For a long time tea was always the nations favourite drink but it seems coffee has overtaken tea as our favourite brew.
The Study
Tilney, the financial planner, has conducted a study, The Cost of Tomorrow ,which concludes that the average UK household spends £2,585 on coffee over the course of their lifetime, which is 60% more than is spent on tea. The group who spend the most on coffee are those aged 50-64 who spend on average £52 on coffee each year, millennials spend £31.20 each a year. Millennials spend the least on tea, only £10.40 each year.
But it is more than just what we like to drink. Coffee has changed the way our High Street looks. Over the past 17 years there has been a 20 fold increase in coffee shops from 215 in 1998 to 4,234 in 2015. For many the coffee shop has in some ways become the new pub as a place where people meet and socialise.
In addition, sales of cakes have also increased in part due to the growth in coffee shops. Figures show that we not only spend £2585 over a lifetime on coffee we also spend £11,520 on cakes, buns and biscuits!
We also have more sophisticated tastes. Imagine going into a coffee shop now and simply asking for a coffee. We are instead presented with an array of drinks including lattes, flat whites, cappuccinos. We are also wanting to recreate that great coffee at home with prosumer coffee machines on the rise as well as people attending barista courses to learn more about the best way to make a great espresso.
So as a nation our tastes have changed. Tea is now officially not the nations favourite brew, its coffee ! We would certainly second that