From flavored foam to ‘Friends,’ how coffee creamer became a $5 billion category

[Romanos]

Stroll down the dairy aisle of your local grocer, and you’ll likely find a growing array of coffee creamers with so many flavors that it practically rivals sweets and sodas.

Once, hazelnut and French vanilla were the only creamer options. Those quaint days are long gone, with wacky flavors (Snickers, anyone?), sprayable foams and even TV-themed options like “Friends” and “The White Lotus,” hitting store shelves to satisfy America’s seemingly endless thirst for creamers.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/16/food/coffee-creamer-popularity/index.html

 

[tango]

If you drink cheap and nasty coffee you need to put something in it to mask the taste

 

[Lamb]

Coffee is too strong as is for my belly and I need the creamer to take away that harshness. Otherwise I'm in pain all day.

 

[Romanos]

Coffee is too strong as is for my belly and I need the creamer to take away that harshness. Otherwise I'm in pain all day.

What’s your favorite flavor?

 

[Lamb]

What’s your favorite flavor?

Caramel Macchiato.

 

[tango]

Coffee is too strong as is for my belly and I need the creamer to take away that harshness. Otherwise I'm in pain all day.

If coffee causes you problems like that why don't you drink something else instead?

 

[Lamb]

If coffee causes you problems like that why don't you drink something else instead?

I like the taste when it has creamer with it and I like the little bit of caffeine that decaf gives me. I can't have too many other types of drinks. I don't drink juices and anything with a fake sugar (aspartame, sucralose, etc) causes inflammation in my body. I'm allergic to tea. My options are really limited.

 

[tango]

I like the taste when it has creamer with it and I like the little bit of caffeine that decaf gives me. I can't have too many other types of drinks. I don't drink juices and anything with a fake sugar (aspartame, sucralose, etc) causes inflammation in my body. I'm allergic to tea. My options are really limited.

Can you drink any juice at all, or is that a preference thing?

My wife and I found water got tedious and we didn't want the sugar that comes with regular fizzy drinks or the fake sugars that come with diet drinks. We use a Soda Stream to fizz water and add a splash of key lime juice to it. It gives it a bit of flavor so it's not bland like water but it's still more or less zero calorie and doesn't have any nasty additives in it.

Did you try herbal teas? We've found some interesting options there. Alternatively, in the summer time, try mint water. It's pretty simple - take a decent sprig of mint and put it in a French press, pour boiling water over it and let it steep for a while. Then plunge and drink. It can be surprisingly refreshing in the summertime. And mint grows like a weed so if you have even a tiny yard you can grow it at home.

 

[Lamb]

Can you drink any juice at all, or is that a preference thing?

My wife and I found water got tedious and we didn't want the sugar that comes with regular fizzy drinks or the fake sugars that come with diet drinks. We use a Soda Stream to fizz water and add a splash of key lime juice to it. It gives it a bit of flavor so it's not bland like water but it's still more or less zero calorie and doesn't have any nasty additives in it.

Did you try herbal teas? We've found some interesting options there. Alternatively, in the summer time, try mint water. It's pretty simple - take a decent sprig of mint and put it in a French press, pour boiling water over it and let it steep for a while. Then plunge and drink. It can be surprisingly refreshing in the summertime. And mint grows like a weed so if you have even a tiny yard you can grow it at home.

I've just never been into drinking juices. As for herbal teas, all teas close up my throat and I've tried as many different kinds as I could find. I used to love chamomile.

 

[tango]

I've just never been into drinking juices. As for herbal teas, all teas close up my throat and I've tried as many different kinds as I could find. I used to love chamomile.

I was never really into drinking juice but these days enjoy a glass of orange juice in the morning. It's not something I'd want to drink in great quantity through the day because of the sugar content, even if it is natural sugar.

If all sorts of different herbs close your throat is it the herb or the heat that's doing it? Obviously you know your situation better than I ever will, it just seems strange that a huge and diverse range of herbs should all have the same effect.

 

[Lamb]

I was never really into drinking juice but these days enjoy a glass of orange juice in the morning. It's not something I'd want to drink in great quantity through the day because of the sugar content, even if it is natural sugar.

If all sorts of different herbs close your throat is it the herb or the heat that's doing it? Obviously you know your situation better than I ever will, it just seems strange that a huge and diverse range of herbs should all have the same effect.

I have a lot of plant allergies, so I have to be very careful. As I get older, I acquire even more allergies which is completely annoying.

 

[tango]

I have a lot of plant allergies, so I have to be very careful. As I get older, I acquire even more allergies which is completely annoying.

That doesn't sound like much fun at all.

 

[Lamb]

That doesn't sound like much fun at all.

It isn't. Compound that with my PEG allergy after receiving the covid vaccine and I have to be even more careful.

 

[tango]

It isn't. Compound that with my PEG allergy after receiving the covid vaccine and I have to be even more careful.

PEG? Polyethylene glycol?