According to the British Coffee Association,  Britons drink 98 million cups of coffee every day. And although 80% of UK households buy instant coffee for in-home consumption (particularly those aged 65 and older), ground coffee and single-serve coffee pods are becoming increasingly popular, particularly among Gen Zers and millennials (aged 16 – 34), who account for 16% of all buyers. Furthermore, the consumption of cold brew coffee is also rapidly expanding. Similar to ground coffee and single serve, cold brew is preferred by younger consumers and has untapped potential throughout the UK. (For more information see T&CTJ’s feature: Cold brew experiences growth in the UK market).

In terms of out-of-home consumption, the café culture is booming. The BCA reports that 80% of those who visit coffee shops do so once a week and 16% of the population visit once a day.

Given that that the café culture is surging, Germany-based coffee blog Coffeeness researched the best UK cities for coffee lovers, taking a variety of factors into account, including the number of coffee shops and coffee roasters as well as coffee pricing, search trends and annual coffee festivals and events. Interestingly, the top 25 cities are in England. Coffeeness found that the top ten best cities in the UK for coffee enthusiasts, in order are:

1. Salford
2. London
3. Preston
4. Bath
5. Brighton & Hove
6. Liverpool
7. Durham
8. Peterborough
9. Wells
10. Leicester

According to Coffeeness, which used Yelp as its main source for calculating the number of cafés, cake shops and coffee roasters in any given city, Salford is by far, the best UK city for coffee lovers in terms of accessibility to good quality coffee. It’s also one of the most affordable cities for coffee. Conversely, London is one of the cities in which the average cost for a cup of coffee is highest (topped by only Ely in Cambridgeshire).

Other ‘most affordable coffee cities’ include the cathedral city of Durham – where a cup of coffee is £2.81 on average – followed by Peterborough, Chelmsford, and Salford.

The research finds that London’s café culture is really thriving. The city – which now boasts more than 4,100 coffee shops – ranks highest overall when it comes to coffee festivals and events.

Per Coffeeness, Sunderland, located in North East England, ranks as the least favourable UK city for coffee lovers. And while Bristol ranks fairly low in terms of coffee accessibility and quality, it comes in second for coffee culture and interest.

For the full report on the best cities in the UK for coffee lovers, click here.

Vanessa L Facenda, editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
Keep in touch via email: vanessa@bellpublishing.com Twitter: @TCTradeJournal or LinkedIn: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

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Coffeeness reports that the most popular iced coffee beverage globally is the frappe, with 35 countries naming it their most preferred iced coffee drink. According to Coffeeness, frappe was the most searched-for iced coffee drink in Africa, Europe, Asia and South America. The frappe is a French coffee drink (originating from lait frappe, ‘milkshake’) that is made of espresso shots mixed with cold water, cold milk, sugar and ice cubes. Instead of being stirred, the mixture is beaten, shaken or blended to combine the ingredients and produce a creamy, frothy and icy drink.

Iced coffee latte, frappuccino, cold brew coffee (although cold brew is actually a brewing method and not technically ‘iced’ coffee) and Spanish latte rounded out the top five spots for the most popular iced coffee beverages around the world. [For the full report by Coffeeness click here.]

Emerging second on the list is the iced vanilla latte, which is loved in 14 countries across the globe. These include Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Luxembourg, Iceland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Iced vanilla lattes are made by mixing milk, espresso and vanilla syrup, which is then served over ice cubes.

Although often confused for a frappe, the third most popular iced coffee beverage – the frappuccino – is different from a frappe. A frappuccino is made using strong brewed coffee or espresso, which is then blended with milk, sweeteners, ice, syrups, sugar and any other flavor of choice. Whipped cream and chocolate shavings are also added as garnishes. Frappuccinos are sweeter than frappes, have more calories and come in a variety of flavours. They are popular in 12 countries including Belgium, Chile, Egypt, Jamaica, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Trinidad and Tobago.

The fourth most popular iced coffee beverage is cold brew, which again, is not actually iced coffee because as the name implies, ‘cold brew’ is a brewing method. Cold brew is achieved by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for 12-24 hours. This brewing method allows the coffee grounds to slowly release their flavour, aroma and essential oils, resulting in an aromatic, chocolatey, low-acidity flavour profile. Cold brew is the preferred coffee drink in countries like Brazil, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Poland, Norway and Singapore. It is also popular in Turkey, outdoing the famous Turkish coffee on its home ground, according to Coffeeness. [Side note, cold brew is extremely popular in the US and is drunk year round by many consumers not just in summer months.]

The Spanish latte rounds out Coffeeness’s list of the top five most popular iced coffees globally. It is a creamy drink made of an espresso shot mixed with sweetened condensed milk and milk. It is popular in six countries, including Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Spanish lattes are sweeter than regular lattes but aren’t as sweet as the common flavoured lattes, Coffeeness notes.

Interestingly, there are two additional drinks Coffeeness referenced that I had never heard of before: eiskaffee and mazagran. Per the website, eiskaffee is a coffee variation made using vanilla ice cream, chilled coffee and topped with whipped cream, which is popular in Austria and Germany.

Mazagran originated in Algeria and is a tart and tangy drink that’s diluted and served cold in a glass. It is popular in France and Portugal, per Coffeeness.

Of course, no matter the country or time of year, it is always fun to be adventurous to try a new type or different style of coffee — hot or cold/iced. Although, since we’re in the midst of our third heat wave of summer in New York City (averaging 32°C/94°F excluding the humidity!), I’m definitely opting for a cold coffee when I head out this afternoon, and perhaps try something new…

• Vanessa L Facenda, editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
  Keep in touch via email: vanessa@bellpublishing.com Twitter: @TCTradeJournal or LinkedIn: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

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The Coffeeness study reported that “cappuccino is easily the most popular coffee drink in the world,” and is preferred by 24 countries, including Albania, Austria, France, Kenya, Spain, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands. (Fun fact: the word “cappuccino” is an Italian term derived from the word cappuccino meaning “hood.” The friars and nuns of the Capuchin order wore hoods of a similar colour, hence the name cappuccino, meaning “small hood.”)

The second most popular coffee drink, according to the survey, is espresso. Coffeeness found it to be preferred in 14 countries globally, including Canada, Pakistan, Germany, Iceland, Greece, Egypt and the United States. (Fun fact: the name is derived from the Italian word esprimere which means “squeeze out.” Apparently, the name stuck because the drink is quickly made on the spot at the customer’s request.)

My skepticism arose after reading the countries where cappuccino and espresso rank as the most popular. I’m shocked that Italy is not on the list for either cappuccino or espresso, and yet, espresso ranks as the most popular drink in the United States? “Espresso-based” or “espresso-blended” I can see, but I find it hard to believe ‘pure espresso’ is the top drink in the US (whether purchased in coffee shops or prepared at home) but fails to make the list in Italy.

Black coffee, according to the Coffeeness study, took third place and is the most popular coffee drink in 12 countries, including Bulgaria, Israel, Jordan, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

The Americano is most popular in 10 countries, including Argentina, Costa Rica, Italy, South Korea and Uruguay. It is also popular in South America. (Fun fact: An americano is made by mixing an espresso shot with some hot water for a smoother, less intense cup of coffee. The drink was reportedly made famous during World War II, when American soldiers stationed in Italy would mix Italian espresso shots with water. They did this to get coffee that was similar to what they were used to.)

Per the study, mocha is the most popular choice in six countries: Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Japan, Mauritius, New Zealand and Vietnam. I am surprised that in Vietnam, the most popular drink is not Vietnamese coffee, which, served hot or cold has ample condensed milk in it.

Latte, Irish coffee, flat white, macchiato and iced coffee tied for the sixth spot. According to Coffeeness, they are all popular in four countries spanning Asia, Europe, South America and the United States.

Latte is popular in Brazil, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Irish coffee is popular in Finland, Ireland (of course), Norway and Sweden. Irish coffee is not a coffee drink sold in typical coffee shops, rather in restaurants and bars as it an alcoholic beverage: coffee spiked with whiskey, sweetened with some sugar and has whipped cream on the top.

Flat white (coffee made by mixing two espresso shots with steamed milk, without adding any froth on top) is popular in the Czech Republic, Qatar, Poland and Denmark. It originated in Australia and New Zealand but has gained popularity in Europe and the Middle East.

Espresso macchiato is popular in Honduras, Australia, Albania and the United Kingdom. It is a sort of cross between espresso and cappuccino, as the espresso macchiato has a coffee-to-milk ratio of 1:2

Iced coffee – not cold brew coffee – is the preferred drink in Nicaragua, Chile, Norway and the Philippines.

Cortado, frappuccino and Turkish coffee came in at the bottom of the list, each being popular in less than three countries. According to Coffeeness, these coffee drinks are so low on the list because they are mainly associated with certain destinations and have not yet been widely embraced by the rest of the world.

I’m not sure how valid or accurate the study is given that it is based on ‘Google search volumes analysis’ and not actually based on consumer purchases whether in a coffee shop, retail store or online. Review the full study here and feel free to share your thoughts on the survey.

For now, I’m off to prepare some coffee via my French press!

• Vanessa L Facenda, editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
  Keep in touch via email: vanessa@bellpublishing.com Twitter: @TCTradeJournal or LinkedIn: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

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