Specialty Coffee is the main trend in the world of coffee at the moment. That much is clear from the growing numbers of small roasteries popping up in cities around the world: from the huge metropolises of Tokyo and Berlin to small towns like Harlem in the Netherlands.

“Specialty coffee is quite a craze right now,” says Chiara Bergonzi, world Latte Art champion, and now generally . “It’s proving to be a hit particularly among the younger generations. The capital of this trend is Melbourne, followed by London and the North of Europe. In Italy there were some pioneers in the past, but they weren’t powerful enough to popularise the concept of single origin coffee or high-quality, traceable micro-lots as distinct from commercial brands. So until quite recently there were hardly any specialised baristas in Italy. Now, maybe thanks to social media, or more people travelling and having more experiences, specialty coffee is coming into its own in Italy too. It’s true that there aren’t many establishments officially recognised as specialty coffee establishments nationwide (just 70 or 80), but there are concerns that extract specialty coffee and they are a driving force for the whole sector.”

And when the subject of specialty coffee comes up, thoughts soon turn to Latte Art which, says Luigi Lupi (one of the founding fathers of the discipline on a worldwide level): “is undoubtedly the most widely followed trend of all right now, and baristas in every country in the world are putting their heart and soul into getting the technique just right.”

That view is echoed by Carmen Clemente, the Italian champion of the 2020 edition of Latte Art, who says: “I think that Latte Art will grow even more as a trend and will win more and more young fans and turn them into true coffee lovers. And thanks to Manuela Fensore, who won the World Latte Art Championships in 2019, this trend has gone from strength to strength.”

The rise and rise of coffee-based beverages

Cold Brew, Flat White and Dalgona Coffee, as seen in bars and cafés around the world, seem to be the big trends of the moment.

“Cold Drip Brew is a system based on percolation,” says Bergonzi. “Cold water is passed through a panel of coffee, and, depending on the exact temperature being used, extracts – either quickly or slowly – different aromatic components. It’s an exceptional drink, a ‘clean’ beverage that gives consumers a chance to discover a quite unique form of specialty drinking.”

And then there’s the Flat White, which, unlike a cappuccino that has a single shot of coffee in it: “is a beverage with a double espresso and vaporised milk with a volume of 300 ml. It’s made using the Latte Art technique,” says Luigi Lupi.

“Flat white is a very well-known drink internationally, but still not properly understood in Italy,” says world Italian Espresso Champion 2019 Stefano Cevenini.

The web is also creating new coffee-drinking trends. Ever heard of Dalgona Coffee?

“I’d say it’s the craze of the moment,” Carmen Clemente goes on. “It’s over social media and is made by whipping up equal amounts of water, sugar and instant coffee powder, to which milk is then added; it can be served hot or cold. If I had to represent it in words I’d probably call it a cappuccino in reverse!”