed orders of drip coffee continuing its slide, falling 3 percent compared to 2024. The current year has seen a dramatic turn, however, at least according to the consumer studies firm Drive Research. Thus far in 2026, almost a quarter of Americans prefer black coffee, up from 18 percent.
Drive’s survey suggests that economic concerns are driving this shift – which may be the case with grocery purchases, where the data has Folgers, once a distant third in the big brand market, currently outselling Starbucks and Dunkin’. But Ellis believes the impulse at coffee shops is more elementary. After all, he points out that at many places barista coffees are just a dollar more than a traditional cup.
“We do quite a bit of drip,” he says. “I feel like people are getting back to simpler things in life.”
It does not mean that coffee shop habitants are giving up specialty beans. The origins, the roasts and flavor profiles remain important. Still, a ready pour of drip coffee is a simpler thing.