Midtown’s iconic coffee carts are hiking their notoriously cheap java prices for the first time in years, with sellers citing rising operational costs caused by inflation and tariffs as grounds for the sudden price jump. The 8-oz cup of Joe once peddled around Rockefeller Center for just $1 has risen to an average $1.
than any other household grocery, and it’s not just tariffs driving the surge — bad weather, war and a frenzy of market traders are also to blame for the rise. Coffee prices have spiked by a stunning 18.
4% in the last year, according to federal data from February. Most other household spending items — from groceries to cars to haircuts — don’t close to that increase rate, figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show. Those increases have affected both producers and consumers, and reflect a trend that has been running wild since the pandemic — a pound of roast coffee cost about $4.17 on average in 2020, and about $9.46 in 2026.A storm of factors have collided to fuel those increases, with droughts in coffee producing powerhouse countries Brazil and Vietnam around 2024 leading to crop shortages that have fueled the chaos, Then in July 2025 President Trump’s tariff war slapped a 40% tax on products from Brazil — the world’s largest coffee producer — causing further increases for importers in the US, who passed much of the costs on to consumers. Cops make horrifying discovery at California home of sicko accused of recording families at his vacation mansion Oil heir ordered to pay historic $1.1B after brutally attacking toddler stepson, putting him in wheelchairMaking matters worse, according to the WSJ, hedge funds and commodities traders have been buying up coffee contracts as they made bets on the results of drought shortages and the tariff reactions.All those twists and turns have left American coffee roasters and small coffee shops jittery. They report struggling to keep up with huge corporate brands that can keep ahead of costs with huge bulk orders, or by hiring employees whose entire job is finding the best prices on the market. “There’s too many variables for us to follow,” said Kansas-based Reverie Roasters owner Andrew Gough, explaining that he’s struggling to keep up with the market while managing the day-to-day of running a business.Gough charged $15 for 12-oz of his popular coffee beans for years, but he was forced to increase the price to $17 last spring — and expects to increase it again to $18 in April.But he’s had little choice — last year Gough found himself paying $4.30 per pound of unroasted coffee within months of paying $2.41.Aziz Changezi, an NYC coffee cart seller of 20 years, told The Post in February that his faithful 3-pound bucket of Kirkland Columbia coffee had spiked from $10 in 2020 to $22 this year – causing him to up increase prices by 50-cents. Cops make horrifying discovery at California home of sicko accused of recording families at his vacation mansion Oil heir ordered to pay historic $1.1B after brutally attacking toddler stepson, putting him in wheelchairHowie Mandel apologizes for heated exchange on-air with Kelly Ripa‘Love Story’ Ending Explained: Were JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette Planning Their Divorce When Their Plane Crashed? “I’m So Sorry, Mommy”: Savannah Guthrie’s Teary ‘Today’ Apology To Her Missing Mother Will Break Your Heart Howie Mandel Sparks Tense Moment On ‘Live’ After Finding Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ Compliment Backhanded: “Like Saying, ‘You’re Smart For A Stupid Person’” Starbucks’ Hannah Montana Drink Flavor Fail Sends Fans Into Furious Frenzy: “Did We FORGET In The Show She HATES Raspberry”Stream It Or Skip It: 'Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole' On Netflix, Where A Troubled Detective Tracks Down A Serial Killer Who Is Terrorizing Oslo
Coffee Coffee Shops Economy Tariffs
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Joe Rogan Calls Out MAGA: ‘Unintelligent People’The podcast host Joe Rogan said about MAGA supporters: “A lot of them are dorks. A lot of them are really weird.“
Read more »
The Bride Wore Pink for an Unconventional New York Wedding That Traversed the CityOlivia-Jené Fagon—who wore a pink Wiederhoeft corseted gown—and Joshua Moses’s wedding traveled everywhere from a downtown gallery to Rockefeller Center.
Read more »
Fat Joe Accuser Drops Accusation of Sex With Underage Girls & RICO Claims in Updated LawsuitA former hypeman who sued Fat Joe over shocking underage sex allegations has quietly dropped them in a new version of the lawsuit.
Read more »
JD Vance fires back at Joe Rogan for calling MAGA supporters 'unintelligent' and 'dorks'Today's Video Headlines: 03/27/26
Read more »
Israel Adesanya vs Joe Pyfer Predictions, Picks & OddsIsrael Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer predictions and picks from Rohit Ponnaiya, as we break down the odds for UFC Fight Night on Saturday, March 28.
Read more »
Joe Girardi’s Niece Turns Heads After Yankees Opening Day GameGianna Girardi, niece of Yankees legend Joe Girardi, is generating buzz after a viral post following New York’s Opening Day win over the Giants.
Read more »