Consumer Alert: Precautions To Take When Buying Online Steroids

You dont have to quit caffeine to stop overpaying

• Grocery-store ground roast coffee averaged $9.14/lb in September, up from $6.47/lb a year earlier a 41% jump thats showing up on receipts fast

• Weather-driven supply hits + a surge in wholesale arabica prices pushed costs up, and tariffs added fuel at the worst time. Even with tariff rollbacks, shelf prices usually lag

• Do quick cost-per-cup math (home brew is still far cheaper), buy extra duringsales and freeze abag, and watch the unit price for shrinkflation

If your normal bag of ground coffee is starting to feel like more of a splurge item, youre not imagining things. Federal pricing data shows supermarket coffee is up sharply. As of September, a pound of ground roast coffee averaged about $9.14, up from $6.47 a year earlier. Thats a whopping 41% jump in just 12 months.

Whats behind the coffee spike

Weather problems tightened supply

Coffee is considered a picky crop, and production disruptions like bad weather in the major growing regions, can affect supply quickly. When harvests come up short, roasters and importers scramble, and so costs naturally climb.

Wholesale coffee prices surged

In early 2025, arabica coffee futures pushed above $4.30 per pound at one point, with traders pointing to limited availability and even some panic in the market.

Think of futures prices as a benchmark for what many buyers pay for their beans. So, when you see a big jump like we saw earlier this year, it tends to show up down the road at grocery stores and coffee chains.

Tariffs added cost at the worst time

In April 2025, the U.S. imposed a 10% base tariff on many imports and layered on additional duties that varied by country. These included goods the U.S. doesnt really produce domestically, like coffee.

In mid-November, the White House rolled back tariffs on more than 200 food products, including coffee, with the changes taking effect retroactively.

The National Coffee Association said removing reciprocal tariffs should ease cost pressures for coffee drinkers and the businesses that depend on imports.

Then, on Nov. 21, Reuters reported the administration removed a remaining 40% tariff on many Brazilian agricultural imports, including green coffee beans. This was a big deal because Brazil supplies about a third of U.S. coffee beans.

Why prices may not drop overnight

Even if the tariff line item disappears, retail prices usually lag behind for a while. This is because roasters buy beans months ahead, retailers adjust prices in cycles, and brands rarely cut shelf prices the moment their costs ease.

Coffee shops have nudged prices up, too. Toasts menu data shows the median price of a regular coffee on restaurant menus was $3.57 in October 2025, up 3.2% from a year earlier.

The coffee price playbook for shoppers

Here are five money moves that will help you saveon your next cup:

1. Do the cost-per-cup math (its sobering)

A pound of coffee can make roughly 22 standard 12-ounce cups at home if youre using about 20g per cup.

At $9.14 per pound, thats about 42 cents per cup before milk and sugar versus about $3.50 for a basic caf coffee. I know its boring and you've probably heard it a hundred times, but brew your own cup of joe at home and save big.

2. Buy on deal, then bank the savings

When your coffee go-to brand hits a real sale, grab two bags and freeze one. Sealed coffee holds up well in the freezer, and buying at the low point beats paying whatever the shelf tag says next week.

3. Use store brands strategically

If your go-to brand jumped 30% to 50%, a private-label or club-store option can bring your cost per cup back to earth. Test one bag before you commit, then buy larger sizes when you find a winner.

4. Stop paying the add-on tax at coffee shops

If youre buying out of habit, keep the ritual but downgrade the order: drip instead of latte, fewer pumps, skip the foam. Most of the coffee inflation you feel at cafs comes from extras.

5. Watch for shrinkflation

Coffee brands love to keep the sticker price steady and quietly reduce the ounces. Always compare the unit price (per ounce or per pound) on the shelf tag, not the number printed on the bag.