Young people nowadays are becoming increasingly indecisive about drinking beverages.
Previously, by unscrewing the bottle caps of cola and iced tea, one could reap pure happiness; Nowadays, when picking up any beverage, one would first glance at the ingredient list: Is there too much sugar? Is the heat high? Will you step into a pit?
In this anxiety of "fear of wrong drinking", the pure American coffee, which has been roast by countless people about washing pot water and being compared to iced Chinese medicine, has become the top stream of the coffee track.
In data statistics, the consumer group of black coffee in China has exceeded 310 million, a year-on-year increase of 17.9%, accounting for 65.8% of the total coffee consumer group. Pure American style and hot American style are the two most popular among them.
Why can it explode? Did young people suddenly fall in love with bitterness?
In the past, when people drank beverages, their core demand was pleasure. Sweet cola, sweet milk tea, and sweet fruit juice were just necessities, and they didn't care about them when drinking, only regretting after drinking them.
It's different now. Young people are more alert to sugar and calories: drinking cola will make them say 'this cup has too much sugar', drinking milk tea will count as' did you exceed the calorie limit today ', drinking fruit juice will also worry about additives on the ingredient list.
This kind of guilt that comes with drinking it leaves a huge living space for Pure Beauty.
Pure American style without sugar or milk gives a strong psychological suggestion that this cup is not indulgence, but self-discipline, and can even help with weight loss.
Although strictly speaking, drinking American style food itself does not mean losing weight. Drinking three cups a day and pairing them with grilled crayfish can determine whether one should gain weight or not, consumers never buy nutrition papers, but this "burden free" peace of mind.
This logic is not exclusive to pure aesthetics.
When Dongfang Yezi was first launched, it was also criticized for its lack of flavor, astringent tea taste, and even made it to the list of the most difficult to drink beverages, but it became increasingly popular as it continued to sell.
Nongfu Spring's tea beverage sector revenue reached 16.745 billion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 32.3%, surpassing packaged drinking water as the largest business for the first time;
In 2025, the revenue of tea beverages will further increase to 21.596 billion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 29%, still ranking first.
According to data from EO Think Tank, people under the age of 30 account for 70.8% of sugar free tea consumers; According to Nielsen IQ data, the market share of sugar free tea reached 21.1% in 2023, surpassing the 18.5% share of carbonated beverages for the first time.
It's not that young people suddenly fall in love with bitterness, but that they start to fear sugar and calories, and health anxiety has become a new consumption necessity.
You should know that ten years ago in the Chinese coffee market, coffee was still a symbol of petty bourgeoisie.
Entering Starbucks and ordering a cup of coffee for 30-40 yuan, sitting by the window and turning on the computer, even if nothing is done, is like reflecting the style of urban elites.
But this logic of "identity symbols" is difficult to high-frequency, no one can spend 35 yuan a day on coffee.
Until local chain coffee lowered the price. Luckin Coffee and Kudi's standard coffee only costs 9.9 yuan, and with coupons, it can even be as low as 2.9 yuan per cup. Netizens joked that "coffee is cheaper than water".
More importantly, the pure American style is naturally suitable for low-cost scaling.
Its formula is extremely simple, adding water to espresso and up to ice, without the need for cream, thick milk, complex syrup, or latte art for styling.
Strong standardization, fast cup production, and low cost make it a natural and fundamental product for attracting customers. When a cup of American style water drops from 35 yuan to under 10 yuan, it becomes a daily necessity instead of just "boiling water".
More importantly, the sleep of contemporary professionals is on the brink of collapse.
According to the "2025 Workplace Sub Health Survey Report" released by Zhaopin in July 2025, only 21.8% of workplace workers can sleep for 7-8 hours recommended by the country, 51.7% of people only sleep for 6-7 hours a day, 22% of people sleep less than 6 hours, and over 73% of workplace workers have long-term inadequate sleep.
I have to commute for an hour in the morning, work overtime on projects during the day, and during the "death period" from 2pm to 4pm in the afternoon, my eyelids are as heavy as lead, my brain cannot move, and I can make mistakes in typing.
At this point, something needs to be quickly brought back to a state of wakefulness, and coffee is one of the optimal solutions.
Moreover, caffeine is a natural central nervous system stimulant that can block adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine is a substance that causes fatigue, and when it fails to work, fatigue is delayed.
Generally, after drinking coffee for 15-30 minutes, you can feel a significant refreshing effect that lasts for 3-4 hours. Compared to the additives in functional drinks, the health risks of smoking, and the oral hazards of betel nut, coffee is a safer choice.
According to data, 48.5% of black coffee consumers use it to refresh themselves in the office, 21.3% use it before and after exercise, and 15% use it for staying up late and working overtime.
The core reason why 70% of professionals drink coffee is to refresh themselves, with over 48% drinking one cup a day and 17.5% drinking two or more cups a day.
Of course, coffee is not a health supplement. Drinking too much can cause palpitations and insomnia, so it is important to adjust the amount of coffee consumed according to one's own situation.
Ultimately, it's not a matter of whether pure American style is tasty or not, but rather many people drink it for the sake of self-discipline, affordability, and energy.
Its explosive popularity is essentially a microcosm of China's beverage consumption entering the "low burden era". In the past, beverages relied on sweetness to win the market, but now beverages rely on "no burden" to capture young people.
From Eastern leaves to pure American style, from sugar free sparkling water to coconut water, they may appear to be different categories, but fundamentally they are all part of the same business, transforming "happy consumption" into "safe consumption".
reference material:
The Price Storm Behind a Cup of Coffee: International Futures Fluctuations, China's Industrial Changes, and the "Friend Circle" of Commodities – Tonghuashun Economy
Kudi cancels 9.9 yuan, local coffee bids farewell to the era of internal competition – Pengpai
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