Have coffee prices gone up? Here’s what experts say

NewsCoffee has, fortunately, largely been exempted from tariffs. (Mike Kenneally via Unsplash)Mike Kenneally via UnsplashBy Claudia Dimuro | cdimuro@pennlive.comThousands if not millions of people across America consume coffee, with many viewing it as a daily wake-up ritual they couldn’t start the day without.Which begs the question: is coffee getting more expensive, like many other things?According to trade journal Tea & Coffee, coffee prices remained relatively steady throughout most of August before increasing slightly toward the end of the month. Colombian milds, for example, went up in price by 1.1 percent, averaging nearly $0.39 per pound. Business Insider indicates that prices increase by 1.37 percent as of 12:34 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18. However, Moneywise reports that the average retail price of ground coffee has shot up by 125 percent since 2019, jumping from $4.14 to $9.32 for a bag as of this past July. Moneywise points out that even brewing at home — the cheaper option — has increased in price: A home-brewed cup of Joe went from being $0.10 in 2019 to roughy $0.23 today. Tea & Coffee adds that “while heightened El Niño concerns and tight near-term arabica supplies supported a mid-month rally, these gains were subsequently reversed as favorable rainfall in Brazil and expectations of increased supply eased upward pressure on prices.”Indeed, the coffee industry has been hit by a multitude of factors in recent years: Moneywise states Brazil, the biggest producer of arabica coffee on the planet, has seen its extreme weather impact its crops since 2021. Likewise for Vietnam, another major coffee producer.On the somewhat bright side, World Coffee Portal notes that coffee — after initially being impacted by 50 percent tariffs levied against Brazilian imports — has been largely exempted from the tariffs implemented by the Trump administration.“Two-thirds of American adults drink coffee each day, and every cup will cost less thanks to President Trump’s decision to remove tariffs on coffee imports from Brazil — the world’s largest coffee producer,” says National Coffee Association (NCA) President and CEO Bill Murray via release. “Tariff-free trade of America’s favorite beverage will ease cost-of-living pressures, keep a healthy diet choice affordable, and strengthen coffee’s enormous contributions to the U.S. economy.” These 3 states have the most student debt: ‘Plan carefully’Trading in your old iPhone now gets you less What day is Yom Kippur 2026?Claudia covers trending and breaking news stories across the United States. She previously worked as a digital reporter for PennLive.com, where she covered a range of topics from metal music to consumer news to...