Americans under 35 are reviving cafes with their iced coffee obsession

Are you among the die-hard fans who swear by iced coffee even in the depths of winter? You’re hardly alone.

Nearly a quarter of coffee-shop customers are drinking the cold offering every single day, according to a report by research and consultancy firm Allegra World Coffee Portal.

That’s up from 17% a year ago.

The younger you are, the more likely you take your caffeine cold.

The Allegra survey of more than 5,000 consumers found that almost eight in every 10 buyers under the age of 35 purchased the drink at least once a week.

The icy beverages have become such a craze that the segment is helping U.S. coffee shops bounce back from a COVID-19 hit, and the industry is now topping pre-pandemic levels.

“Half of industry leaders now consider cold coffee to be the most important market trend currently,” the firm said.

Coffee shops in the U.S. have reached a higher market value than where they stood prior to the pandemic.

The more than 40,000 domestic outlets are estimated to have reached a value of $49.5 billion over the last 12 months, just above pre-COVID levels.

Sales momentum is forecast to continue, with the majority of industry leaders surveyed expecting improved conditions next year.