It seems that there’s a coffee shop on every street corner these days, whether it’s a multinational such as Starbucks or Costa, or a local trader turning their love of the bean into a business opportunity.
And as the number of coffee shops has exploded, so has the breadth of choice we’re being offered in them – we explored this subject in some depth in our earlier blog, The Ultimate Guide to Different Types of Coffee.
At the same time, the coffee machines in our workplaces and other locations are becoming increasingly sophisticated, able to offer almost as much choice as those specialist cafes.
But do the statistics back up the feeling that we are now all coffee aficionados rather than still being a nation of tea drinkers?
How coffee habits have changed since the beginning of the century
There’s no escaping it – as a nation, we’re drinking more and more coffee every year. In fact, the British Coffee Association reported in 2022 that we’re now getting through some 98 million cups every day, up from 70 million in 2008. That represents an increase of 40% in just 14 years!
Coffee v tea: which is more popular in the UK?
Traditionalists may be unhappy to discover that such is the popularity of coffee as a hot drink of choice that it may now have overtaken that most British of all beverages, the cup of tea. Recent research released by Statista tells us that 63% of us are now regularly drinking coffee, while only 59% of us are regularly opting for a cuppa.
Similar trends are being reflected in our shopping habits, with Kantar reporting that almost twice as many packets of coffee (533 million) as packets of tea (287 million) were sold in UK supermarkets in the year up to March 2023.
In terms of actual volume, things are a lot closer, with the latest figures released by the UK Tea & Infusions Association telling us that we drink around 100 million cups of tea a day compared to that figure of 98 million for coffee.
Given all this, which of those many types of coffee that we’re all drinking so much more of are proving most popular with UK palates?
The five most popular coffee drinks in the UK
Blue Coffee Box has taken data from a number of sources and used it to generate what it reckons are the five coffees most commonly ordered in UK cafes.
These are:
Flat White (22.3%)
Americano (22%)
Latte (18%)
Cappuccino (11.9%)
White Americano (10.3%)
If correct, this would mean that while we are certainly prepared to get experimental with the coffee we order occasionally, for the most part we tend to stick with more conservative varieties.
Trends in coffee drinking for 2024
The future is certainly looking rosy for the coffee industry, but how are we likely to see it develop in the next twelve months? Here are three trends to look out for in the coming year:
- New coffee from new countries – we’re getting our coffee from more and more different countries, and ‘bespoke food consultants’ Egg Soldiers think that Vietnam could be one to watch out for in particular as a new source of high-quality craft coffee.
- Increased use of plant-based milks – when the only alternative to traditional cow’s milk was soya, coffee drinkers were often left short thanks to its tendency to curdle. Alternative milks such as oat and almond don’t curdle when added to coffee and have already been making inroads, but new varieties like pistachio and even potato may also start to gain new converts.
- Adding healthy extras – if you want more than a caffeine hit from your morning coffee, 2024 could well see producers adding health giving ingredients such as adaptogens (like holy basil or lion’s mane), vitamins or even CBD.
Here at Nu Vending, we’re committed to ensuring that our coffee machines are always providing all our customers with the widest choice of quality coffees that reflect the tastes and preferences of those using them.
If you want to bring the latest generation of vending machines and coffee machines into your business, get in touch with the team at Nu Vending today. We supply vending solutions to customers across London and the South East.
