There's something about caffeine

Britain's love for coffee is growing year by year. We are more likely to grab a coffee on the way to work than a takeaway cup of tea. That's not to say our love affair with tea is over. We still consumer far more tea than coffee every day. According to the UK Tea Council us Brits knock back 165 million cups daily or 60.2 billion per year. Seriously! Whereas for coffee, it's estimated to be about 70 million cups per day. That's still quite a hefty amount of caffeine, but it's worth noting that tea contains about half the amount of caffeine of coffee.

I was reading an article in The Guardian last week (The Guardian, Saturday 23 June 2012) and it really opened my eyes to the growth of the coffee industry. Most of these facts are taken from that article and I found then eye popping and had to share some. The number of branded coffee shops in the UK exceeds 5,000, add in the independent sector - add another 5,000 and on top of that there's more - little local places and pubs that serve coffee which takes it all to around 15,000. That's big bucks when it comes to serving coffee. I'm not saying they all do it well. I have never been a huge fan of branded chains. The big American one - which will remain nameless - I avoid like the plague. Even my favourite - Cafe Nero, has lost my patronage lately due to poor customer service, slap dash delivery and a very average cup of coffee. The last straw was an ice coffee that tasted simply of milk and ice - not coffee. Sorry Nero but I won't be coming back.

Costa Coffee is the largest chain in the UK and from humble beginnings in 1978 has risen to 1,400 outlets serving 450,000 coffees per day. I will occasionally visit Costa - but only if pushed. Again sadly, I have never had great service. Profits are up all-round and despite the recession we are seemingly happy to part with £2.50 for a cup of the black stuff. There's room for growth in the market too. The Guardian article reports that we are likely to see up to 7,000 branded coffee shops in the next few years, with a total of around 18,000 including the independents and non-specialist shops.

What I like most is that it refers to the growing trend for a more discerning customer who now knows their beans and blends. It's not snobbery, but a discerning palette for a quality cup and good service. Today people are after more than a pint of scalding milk with a poor quality blend of beans and poorly executed shot of espresso. Monmouth Coffee is touted as leading this revolution and yes, they have been serving great coffee since the late 70's in Covent Garden. The recent influx of Antipodean coffee entrepreneurs are really raising the bar and (I hope) will be where the growth in the market comes from. If you haven't visited the likes of Federation Coffee (Brixton Village), Lantana Cafe (Fitzrovia), Kaffeine (Great Titchfield Street), Flat White (Berwick Street), Caravan Coffee (Exmouth Market), Nude Espresso (Soho Square) then it's time you did. You will never look back.

For more information on great coffee in London read my post:: http://marksmithskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/stylist-magazine-top-10-coffee-shops-in.html