Ember Coffee Co.

Coffee is more than a drink. It is a moment to breathe, a reason to gather, and a simple way to feel connected. At Ember Coffee, every cup represents that belief. It is an invitation to slow down, share stories, and feel part of something real. Over the last few months, some of the most exciting moments in coffee culture have come from the world of cold brew and nitro. From September through November of 2025, these chilled creations have been lighting up social feeds, filling cafe menus, and reshaping how people enjoy their daily coffee. Why now? Because these drinks are refreshing, bold, crafted with intention, and completely approachable. They carry the same spirit we bring to every cup at Ember. Let’s explore what is fueling this rise, what makes these beverages special, and how you can enjoy them at Ember or at home. What Is Fueling the Surge A rise in cold and ready to drink formats Cold coffee beverages have become mainstream. According to the National Coffee Association, one in three Americans drank a cold brew, frozen or blended drink, or nitro coffee within the last week. Among those, more than one in five chose cold brew specifically. Market research shows the global cold brew market was valued at more than three billion dollars in 2024 and may grow to over sixteen billion by 2032. Other forecasts expect cold brew to grow at nearly twenty percent annually through 2030 in North America. The ready to drink category is moving even faster as people reach for convenient, refreshing, high quality coffee. Evolving tastes and new experiences Cold brew and nitro fit perfectly with how people want to drink coffee today. Consumers are choosing smooth, low-acidity options that feel lighter and more refreshing. Many enjoy customizable blends, such as cold brew with mushroom or turmeric infusions. Younger drinkers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are shaping this shift. They want coffee that looks good, tastes good, and feels authentic. Cold brew and nitro deliver on all three. The cascading foam of nitro and the deep, clear color of cold brew make these drinks social media favorites. The rise of cold formats fits our lifestyles too. People crave quality but also convenience, and cold coffee makes it easy to take something premium on the go. Shifts in the industry Cafes and roasters that lean into cold coffee innovation are seeing higher engagement and often stronger sales. Meanwhile, the focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing continues to rise. Consumers want to know where their coffee comes from and what values stand behind it. Cold brew also opens the door for new formats. From canned nitro to kegged cold brew, retailers are finding new ways to share specialty coffee with a wider audience. For roasters like Ember, this period is full of opportunity. Cold brew and nitro allow us to show that premium coffee can feel friendly, accessible, and meaningful. The Experience of Cold Brew and Nitro At Ember Coffee, we believe coffee should be both crafted and comfortable. Cold brew and nitro offer exactly that balance. Cold brew Cold brew is made by steeping coarse coffee grounds in cold or room temperature water for many hours. The process can take twelve to twenty four hours, which draws out natural sweetness and reduces acidity. The result is a smooth, mellow drink that highlights the origin of the bean in a completely different way. Cold brew is inviting and easy to enjoy. It is often the coffee that wins people over when they think they are not “coffee people.” With air roasted beans from Ember, cold brew becomes exceptionally clean, naturally sweet, and free from burnt bitterness. Nitro cold brew Nitro begins with cold brew and then infuses it with nitrogen gas. When it is poured, the drink creates a beautiful cascading effect that settles into a creamy, velvety head. The mouthfeel becomes silky and rich without needing dairy. Nitro feels premium but not pretentious. It is fun to watch, fun to drink, and surprisingly gentle. People often describe it as tasting like a coffee version of a stout beer, only lighter and colder. At Ember, we love serving nitro on tap. Watching that cascade while you wait for your drink is part of the ritual. Why Late 2025 Is the Perfect Moment Cold coffee is now a year round habit Cold brew once belonged to summer. That is no longer the case. The trend has become so widespread that many cafes now see cold drinks outsell hot ones, even during cooler months. Search trends support this shift. People began looking for cold brew beans and concentrates early in 2025 and continued well beyond the summer peak. By fall, cold coffee was not a seasonal trend. It had become a standard. Wellness and lifestyle trends People want drinks that align with how they feel and live. Cold brew suits a lighter, health conscious mindset, and nitro adds an experience that feels indulgent without being heavy. Cold formats also carry a sense of creativity. They welcome flavor add-ins, cold foams, and functional ingredients. These elements blend naturally with wellness and modern routines. New opportunities for coffee shops Retailers now have better equipment, better ingredients, and better packaging options. That means cafes can offer consistent, high quality cold coffee all year. For Ember Coffee, this is the perfect space to shine. Our focus on small batch roasting, ethical sourcing, and air roasted clarity fits beautifully with cold brew and nitro. These drinks help us share specialty coffee with even more people in our community. What This Means for Ember Coffee and for You At Ember Coffee, we work to make specialty coffee feel warm, welcoming, and accessible. Cold brew and nitro support that mission in several ways. Small batch and ethically sourced.Cold drinks highlight the natural character of the bean, so quality matters. We select our origins with care and roast them intentionally. Air roasting that preserves flavor.Our air roasted process removes smoky bitterness and lets natural sweetness shine. This creates a cleaner, smoother cold brew and an exceptionally bright nitro. A community centered approach.When you drink a cold brew or nitro at Ember, you are sharing more than a drink. You are sharing space with others who value connection and creativity. Education and empowerment.We love explaining how our cold brew is made or how nitro gets its creamy texture. Anyone who wants to explore these drinks at home is invited to ask. We keep the process friendly and simple. Take home options.For home brewers, we offer simple guidance, recommended ratios, and cold brew concentrate. You can enjoy the same Ember quality right from your fridge. Practical Tips for Enjoying or Making Cold Brew and Nitro When you visit Ember or any cafe • Ask whether the cold brew is a concentrate or ready to drink.• Watch the nitro cascade. It is part of the experience.• Customize your drink with milk, oat milk, syrups, or functional add ins.• Pay attention to the ice level. Too much can dull the flavor.• Ask about the beans and the roast level. It matters more with cold drinks. When you make it at home • Use a coarse grind and a ratio around one part coffee to eight parts water.• Steep for twelve to twenty four hours, then strain well.• Store the concentrate in the fridge for up to a week.• Dilute the concentrate with water, milk, or ice to taste.• If you want nitro, try a small home system and experiment with chilled concentrate.• Play with flavors. Cold brew pairs well with vanilla, citrus, caramel, or spice. Join the Cold Brew and Nitro Moment The rise of cold brew and nitro in late 2025 is more than a trend. It is a shift in how people enjoy coffee. These drinks are smooth, refreshing, expressive, and fun. Most importantly, they invite people into new moments of connection. At Ember Coffee, we are excited to serve cold brew and nitro that reflect our values. Beans that are ethically sourced. Roasts that are crafted with care. Service that feels like you are visiting a neighbor who is happy to see you. Whether you grab a nitro on tap at the cafe or brew a batch at home, we are here to help you make it special. Come by, say hello, enjoy a chilled cup, and feel the connection that good coffee brings.

At Ember Coffee Co., we talk a lot about transparency. It shows up in how we source, how we roast, how we serve, and yeah, how we price things too. If you’ve noticed coffee prices creeping up—here or anywhere else—you’re not imagining it. The cost of coffee has changed in a big way. But this isn’t just a story about money. It’s about values. About sustainability. About keeping real quality in your cup. This conversation’s not just important. It’s long overdue. Why Better Coffee Costs More Specialty coffee has always meant something bigger than flavor. Paying a little more for a better cup was never just about what it tastes like. It’s about doing the right thing. It means traceability. Fair prices. Real, lasting relationships with growers who care deeply about their craft. And those values actually change lives. They help local communities grow, make wages fairer, clean up processing, and bring out coffees that just... shine. For years, even when we thought we were paying “fair prices,” they rarely went past $3.50 a pound at origin. The global commodity price—the “C-market”—was usually lower than that. Now, that same coffee might cost closer to $5 or $6 a pound. And honestly? It doesn’t look like it’s going back down anytime soon. What’s Behind the Surge in Coffee Prices? Since 2022, the price of green coffee has jumped more than 70%. Futures for arabica coffee have crossed $4.40 a pound. That kind of spike hits everyone along the line, from farmers to roasters to cafes. Here’s what’s driving it: Climate stress: Coffee-growing regions are facing droughts, frost, and wild swings in rainfall. Yields drop. Quality dips. Rising costs: Fertilizer, fuel, labor, and shipping have all gone up. Getting coffee from farm to roaster costs more than ever. Currency swings: When local currencies weaken, global price gains don’t always mean better pay for producers. Market speculation: Demand for specialty coffee keeps climbing, and tight supply plus speculative trading makes prices even jumpier. The result? A new normal for what coffee costs. And the industry’s still catching up. From Idealism to Realism At Ember, we’ve always led with values. We choose coffees that are traceable, responsibly grown, and sourced through long-term partnerships built on trust. But even the most ethical sourcing gets squeezed by global shifts. Prices aren’t rising just because we want to do better. They’re rising because the cost of doing better has gone up. Across the industry, people are responding in different ways: Trimming seasonal menus to manage risk. Offering smaller serving sizes to stay flexible on price. Investing in efficiency so we waste less—without cutting quality. None of this is about lowering standards. It’s about staying sustainable. Honest Pricing Starts With Honest Conversation We get it. If you’ve heard for years that higher prices “support farmers,” you might wonder... why even more now? That’s a fair question. The truth is, the challenges around climate, labor, freight, and finance have all gotten sharper. We’re still paying fair prices. It’s just that fair prices are higher now, across the board. We think people can handle that truth—as long as it’s shared clearly. Whether it’s a note on the shelf, a chat with your barista, or a piece like this, we want you to know what goes into your cup. Because when you know more, your coffee really does taste better. What We’re Doing at Ember Here’s how we’re adapting right now: Roasting with purpose: We keep fine-tuning our air roasting process for efficiency, consistency, and flavor. Every bean counts. Planning smart: We work closely with sourcing partners to lock in quality and stabilize costs. Long-term thinking keeps things steady. Educating through connection: Whether it’s through packaging, cuppings, or conversations, we’re committed to keeping you in the loop. This moment’s about more than prices. It’s about staying connected. Flavor Is an Investment Michael Sivetz once said coffee has no value outside the satisfaction it gives. That satisfaction doesn’t come easy. It’s built on years of unseen work—from seed to harvest to roasting to pouring. Keeping that satisfaction steady now takes more care, more planning, and yeah, more money. But we’re okay with that. Because it means we’re doing it right. You’re trusting us with something you love. We don’t take that lightly. Higher Prices, Deeper Stories Talking about rising costs isn’t fun. But there’s a bright side: it lets us tell the full story of coffee. Not just what it tastes like, but what it means. More people than ever are asking how coffee’s made, what it costs, and who makes it. We love that curiosity. And in return, here’s what we promise: Transparency about how and why we source. Real talk about pricing and quality. A deeper look into what ends up in your cup. We don’t expect blind loyalty. But we believe that when you know more, you care more. Is It Worth It? We think so. Because paying more doesn’t just mean better coffee. It keeps the whole system alive—the farms, the mills, the baristas, the roasters. We’re not here to make excuses. We’re here to do it right. What You Can Count On From Us Whatever happens next, here’s our promise: We won’t cut corners on quality. We’ll keep building ethical, resilient supply chains. We’ll stay open about our pricing. We’ll keep delivering coffees worth your trust. Because coffee’s not just a drink. It’s a relationship. And we’re really glad to have yours. Thanks for sticking with us.P.S. As the weather cools, we’re leaning into the cozy stuff. Try our Maple Walnut, a seasonal favorite with notes of Vermont maple and buttery walnuts. Give it a sip →

It happens more often than you’d think. You’re halfway into your morning ritual, maybe grinding beans in the quiet hum of your kitchen or taking that first slow sip at your favorite café, and something just feels off. The smell isn’t right. The taste hits wrong. Maybe it’s bitter, harsh, kind of dull. You swirl the cup a little, take another sip, hoping it’ll mellow out. But nope. Still bad. And suddenly you’re wondering if it’s your fault. The water? The grind? The moon phase? But here’s the thing, it’s probably not you. At Ember Coffee Co. in Big Lake, MN, we’ve heard this story a hundred times. We’ve lived it. Long before we opened our doors, we spent years tasting every kind of coffee we could get our hands on. Some amazing. Some truly awful. So let’s talk about it for real. Let’s pull up a chair and dig into what “poor quality coffee” actually means, how to spot it, and how to avoid another disappointing cup ever again. It’s Not Just “Bad Coffee.” It’s a Whole Chain Reaction When people talk about poor quality coffee, they usually blame the bean. But honestly, that bitter, flat, or funky cup probably went wrong at a few points before it ever hit your mug. Think of coffee like a relay race. The farmer grows it. The processor cleans and dries it. The roaster brings it to life. Then you or your barista finish the story in the brew. If anyone drops the baton, the cup loses. That “ugh” taste might come from damaged or low-grade beans. Or maybe the roast scorched the flavor. Sometimes the beans just sat around too long in bad storage. And yeah, sometimes it’s all of the above. It All Starts With the Bean We’re firm believers that great coffee starts on the farm. That’s why we source directly and only use specialty-grade beans. But not every roaster does. Poor quality coffee often starts with beans that were never going to taste good no matter what you do. Maybe they were moldy or bug-bitten. Maybe they were old before they even got roasted. You can’t roast your way out of a bad bean. When Processing Goes Wrong Even good beans can go bad if the processing isn’t done carefully. Rushed fermentation, poor sorting, or damp drying conditions can wreck the flavor. We’ve tasted coffees where every sip revealed a different flaw. At Ember, we just don’t touch that kind of lot. Every bean we roast has been handled cleanly, dried right, and respected for the flavor it’s meant to have. Roasting: The Make-or-Break Moment Roasting’s our obsession. It’s half science, half art, and fully the thing that can make or ruin a coffee. When roasting’s lazy or careless, with no testing, no tweaking, and no respect for the bean, you taste it right away. Over-roasted coffee tastes burnt and flat. Under-roasted tastes grassy or sour. And if the coffee’s roasted fine but left sitting for months, it loses all life. You end up with something that tastes tired. That’s why we roast in small batches, use air roasting, and stamp every bag with the date so you know it’s still singing when you brew. The Brew: Where It All Comes Together So you’ve got great beans, a fresh roast, and proper storage, but the cup still stinks. Been there. Brewing mistakes can totally ruin a good coffee. Grind too fine or too coarse. Use old filters, bad water, or dirty equipment. Off temperatures can also throw everything off. It all matters. At the café, we obsess over the details. But at home, even a few tweaks—rinsing filters, using filtered water, cleaning your gear—can make a huge difference. How to Spot Bad Coffee Once you know what to look for, it’s easy to tell when coffee’s off. Bitter or sour to the point you need sugar? Dead aroma? Weirdly inconsistent flavor from cup to cup? Those are big red flags. Sometimes it’s got a cardboard, ashy, or even musty aftertaste. Sometimes it just feels wrong—thin, oily, or oddly flat. The key is paying attention. Once you notice, you’ll never un-notice. How to Avoid It Start with fresh beans. Always check the roast date. Store them in airtight containers away from light and heat. Keep your equipment clean. And don’t be shy about asking questions at your local shop. A good roaster will be proud to tell you where the coffee came from, how it was processed, and when it was roasted. At Ember, we love those conversations. It means you care. And that makes you our kind of coffee person. Why It Matters Coffee isn’t just caffeine. It’s ritual, comfort, a little slice of calm in the middle of chaos. You deserve better than “okay.” You deserve a cup that feels alive, one that gives you warmth, clarity, and maybe even a bit of joy. Bad coffee steals that. And honestly, life’s too short for that kind of theft. Final Sip Next time your coffee tastes off, don’t just shrug it off. Ask what went wrong—bean, roast, or brew—and fix just one piece of the puzzle. You’ll be amazed what changes. And hey, if you’re ever near Big Lake, MN, stop by Ember. Let’s share a cup and talk coffee. Because better coffee’s not some secret. Because you deserve it. Because it’s Ember.