Coffee is having a moment in Nigeria. New data from Google Trends shows Nigerians are searching for chilled coffee, dessert-inspired lattes and easy ways to make café-style drinks at home, as coffee becomes a bigger part of how people relax, catch up with friends and treat themselves.
The insights, released following International Coffee Day on 1 October, reveal the drinks Nigerians are most curious about this year and the old favourites they keep coming back to.
Cold brew is the fastest-rising coffee search in the country this year. It is coffee made slowly with cold water, which gives a smooth, refreshing drink that makes perfect sense in the Lagos heat. The flat white, a smaller and stronger cousin of the latte, and drip coffee, the classic filter coffee, also saw searches shoot up. Instant coffee made the top five as well, proof that the tin of instant coffee in the kitchen cupboard still has plenty of loyal fans.
Nigerians also have a sweet tooth when it comes to coffee. The hazelnut latte is the country’s top trending latte of 2026, followed by the red velvet latte, the cold brew latte, the banana latte and the Spanish latte. Red velvet, a favourite at birthdays and celebrations, and banana, a snack most of us grew up with, are now finding their way into coffee cups. The Spanish latte is sweetened with condensed milk, a treat many Nigerians will remember from childhood.
More people also want the café experience without leaving the house. The French press, a glass jug with a plunger that makes rich coffee in a few minutes, is the fastest-rising coffee gadget in searches. The trusty kettle remains the most searched piece of coffee equipment, with coffeemakers, espresso machines and grinders close behind, as Nigerians try their hand at making something special for themselves, their families and their guests.
Even with all this experimenting, the classics hold firm. Espresso is still the most searched coffee in Nigeria, followed by the latte, the cappuccino, the mocha and iced coffee.
For many people, the journey to a great cup starts with a search, whether they are looking for a café nearby or a cold brew recipe to try at home. With AI built into Google Search, people can now ask questions the way they would ask a friend, such as which coffee is the least bitter or how to make a Spanish latte at home, and get helpful answers in seconds.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, West Africa at Google, said: “We’re thrilled to see how much fun Nigerians are having with coffee. People are trying new flavours, hosting friends with drinks they have made themselves and putting a local twist on a global favourite. Whether you are searching for a red velvet latte recipe or the best French press for a small kitchen, Search, with AI built in, makes it easier than ever to go from a simple question to a great cup of coffee.”
Google Trends coffee insights for Nigeria, 2026
| Rank | Top trending coffee types | Most searched coffee types | Top trending lattes | Most searched coffee-making equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cold brew coffee | Espresso | Hazelnut latte | Kettle |
| 2 | Flat white | Latte | Red velvet latte | Coffeemaker |
| 3 | Drip coffee | Cappuccino | Cold brew latte | Espresso machine |
| 4 | Espresso | Mocha | Banana latte | Coffee grinder |
| 5 | Instant coffee | Iced coffee | Spanish latte | French press |
How to read the data: Most searched shows the coffees people looked up the most overall this year. Trending shows the searches that grew the fastest compared with the previous year.
