Coffee vs tea consumption in the UK
I decided to look into tea consumption in the UK, as I strongly suspected that it was dropping like a stone. I was right.
Today I was thinking about tea rooms. I realised there are none near me, in fact many of those still remaining tend to be in tourist locations, catering to older visitors. I noticed that quite a few have qualifiers like "Olde", "Original", or "Vintage" attached to their names.
I mentioned this phenomenon to a friend, and she was about to contradict me when she realised that I was right. She couldn't think of a single tea room. They were all cafes and coffee shops.
As of 2023, coffee consumption in the UK has overtaken tea in a very convincing fashion. Coffee sales are now nearly double that of tea, with 533 million packs of coffee sold compared to 287 million packs of tea over the past year.
In terms of regular consumption, 59% of Britons regularly drink tea, but 63% drink coffee, to the tune of around 95 million cups a day.
Coffee is still gaining ground, especially in urban areas where coffee shops flourish, contributing to its growing dominance. Coffee’s versatility, with varieties such as espresso martinis and latte art, make it more exciting for many consumers.
This shift is reflected in takeaway drinks as well, with coffee significantly outpacing tea. For every cup of takeaway tea sold, five cups of coffee are purchased.
I am not proud to admit that this trend is reflected in my own home. We drink coffee nearly all the time now, although my husband still clings to having a mug of Darjeeling first thing in the morning.
The implication for teasmades is worrying, so I looked at the statistics for sales of coffee makers versus tea makers in the UK.
According to Statista, around 43% of UK households own a coffee maker. Sales have seen a consistent increase over the years, with more UK households investing in coffee makers, particularly due to the rise of home brewing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, the UK market for coffee machines was valued at a whopping £2.3 billion. Espresso machines, pod coffee machines (like Nespresso), and bean-to-cup machines are particularly popular. Pod machines tend to lead in sales due to their convenience.
Over recent decades, since the heyday of the teasmade, tea makers haven't seen the same level of demand as coffee makers. I suppose the main reason is that tea can easily be brewed without specialized equipment. All you need is a kettle, and these are ubiquitous in UK households - nearly every household owns one.
Standalone tea makers are generally considered a niche product and are generally only favoured by tea connoisseurs. Statistics are harder to come by, but their market share is almost certainly small.
I've also noticed a decline in interest on my website, but I am not deterred. I have every intention of keeping this website online indefinitely, for teasmade enthusiasts across the globe. However, I hope you'll forgive me for including more references to kettles and coffeemakers in the future.
Sources: Statista, Coffee Affection, Spruce Up, ITVX.