Brewing crisis: java-loving NY confronts soaring coffee costs

New York: New Yorkers run on coffee. From high end experimental boutique cafes to the humble sidewalk cart, millions of cups of java are sold every da...

New York: New Yorkers run on coffee. From high-end experimental boutique cafes to the humble sidewalk cart, millions of cups of java are sold every day.

But coffee-lovers are facing increasing pain as they pay for their simple espresso shots and elaborate pumpkin spiced lattes as the cost of beans has jumped 21 percent between August 2024 and August 2025 in the United States -- the world's largest market for coffee.

Climate shocks drove the cost of arabica soaring, with the beans hitting an all-time high in February 2025. That has been compounded by elevated transport costs and the 50 percent tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump since August 6 on many products from Brazil.

Brazil, the largest coffee producer, has been sanctioned by the Trump administration for its prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro for a coup attempt. It supplies 30 percent of the United States's unroasted beans.

"It's having a major impact on us, on small business owners, on farmers, across the board," Jeremy Lyman, co-founder of the New York-based chain Birch Coffee, told AFP.