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

The London Coffee Festival

I am a lover of good coffee and champion (when I can) independent cafes serving quality roasted beans and perfectly brewed coffee. So, The London Coffee Festival is music to my ears. In it's second year and promising to be bigger and better than before, there are some great names lined up. Nude Espresso, Sacred, Caravan, espresso machine producers, food places, chocolate specialists, coffee roasting houses with all of their fine blends even Gelupo - which serves incredible ice cream. Please don't eat all of their delicious salted caramel before I get there.

The London Coffee Festival is the flagship event of UK Coffee Week (23-27 April). UK Coffee Week 2012 provides a unique opportunity for branded coffee chains, independent coffee shops and industry suppliers to collaborate and celebrate the success of the industry while giving back to an extremely worthy cause. A nationwide programme of charitable collections, in-store activities and public events will raise funds for Project Waterfall to deliver clean water projects in coffee-producing African countries.

So, more on the London event - Last year over  12,000 coffee lovers and food fanatics, professional baristas, coffee shop owners and industry experts gathered for a unique celebration - coffee.

This year promises to offer Street Food and Artisan Markets. You can learn about coffee through tastings and demonstrations, watch the UK Barista Championships (honestly) and enjoy live music throughout the themed zones – Hyde Park, Shoreditch, Soho, The Lab, The Showroom and The Growing Community.This is one event that shows London is truly on the coffee map of the world. Tickets are from £9.50 in advance (more expensive on the door).

The London Coffee Festival
27-29 April
Old Truman Brewery
Brick Lane - London

Click here for more information

Stylist Magazine: Top 10 Coffee Shops in London

London has thankfully, over the past 5 or so years seen a growth in the number of cool cafe's serving great coffee. Forget Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Costa. I am talking about quality roasted beans, the introduction of the flat white and even a latte served in a small glass. This is all familiar territory for me. I grew up in Australia and coffee culture there is honed to a fine art. To the point that if a particular barista is not serving, my friend won't partake in a coffee. Melbourne is the coffee capital of Australia and some of that style is now being served up in London (and very slowly in the regions). Stylist Magazine captured the essence of this in a great article this week and not only did a round up of our new found love of fabulous coffee, but featured a top 10 list of the best. Sadly, Lantana Cafe in Fitzrovia and Caravan in Exmouth Market were missing from that list. So I've given them my thumbs up here. A theme running through most of these start-ups is that they are run by or inspired by the Antipodean coffee culture. We musn't forget New Zealand, as coffee is big for Kiwis too. I can attest to that as I can still remember a most fabulous latte I had in Central Auckland in 2001. Seriously. 

So in the latest issue, Stylist rounds up coffee culture in the UK. OK, the chains may have got us hooked on caffeine, but as our taste buds for the black liquid matures, we are refining our requirements and it seems en masse. From the list of Top 10 Coffee Shops I have to say Flat White has a special place in my heart - I feel like I am home in Hobart (Tasmania) every time I walk through the doors. Kaffeine - a new found friend, is alive with an electric buzz every morning. It's my pit stop of choice before client meetings in the heart of the fashion district. And if I every venture "out East" then I always head straight for Nude Espresso. These are all independent, interesting British based businesses that are doing something a bit different. Visit them today and join me in the campaign for real coffee. Now.

Stylist Magazine's Top 10 Coffee Shops in London