The most popular coffee flavours revealed and it's not pumpkin spice
New research has analysed the most viral coffee flavours on social media this autumn, with pumpkin spice missing out on the top spot.
As the weather starts to get cooler, many beloved coffee chains will begin to release their exclusive autumn menus, making this an exciting time of year for coffee lovers.
In light of autumn's arrival, a new study has revealed which coffee flavours are the most viral on social media.
For each popular coffee flavour, the research team at The Ice Maker Hub analysed the total number of hashtags on Instagram, including #FlavourLatte and #FlavourCoffee.
The final ranking was then determined by the flavours with the highest total number of Instagram uploads.
The study crowns vanilla as the most popular coffee flavour, receiving a total of over 9.9 million uploads on Instagram. This traditional favourite has amassed 268,000 posts under the hashtag #VanillaLatte alone.
Other popular hashtags on the social media site include #VanillaFlavour, #VanillaSyrup, and #VanillaCoffee.
In particular, iced vanilla lattes have become a popular sharing point on social media. On Instagram, the hashtag #IcedVanillaLatte has amassed an impressive number of 22,900 uploads.
Unlike seasonal flavours like pumpkin spice or peppermint, vanilla is available year-round by every major coffee chain, explaining the flavour’s staggering prevalence on social media.
Strawberry is identified as the second-most viral coffee flavour on social media, featuring in a total of over 8.3 million Instagram uploads.
This slightly more unusual flavour picked up traction on social media sites last summer, with thousands of users sharing their own recreations of the flavour. The strawberry iced latte was branded the drink of the summer, with Starbucks releasing their own recipe for the popular beverage.
On Instagram, #StrawberryLatte has amassed over 233,000 uploads alone. Other recurring hashtags include #StrawberryFrappe, #StrawberrySeason, and #StrawberryFlavour, depicting the drink’s widespread aesthetic appeal on social media.
Caramel is revealed to be the third-most popular coffee flavour, amassing a total of over 8.2 million Instagram posts. Like vanilla, this traditional flavour has received 233,000 posts under the hashtag #CaramelLatte. #CaramelMacchiato is another prevalent hashtag on Instagram, featuring in a total of 476,000 posts.
Iced caramel latte is another prevalent coffee choice on social media, amassing 18,300 posts under the hashtag #IcedCaramelLatte alone. The flavour also perfectly blends with other seasonal flavours, as seen via the reigning popularity of salted caramel coffees during autumn.
Lavender takes the fourth spot in the ranking, featuring in 8,096,200 Instagram posts. Like strawberry, this unconventional coffee flavour has gained popularity thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Its aesthetic appeal combined with unique floral flavouring makes lavender one of the most shareable coffee flavours in the ranking. Starbucks released their own version of the viral lavender latte last year, describing the flavour as “spring in a cup.”
The hashtag #LavenderLatte has received 58,300 posts on Instagram, while #LavenderSeason is another popular social media tag, with 20,500 uploads.
Honey is revealed to be the fifth-most popular coffee flavour on social media, with a total of 8,072,300 Instagram uploads.
The past few years have seen the rise of coffee flavours like hot honey, caramelised honey, and honeycomb, with major coffee chains introducing these flavours to their seasonal menus. Popular social media hashtags for this flavour include #HoneySyrup and #HoneyCoffee.
Pumpkin spice is crowned as the sixth-most viral coffee flavour, featuring in a total of 5.6 million Instagram uploads. This iconic seasonal flavour signifies the start of the autumn season, with Starbucks releasing their signature pumpkin spice latte collection.
As the flavour is only available for a limited amount of time, this creates a sense of urgency surrounding the beverage, driving up social media engagement.
Pumpkin spice is also associated with the viral ‘fall aesthetic,’ heightening the flavour’s social media craze. #PumpkinSpiceLatte has received 895,000 posts on Instagram, while the tag #PumpkinSpiceEverything has been used over 432,000 times.
Other popular flavours include cinnamon, tiramisu, and mocha.
Scott Carswell, founder of The Ice Maker Hub , commented on the research:
“Over the past few years, it has become a viral trend for social media users to share snapshots of their coffees online. What was once thought of as a ‘millennial’ trend has now been embraced by Gen Z, particularly in the form of less traditional flavours like strawberry.
“While pumpkin spice still reigns as one of the most viral flavours in the ranking, this study depicts social media’s embrace of some of the more unconventional coffee flavours, like tiramisu and lavender.
“Although seasonal flavours like pumpkin spice and cinnamon still have that limited-time appeal, this study shows that it’s actually some of the more long-lasting and traditional flavours that take the top spots in the ranking.
“Social media has undeniably become one of the biggest trendsetters for coffee culture, so it’s interesting to see how certain coffee flavours differ in terms of Instagram popularity.”