How Much Coffee Do British People Really Drink?
57,000 cups of coffee in a lifetime?!
That’s how much coffee the average British coffee lover could get through, according to new research. And apparently, we’re rather attached to our morning brew!
Whether it’s a strong espresso before leaving the house, a comforting cafetière with breakfast or a latte enjoyed while checking emails, coffee has become one of our most treasured daily rituals.
A new survey of 2,000 adults revealed some brilliant facts about our coffee habits:
☕ We drink an average of 2.5 cups on a typical day.
❤️ 43% say their morning coffee is one of the best parts of their day.
⏰ Most reach for their first cup between 7am and 8am.
🚿 18% even rate their morning coffee as more important than having a shower!
And here’s our favourite: we spend more than 92 hours a year making and enjoying coffee. That’s almost four whole days of coffee time.
How to Make Your Morning Coffee Even Better
If we’re going to drink thousands of cups of coffee during our lifetimes, it makes sense to enjoy them. Fortunately, improving your morning brew doesn’t require expensive equipment or professional barista training.
A few straightforward changes can make a noticeable difference:
1. Choose Coffee You Actually Enjoy
It sounds obvious, but personal taste should always come first. Some people love the bold, chocolatey character of a darker roast, while others prefer a lighter, more delicate coffee with fruity or floral notes.
Try different origins, roast styles and blends until you discover what appeals to you.
2. Pay Attention to Your Grind
Grind size is one of the biggest influences on how coffee tastes. Coffee that’s ground too finely for a particular brewing method may extract too quickly or unevenly, sometimes producing unpleasant bitterness. A grind that’s too coarse, on the other hand, may leave your coffee tasting weak or under-extracted.
Different brewing methods need different grind sizes; espresso generally requires a fine grind, while a cafetière works better with a coarser consistency.
If you’re unsure, our guide to choosing the correct coffee grind explains how to match a coffee preparation to your favourite brewing equipment.
3. Get the Coffee-to-Water Ratio Correct
Using approximately 60g of coffee per litre of water is a useful starting point for many filter-style brewing methods, although the ideal amount depends on your equipment and preferences.
If you enjoy a stronger cup, experiment with slightly more coffee. If you prefer something lighter, use a little less.
4. Give Your Coffee Time to Brew
Rushing the brewing process can compromise flavour.
With a cafetière, for example, allowing the coffee to steep properly gives the water time to extract the flavours from the ground beans. A four-minute initial steep is a useful starting point, followed by allowing the grounds to settle before serving.
If you’d like to improve your technique, our step-by-step cafetière brewing guide explains how to prepare a consistently enjoyable cup.
A little patience can reward you with a much more satisfying coffee.