Given the perceived sophistication and higher price tag of espresso-based drinks in the UK and other Anglophone countries — compared to broadly appealing, egalitarian tea — coffee consumption has become an addictive obsession of a growing class of young professionals across the developed world, addled without their daily fix.
Last year, The Times reported that coffee had overtaken tea as Britain’s beverage of choice. It was a shock result for a country which went to war over the dethroned drink with which its national identity has been inextricably linked for over two centuries.
The numbers from Statista’s Global Consumer Survey, which found that 63% of Britons drink coffee regularly while only 59% regularly drink tea, are perhaps less surprising if the continental favourite is viewed as an economic indicator instead of simply a vehicle for caffeine.
