By Colleen Luckett and Perry Luckett

A new trend is emerging in specialty coffee that is beginning to take the U.S. coffee industry by storm.  Single-serve pour-over coffee is here, and based on the numbers, we believe it will be here to stay.

This concept has existed in Asia for more than 30 years.  When I was living in Japan and often dashing to work at my English-language school, I found the single-serve pour-over convenient and tasty.  Later, I discovered Japan is leading the global market in terms of volume at more than 2 billion single-serve pour-overs annually.  Perhaps more surprising is that the single-serve’s annual global volume is 3.2 billion pouches, equating to more than 55 million pounds of coffee per year sold in these cozy little filters. 

Although this delivery method for coffee may be something you haven’t heard of, you’ll likely be seeing it product sold nationwide at a retailer near you very soon.  Several U.S. based early adapters are marketing it.  Among the brands that have already gone to market are

• Virgin Islands Coffee Roasters (St. Thomas, USVI)

• Coffee Blenders (San Diego, CA)

• Hawaii Coffee Company's Lion Coffee (Honolulu, Hawaii)

• Copper Cow Coffee (Los Angeles, CA)

• Alumbre Coffee (Renton, WA)

• Libra Coffee (San Diego, CA)

• Twin Peaks Coffee (San Diego, CA)

With less impact on the environment, a lower cost to manufacture compared to a single cup, and the quality of coffee this delivery method brews, we believe the single-cup coffee market might just have some new competition in town.  More than 60% of U.S. consumers drink coffee daily, and 41% of consumers claim to own a single serve cup machine.  So people obviously love their coffee, and many want it quickly and conveniently. 

But you no longer need to own an expensive single-cup machine to enjoy one cup of coffee.  With a single-serve pour-over you can brew the coffee nearly anywhere.  Whether you're hiking through the mountains or out fishing in the middle of a lake, all you need is a thermos with hot water to brew a craft quality pour-over.  With the explosion of cold brew, debut of functional coffees, and the launch of the portable pour-over, the coffee segment is enjoying innovation from all directions.

Perhaps you’ve switched from a drip brewer to a single-serve machine because you consider it a waste to brew a full pot of coffee.  Or maybe you’ve been apprehensive about using a drip coffee machine, so you’ve found comfort in a Keurig or similar method that makes brewing easier.  But if you’re like me, you’ve also found most single-brew coffee weak and less flavorful than a coffee-shop Americano or drip-based cuppa.  If so, you’ll find a single-serve pour-over removes the intimidation of the machine while providing a quick, convenient, and a very good cup of coffee.

Have you used single-serve pouches? Share your experience in the Comments section below.