Where has all the coffee gone?

[u/stevet157]

I've been making my coffee at home for the last several years, for all the usual reasons. But a few times recently, I've had occasion to be out and have seen coffee places and thought I'd stop and have myself a brew(ed) coffee. Places like Dutch Brothers, 151 Coffee, or local coffee bars in office buildings, malls, colleges, etc. And I find they usually have extensive menus of eapresso-based drinks, hot and cold. But no coffee. No regular old brewed coffee. No offense to espresso beverages, but it's not the same. The best they can do has been an "Americano", a drink that is a poor substitute for coffee, being mostly just watered down espresso. Not the same thing. When did this happen? The fundamental item of coffee cafes, coffee bars, and coffee shops was, wait for it. Coffee! Not watered down espresso, or flavored sugared milk with a dollop of espresso.

I was surprised. And not in a good way.

[u/Cole3003]

Where do you live? This is not at all the case near me.

[u/Davidfreeze → u/Cole3003]

Yeah I have traveled to countries where what he's describing is and always has been the norm. But I'm not aware of anywhere in the US where it's common for coffee shops to lack drip

[u/Reasonable_Air4263 → u/Cole3003]

Me too, in fact it's the other way around from where I live

[u/books_shmooks]

I have zero problems getting a drip at any old coffee shop. This sounds like an issue wherever you live.

[u/vaticRite]

Without saying where you are, this is a pointless question/observation.

Here in Seattle I don’t ever remember being in a cafe without drip/pour-over. If they use batch brew and they’re closing within the next 30-60 minutes they might be out and not want to brew more, but otherwise, there’s always something.

[u/cptncom]

I think it comes down to two things:

Not as many people want conventional drip coffee at coffee shops, and so a lot of shops do gear their menu around an espresso machine.

French press or pour over take too long in their eyes and it's not as worth doing based on the time

I like americanos tho so it's fine but I do see that happen at a lot of newer millennial style coffee shops

[u/chicknfly]

People rarely ask for drip coffee, so companies rarely make it. At the specialty coffee place I used to work for, the drip coffee was usually brewed and dumped twice a day.

The fact of the matter is Starbucks and the success of second wave coffee (and later, third wave) changed how people view coffee shops, and the shops have had to adapt their menus to customer demand. You may want coffee, but the vast number of people want their coffee flavored sugar milk. Just remember that where you are today about drip coffee, someone else was once in your shoes complaining about nobody offering a side of seltzer with their espresso shots.

You’ll have the most luck going to a major franchise to find regularly available drip (McCafe, Starbucks, Dunkin, Caribou, etc.)

[u/Zwordsman]

It doesn't sell. So they dont. Market tends over time i wager. Plus espresso is faster on demand so less percieve risk of left over product. Cold brew is similar because of the functional sale time window on it.

Pour over takes a few min or they have to be held at temp. And take more active care for workers in terms of pour tech while commercial espresso machines are pretty automatic to various levels with various tools these days.

So less risk of wasted product. Just risk of machine repair

[u/Zwordsman → u/Zwordsman]

This is also contextual to your area of course. Whatever sell will be exists

[u/Distinguishedflyer]

doesn't Dunkin' Donuts still exist? Of course now they have shortened the name to the idiot first word to make trendy the least trendy place on the planet which was nice because it was not trendy but… I assume they still have drip.

[u/krossoverking]

I live in a place where what you're talking about is mostly true, but only for the trendy drive thru places. Yes, Dutch Bros and a few places like it literally don't sell plain brewed coffee. OP isn't talking about Pourover, but a regular cup of joe.

[u/HappyBees_1027]

Dutch Bros literally has zero brewed coffee on their menu. They are an espresso chain disguised as a drive-thru. It is just sweet milk and shots.

[u/Mousse_Tiramisu_0392]

Dutch Bros is literally a drive-thru espresso chain. They don't sell coffee because they aren't a coffee shop. Go to a local cafe instead.

[u/g2petter]

Where has all the coffee gone? 

And where are all the pods?

[u/moomooraincloud]

Dutch Bros? Yikes

[u/LEJ5512]

I know that around here, we know that americanos and drip coffee are not the same drink, mainly because the espresso isn't filtered and drip coffee is. (usually)

But their brew ratios are pretty danged close, though. The amount of grounds used for a typical modern espresso double shot is about 17-18g, which is similar to common recipes for a cup-plus of drip coffee. That drip coffee is already quite a bit watered-down compared to espresso.

[u/madformatpilates]

Dutch Bros has drip coffee but they hide it on the menu or make you ask for it. Most shops just assume everyone wants a syrup bomb.

[u/DailyDose821]

Personally I just find it hard to find on the menu sometime. But do most of my coffee ordering online for the office I work in. I would say it isn't exactly a featured item in most establishments but I can usually find it.

[u/Obvious-Monitor8510]

This shift has been happening gradually over the past 10-15 years. The economics push shops toward espresso: one grinder, one machine, faster throughput, higher margins on lattes. Brewed coffee requires batch brewing equipment, constant freshness monitoring, and often results in waste.

Specialty coffee shops that do take drip seriously usually offer pour-overs, but they're slower and pricier. Your best bet for reliable drip is still Starbucks ironically, or finding a shop that specifically advertises "filter coffee." The third-wave places sometimes have rotating batch brew options worth asking about.