How to Liven Up Café Drinks Without Relying on Sweeteners

A look at the industry’s “sugar craze” + easy ways to amp up beverages sans sweeteners.

BY EMILY JOY MENESES
ONLINE EDITOR

Featured photo courtesy of Getty Images

For many of today’s consumers, coffee is no longer just coffee: It’s a sweet treat, a chance to unwind, and an opportunity to get creative with tons of syrups and flavors.

But while industry trends like cold foam, fruit purees, and colorful additives have been a boon for café sales, it also raises an important question for the industry: Is sugar becoming a problem amongst modern coffee drinkers?

Today, we’ll explore the issue and discuss how to keep your recipes exciting without over-relying on sweeteners.

A shift in taste

Recent consumer data suggests that younger drinkers are driving a major departure from traditional coffee habits: A 2024 survey found that only 18% of Americans now prefer black coffee—a dramatic drop from just a few years ago.

Instead, younger consumers (primarily those of the Gen Z and Gen Alpha generations) are gravitating toward beverages where coffee plays more of a supporting role—layered with syrups, milk, and toppings, and often served iced.

Further propelling this shift, social media platforms have turned drinks into visual experiences, where color, texture, and indulgence matter as much as flavor. Sweetness, in particular, has become a key focus.

For younger consumers, sugary coffee drinks feel approachable and fun—a far cry from the straight-forward, sometimes intimidating persona of black coffee.

From a business standpoint, this trend has been lucrative. Chains and independent cafés alike have expanded menus to include more flavored options, seasonal specials, and dessert-like beverages. But nutritionally, the picture is a bit more complicated.

The reality behind the drink

What’s tricky about this shift in consumer behavior is that coffee drinkers are beginning to turn sweet treats into a regular habit, getting sweet drinks daily or even multiple times a day. At the same time, many popular coffee drinks now rival or even exceed the sugar content of sodas and desserts.

Flavored lattes and blended drinks can contain upwards of 60 grams of added sugar in a single serving, while the daily recommended limit for most adults is 50 grams.

Even more alarmingly, a frozen coffee drink from one popular coffee chain which we’ll keep unnamed contains, on average, 100 grams of sugar: double the amount we’re advised to consume in an entire day.

Over time, regular consumption of high-sugar beverages has been linked to a range of health concerns, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

And for Gen Alpha—many of whom are being introduced to coffee through these sweetened drinks—the concern is even more forward-looking. Exposure to high-sugar beverages could shape taste preferences and health outcomes for years to come.

How to liven up your drinks without relying on sugar

As industry leaders become aware of the long-term effects of high sugar consumption, they’re increasingly experimenting with ways to keep drinks exciting without primarily relying on sugar and syrups.

Embrace cocktail bitters

Cocktail bitters have long been a bartending staple, but in recent years, they’ve also made a leap into the café space. “I use bitters all the time,” says Sam Linscott, founder of North Carolina-based coffee cart Heart Coffee Co. “They add complexity, depth, and flavor without adding extra sugar, sweetener, or syrup.”

Just as bitters can round out a cocktail’s sweetness, amplify aromatics, or introduce complementary flavors, they can do the same for coffee. Their versatility also makes them ideal for both espresso-based beverages and brewed coffee; hot drinks and cold drinks.

The power of a touch of salt

Like bitters, a sprinkle of salt can make all the difference in your café recipes. Some coffee shops are already experimenting with saline solutions or lightly salted foam to create more balanced drinks that don’t rely on heavy syrups. It’s a subtle shift, but one that offers baristas a creative way to build complexity while keeping sugar levels in check.

Focus on the coffee

Perhaps one of the most powerful things you can do is focus on the coffee itself—by taking the time to regularly dial in your espresso and training your team to brew in ways that best highlight the coffee’s inherent flavors.

Everyday, baristas are coming up with new ways to make coffee taste better. For example, we recently spoke to 2025 Philippine Barista Champion Michael Harris Conlin, about his latest venture, the Better Vessel: a tool he created to reduce bitterness in espresso by removing crema.

“My hope and dream for the Better Vessel is that it can help make espresso more welcoming and enjoyable for a wider audience,” says Michael. “By removing the bitter, harsh, and astringent components that often come from crema, we can highlight the natural sweetness, clarity, and balance of espresso.”

“I believe this can open the door for more people to move beyond sugar-filled coffee drinks and begin enjoying espresso in its purest form,” he adds.

The responsibility of the café

For the people creating café experiences for consumers, there comes a certain level of responsibility—which means looking out for your clients’ health by being transparent about your ingredients, educating your customer base, and providing alternatives when necessary.

The concern around sugar consumption doesn’t mean the industry needs to abandon creativity or indulgence altogether; rather, it presents an opportunity to discover all-new ways to make coffee a memorable and enjoyable experience.

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