It has been a tough 12 months for coffee shops everywhere.
At Coffee Emporium, owners Tony Tausch and Eileen Schwab are working to keep prices reasonable despite on-and-off tariffs and rising costs.
"What's been the hardest of course is the roller coaster of just not knowing," Tausch said. "We're going to put the tariffs on, take the tariffs off."
Rather than dramatically raising prices on cups of coffee, the shop has reduced the size of bagged coffee from 16 to 12 ounces to maintain affordability.
"We were kind of the last holdout in saying let's make the bag a 12-ounce bag, because it's still at a price range that's approachable," Schwab said.
WATCH: Coffee shop owners show what they are doing to keep their prices from rising:
Abrupt price hikes
Coffee lovers are feeling the pinch as prices for their favorite beverage continue to climb. In the fourth quarter of 2025, the average price for ground roast topped more than $9 per pound.
Coffee prices in November rose nearly 19% compared to a year before. At restaurants, the median cost for a regular cup of coffee reached $3.59, according to the company Toast, though origin and quality can drive prices even higher.
Greg Peters of Talitha Coffee explains that lower-end, store-bought coffees have experienced the largest price increases compared to premium products.
"If you look at it from a percentage standpoint, the increase in the commodity price disproportionately is affecting some of those cheaper coffees," Peters said.
He explained that weather, tariffs, and the rising costs of shipping, labor, and production contribute to a more expensive brew.
Money-saving strategies for coffee lovers
Consumers and coffee shop owners are getting creative to manage expenses without sacrificing the caffeine fix.
Coffee Emporium, for example, is sourcing beans from alternative countries like Rwanda to keep specialty drink prices reasonable for customers.
In a recent report, Talitha Coffee offers this money-saving advice to consumers:
At home:
- Brew at home on certain days instead of buying coffee out
- Buy whole beans instead of single-serve pods
At coffee shops:
- Choose drip coffee over milk or espresso-based drinks
- Bring a reusable mug for potential discounts
Talitha Coffee’s report found more than half of coffee drinkers, 55.8%, have a limit of $6 to $8 for a cup of coffee.
"If you value that cafe experience and that high quality cup of coffee, maybe you make sacrifices elsewhere," Peters said.
So think about whether you need that high-end coffee beverage daily, or if you can swap for coffee at home, so you don’t waste your money.
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