Walk into any coffee shop in 2025 and you might be overwhelmed by the number of options, from protein-packed cold foam add-ons to tiramisu-topped lattes and matcha everything.
These drinks, sometimes referred to as “little treats” online, are the daily indulgences that Gen Z has come to be known for. Not to be mistaken with a run-of-the-mill cup of black coffee purely consumed as fuel, these tricked-out drinks are meant to provide a break from the mundane or stressful parts of everyday life. The experience is all about whimsy, fun, and inclusivity, piling on layers of bright colors and flavors in the form of syrups, purées, and cold foam.
Many industries — including the booze biz — have been trying to find the key to unlock Gen Z spending with limited success. Wine and spirits companies cite Gen Z penny pinching as a pain point, but the little treat economy seems to have cracked the code, with swarms of eager customers lining up each weekend to spend $16 on the latest layered, cream-topped creation. So what is it about these drinks that have such a pull on younger generations?
Going Viral
Similar to the massive 2010s-era popularity of Starbucks’ “secret menu” frappuccinos and maximalist milkshakes, the boom of out-of-the-box specialty coffee drinks in the last five years has a lot to do with social media. The current wave takes many forms, from rainbow smoothies to literal buckets of coffee — but as long as the drink is aesthetically pleasing, highly customizable, and sweet, it’ll stick.
One commonality across many of Instagram’s buzziest beverages is the addition of a thick layer of cream or foam. The origins of cold foam in specialty coffee can be traced back to many different cultural traditions, including the Viennese Einspänner (espresso topped with whipped cream) and Korea’s whipped Dalgona coffee that exploded on TikTok in 2020. The modern cream drinks popularized in the U.S. are influenced by Greek, Korean, Japanese, and Italian flavors and ingredients. And, it seems, a layer of frothy cream atop an espresso-based drink is popular with young people no matter what you call it.
Alphabet Cafe in Montreal, Canada, has drawn lines for its iced drinks crowned with a thick layer of fluffy foam since July 2023. Co-owner Tony Argiropoulos attributes much of the cafe’s success to the traditional drink of Greece, the Freddo Cappuccino, an iced beverage of shaken espresso and cold, frothy milk.
Each Freddo drink is carefully assembled in a sunlit corner of the coffee shop’s counter — optimized for videos and customer interaction. Its most popular version of the Freddo is the Amour with bright pink foam, and once the first few viral videos surfaced online, Alphabet had lines of people down the block, each waiting to snap a video of its dramatic preparation.
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“[The drink] became extremely popular. It’s really because of TikTok and Instagram. It demands beauty and Instagramability,” Argiropoulos says. “And our drinks fall into that category, but they’re also authentic to our heritage.” Aside from Freddos, Alphabet also has its own coffee roasting company, Ambros Coffee, and a newly launched matcha powder brand, ABC Matcha. While the business’s success can’t be entirely credited to the satisfying, fluffy cold foam videos, it’s a big component of Alphabet’s marketing strategy.
Similarly, Los Angeles’s Couplet Coffee is known for its bright colors and playful brand personality, a stark contrast to the usual serious and pretentious tone of the specialty coffee industry. Originally a pop-up concept, the flagship location’s menu includes drinks like a Bananas n’ Cream matcha or its “mega viral” Coke n’ Cream Spro — Coke mixed with espresso and topped with vanilla sweet cream foam. The big coffee chains are in on it, too — Starbucks tops just about every one of its specialty drinks with its photogenic cold foam and Dunkin’ hopped on the trend with candy bar and cereal milk flavored lattes earlier this year.
“Every coffee shop is now serving some crazy flavor situation, and I think that’s the new norm,” explains coffee content creator Vivian, who goes by @coffeebae97 online. “A couple years ago this was not the case at all.” Vivian’s been making playful coffee content since 2020. “Back then, there was no such thing as a ‘coffee influencer.’ Things have changed so much, and I think it’s at its peak.”
L.A.-based coffee roaster and shop, Maru, ignited a social media frenzy when it launched its specialty Creamtop coffee in 2018. It caused such a fuss that the brand famously stopped offering the cream top add-on to its other drinks as it felt the aesthetic ingredient was pulling attention from the quality of its coffee. “Although that choice sparked conversations, it reflected our commitment to maintaining focus on the coffee itself,” Maru’s co-owner Joonmo Kim says.
Maru recently opened its first location in Brooklyn and the team decided to remove the Creamtop drink from the menu for the first two weeks of the new location’s operation in an effort to cull the droves of fans only looking for indulgent, Instagrammable treats. Its Brooklyn menu now includes the famous Creamtop alongside newer signature drinks like the Bon Bon or a classic vanilla bean latte.
“The price I pay per coffee at a coffee shop is usually way cheaper than a cocktail out at a bar. I can get a little coffee drink out everyday and make it a part of my routine; it’s like my reward for getting up and going to work.”
Though viral videos are what feed the little treat drink trend, its popularity doesn’t exclusively exist online. Specialty coffee consumption numbers in the U.S. are at a 14-year high, according to the National Coffee Association, and, simultaneously, the world of alternative caffeine options like matcha and energy drinks, continues to boom at an unprecedented rate, according to 2024 data from Research & Markets.
Cold Foam Community
The appeal of this trend goes beyond head-turning banana bread matchas and carrot cake lattes: These coffee shops create an approachable space for people to gather and share experiences. The fun flavor combinations and accessible approach to the (sometimes intimidating) world of specialty coffee welcomes a community of sweet treat lovers and coffee aficionados, both online and in person, with open arms.
Gen Z is increasingly looking for inclusive spaces to socialize outside of the usual suspects of alcohol-centric bars and pricey restaurants. The solution for many has been to flock to coffee shops, both during the day and late-night.
In addition to providing an inclusive, accessible space, over-the-top coffee drinks appeal to consumers because they don’t need a specialized certificate in order to enjoy them. While some drinks like wine can have an air of pretension around them, a bright pink and green latte with a cloud-like texture feels like it’s for everyone to enjoy. And you don’t need to have deep knowledge on the topic to order one.
“When I worked at a coffee shop in a college town, I realized that most people my age don’t even really know what they’re ordering,” says an anonymous Gen Z source. “They like the syrups and the way the specialty drink names sound, but not a lot of people really know much about espresso-to-milk ratios or different drink formats. But they’ll come in and order these loaded drinks every single day.”
Not So ‘Little’ Price Tag
The data shows that Gen Z drinks alcohol just as much as older generations, but when it comes to on-premise consumption, booze has struggled to connect with Gen Z consumers. According to new data from the Harris Poll, Gen Z diners spend less money on cocktails while out at dinner when compared to other generations.
Outside of the big chains like 7 Brew and Dutch Bros, specialty coffee is generally expensive. But, time and time again, we see that young people are willing to pay for coffee plus the price of special additives and customizations. Drinks at some of the buzziest shops in New York City, with house-made syrups, whips, and cold foams, go anywhere from $10 to $18 each before tip. Enly’s Tiramisu Matcha Latte will run you $12, and Matchaful’s viral rainbow Addison Rae collab drink will set you back $10.50. But for those willing to wait in line to order one, it’s well worth the price for the opportunity to participate in the online conversation.
“The price I pay per coffee at a coffee shop is usually way cheaper than a cocktail out at a bar. I can get a little coffee drink out everyday and make it a part of my routine; it’s like my reward for getting up and going to work,” shares an anonymous Gen Z source. “If I want to drink, I’m more worried about how much it’s going to cost me throughout the night and I’m not necessarily concerned about if I’ll enjoy the alcohol or how it’ll taste.”
Though these drinks are notably more expensive than making a cup of coffee or tea at home, Gen Z consumers are willing to shell out for them because they know what they’ll get: a delicious caffeinated drink and a photo or video with high potential to go viral. Maybe for Gen Z consumers who are still figuring out their relationship with alcohol, it’s better to spend $12 on a matcha latte they’re familiar with than try a $16 glass of Chenin Blanc that might not hit. At least the matcha will get a lot of views on Reels.
Dessert-themed lattes and celebrity-backed smoothies have become a part of everyday life, routines, and reward systems for young people, all reinforced by an online community of other sweet treat lovers online and in person. Ironically, it’s very seldom about the actual coffee or matcha within the drink, but more about the energizing caffeine, comforting and tasty flavors, and the rewarding feeling of taking a sweet little break from the hustle and bustle of the everyday.
