Drinking coffee is a deeply ritualized experience for many consumers, from the eye-opening morning routine to the daily afternoon pick-me-up. But today, we’re witnessing a profound shift in how we consume coffee drinks. Coffee is now being served up as an experience. Still ritualized, but now the ritual is less about fueling the harried pace of our daily lives and more about slowing down to savor a coffee moment. It’s about clever textural play and cocktail-level garnishes. It’s also about coffee flights and guided coffee tastings. Of course, the American consumer can hold both things: coffee as fuel and coffee as experience. These tandem need states present a modern opportunity for foodservice operators to incorporate this new world of experiential coffee while delivering on our collective caffeine fix.

And what a world it is. Innovation in the coffee space has been moving at breakneck speed over the last few years, with brands like Dutch Bros keeping the innovation pipeline stacked, and viral moments like Dalgona coffee how-tos fueling fascination with new and interesting takes. Asian coffee culture is certainly stoking the fire that’s driving this trend. At Filipino-inspired Neighborhood Café in Seattle, the coffee flight invites guests to linger and share, sampling an array of the restaurant’s flavor-forward lattes: Filipino Pandan, Black Sesame, Ube with Brûléed Sugar and Mint Mojito. Pour Decisions, a café in San Jose, Calif., artfully garnishes its coffee, taking the experience to a loftier level. Its Coconut Latte, with phin-dripped coffee and coconut milk, is topped with a blizzard of toasted coconut flakes, adding tropical crunch to every sip.

Fun textural play has also propelled crackling coffee into the spotlight. The beverage starts with a dark or white chocolate coating inside the cup, which hardens as a cold drink is added. When the customer presses the sides of the cup, the chocolate shell breaks into shards that float in the liquid. The “crackling” of the chocolate into the drink serves up a satisfying Insta-moment. Iterations abound. Kubo Coffee and Creamery in Nutley, N.J., offers three variations: White-Choco Ube, Choco-Thai Tea and Neapolitan.

Café de Mama in Los Angeles brings a different interactive occasion to coffee drinks with its dunkable skewers of cubed injeolmi, a sweet, chewy Korean rice cake coated in roasted soybean powder. The skewers are perched across various drinks, including the Korean Injeolmi Mochi Latte and the Pumpkin Cream Latte.

Credit: Lawson Builder / Café de Mama

Latte’s Favorite Cookie (left), featuring a housemade Oreo simple syrup, whipped cream and a garnish of crushed Oreo pieces, is a fan favorite at Bodega in Charleston, S.C. A dunkable skewer of injeolmi, a sweet, chewy Korean rice cake, tops the Injeolmi Latte at Café de Mama (right) in Los Angeles.

The coffee category is playing host to this hotbed of creative menu development thanks to younger consumers who drive fast-paced innovation with a seemingly endless thirst for new iterations. Experiential coffee is the next wave, answering the continuing demand for next-level beverages.

“I think we’re seeing consumer spending move toward beverages, and as rigid dayparts disappear in the modern foodservice landscape, we’re seeing more beverage occasions throughout the day,” says Graham Humphreys, president, The Culinary Edge. “The trend today sees an intentional consideration of slowing down and enjoying the entire experience. Offering coffee experiences is a fantastic expression of modern hospitality.”

Relax, Stay a While

Many cultures welcome true coffee breaks, respites in the day to indulge in a moment for oneself, perhaps accompanied by a small treat. Sweden enjoys fika, a daily ritual of coffee and pastries with friends or colleagues. Spain’s cafecito is another iteration of slowing down with a small coffee and a pastry or snack. With café culture and third spaces taking root in the U.S., approaching coffee as experience is a smart move.

“Consumers are looking for that thing that tells them it’s time to relax, take a moment and make it celebratory or special,” says Katy Velazquez, director of culinary innovation, Qdoba. “Look to develop specialty coffee drinks that turn a beverage occasion into a memorable experience.” She points to another social phenomenon that tees up the trend as big opportunity. “Younger consumers—and more people in general—are drinking less alcohol today, so they’re looking for other ways to reward themselves or indulge in something special,” she says. “Coffee drinks are becoming an outlet for that type of need.”

Credit: 36 Streets

36 Streets, a Vietnamese coffee shop in Seattle, serves a flight featuring lesser known builds like Egg Coffee, Salt Coffee and Condensed Milk Coffee.

Claire Conaghan, trendologist and associate director, Datassential, agrees. “Ceremonial coffee experiences answer the needs of a lot of consumers today—from younger demographics who are drinking less alcohol to cultures that don’t drink it at all,” she says. “Look at the growth of Yemeni coffee places; these have broad menu appeal but also offer Muslim customers an evening gathering space that is alcohol free.” Qamaria, with locations in Chicago and its suburbs, showcases Turkish-Yemeni coffee culture. Its Mufawaar coffee, with cardamom and cream, is served in a pot, inviting guests to linger.

This shift toward coffee as a cultural experience is driving the popularity of coffee flights, popping up across the country and delighting guests with an immersive, signature interaction. 36 Streets, a Vietnamese coffee shop with two locations in the Seattle area, leverages the flight concept to promote sampling and sharing. The flight includes Egg Coffee (whipped egg yolk and condensed milk layered over condensed milk coffee), Salt Coffee (heavy cream, sea salt, condensed milk, milk and coffee) and Condensed Milk Coffee Latte. “Rooted in Vietnamese culture, our coffee flight offers a journey through traditional flavors, showcasing the unique and rich heritage of Vietnamese coffee from each of its regions,” says co-founder Ikaika Bullock. “I’ve always loved the idea of the flight. You get to expand your sensory experience, along with your palate.”

In El Paso, Texas, Glia’s Coffee Co. offers a coffee flight service that showcases its Key Lime Matcha sprinkled with Key lime zest, Butter Pecan Latte garnished with mini cookies, Turtle Pie Latte and Strawberry Cheesecake Matcha sporting a skewer of marshmallows. Ancient Grounds, a coffee shop in Chicago, serves a memorable Cereal Flight of signature lattes: Biscoff, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Honey Nut Cheerios and Lucky Charms.

Komakase, a groundbreaking coffee pop-up in San Francisco, is bringing the omakase concept to the coffee world. This innovative approach, popularized in Tokyo, sees baristas creating a coffee tasting menu that calls for a slower experience, a shared social occasion that celebrates meticulous attention to detail in coffee-making craft.

At Komakase, the experience typically begins with delicate, light roasts and progresses to more complex and experimental coffees. “We want to be a flashpoint for folks who come in and realize ‘This is what coffee can be’ and allow themselves to step into the new world of specialty coffee,” says Kieran Eng, co-founder. Unlike the fast-paced coffee culture of disposable cups, this experience emphasizes a slower, more mindful approach to coffee. Komakase offers two tasting menus: The Omakase and the Roaster’s Spotlight. The Omakase features a comparative pour-over duo to start, followed by two coffee-based non-alc cocktails and a refreshing non-alc drink to finish. The Roaster’s Spotlight follows a more purist approach to coffee with three pour overs followed by an espresso and a short milk beverage. “We chose the omakase format to help emphasize the nature of a guided experience into the possibilities that coffee has to offer beyond the conventional perception that most people in the U.S. have,” says Eng. The drinks are paired with treats locally made by area pastry chefs, brought out at different intervals throughout the tasting.

Immersive tastings, interactive flights and craft cocktail-level detail in textural play all mark the opportunity in coffee today.