Coffee habits are changing

Whether summer's getting closer or you're already well into it, chances are cold drinks are taking up a little more space on your coffee menu.

We’ve looked into the data, and it turns out it’s about more than the weather. Across Bustle venues, cold coffee has been steadily taking a bigger share of what customers are ordering. A few years ago, espresso-based drinks accounted for closer to 85-90% of coffees sold. Today they're still very much the backbone of the coffee menu at more than 80% - but roughly 1 in 5 coffees is now served cold. That's not one hot summer or one drink suddenly going viral. It's a shift that's been building for several years.

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The flat white isn't going anywhere
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Let's get one thing out of the way first: The traditional coffee offerings are doing just fine.

Flat whites still make up around 40% of drinks sold, making them comfortably the biggest drink on the board. Espresso-based coffee still dominates overall.

What's changing is outside of that…

Cold drinks have grown by roughly 40% as a share of coffees sold over the past few years. In the first half of 2026, iced lattes were up 16% year on year, while iced matcha grew another 27%.

Then there are newer speciality drinks. Mont Blanc sales, for example, grew 213% year on year, with roughly twice as many specialty coffee venues selling them as a year earlier.

Individual drinks will inevitably come and go. The more interesting trend is that customers are choosing from a wider range of drinks - and cold drinks are becoming a normal part of that choice.

Cold drinks are worth looking at for another reason

They're often worth more.

Across our data, a typical cold drink sells for around $1 more than a standard espresso-based drink, with many specialty drinks sitting around the $7-$7.50 mark.

That doesn't automatically make them more profitable. Ingredients, preparation time, packaging and waste still matter.

But when a category is growing in both popularity and value, it's probably worth understanding what it's doing in your own venue.

And whenever your cold-drink months roll around, that's a pretty good time to take a closer look.

Start with what your customers are already telling you

You don't need to chase every drink trend that appears on Instagram. Have a look at your own sales instead.

What did people order through your last warmer season? What's grown since then? Which cold drinks have become regular sellers rather than occasional orders? Is there something people keep asking for that you don't currently offer?

The opportunity might be adding something new.

It might also be as simple as giving an existing favourite a little more prominence.

Have a look at how they're made

If cold drinks are becoming a bigger part of your sales, it's worth seeing how they fit into service.

Pick a couple of your most popular ones and watch them being made.

Is everything where the team expects it to be? Does the process make sense? Is there an easy little improvement that would save a few movements every time that drink is ordered?

Nothing dramatic, but small improvements made to something you sell dozens of times a day have a habit of adding up.

Make sure the numbers make sense

A $7.50 drink sounds great compared with a $6 flat white. But price isn't profit.
Know what goes into it. Milk, ingredients, cups, garnishes and the extra preparation all count.

If a cold drink has become one of your better sellers, it's worth making sure it's also doing what you think it is financially.

Don't worry about predicting the next big drink

Matcha has grown enormously. Mont Blancs have taken off. Iced lattes continue to climb.

Something else will come along next. You don't need to know what it is yet.

The bigger takeaway is that the coffee menu is becoming broader. The classics haven't disappeared - customers have simply added more choices around them.

Whether summer's around the corner or already in full swing, spend ten minutes looking at the cold side of your own menu.

What's selling? What's growing? What's worth promoting? What's worth improving?

You might find there's a bigger part of your business sitting there than there was last time the temperature climbed.
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Our data comes predominantly from cafés in New Zealand, with additional venues across Australia and the UK.

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What’s happening on your menu? We’d love to know whether cold drinks are growing for you too - come tell us on Instagram, Facebook or email: hello@heybustle.com.

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