A worker prepares a coffee in New York. Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images New York —
Coffee drinkers are in for a jolt long before their first sip.
Retail coffee prices in the United States in August jumped nearly 21% compared to the same month last year — the largest annual jump since October 1997, according to the latest Consumer Price Index, released Thursday. On a monthly basis, coffee prices rose 4%, the most in 14 years.
Coffee drinkers have President Donald Trump’s tariffs to blame, in part. The United States is largest importer of coffee in the world and it relies on foreign countries for the beans, given there are very few places it can grow domestically. Nearly all – 99% – of coffee consumed in the United States is imported, according to the National Coffee Association