Selecta knows better than most that people see having a coffee as one of the highlights of their day. From black coffee to the classic cappuccino, the UK is a nation of coffee lovers. But where in the UK do people drink the most coffee – and what are the most popular coffee choices?
Selecta has analysed its coffee sales in 119 British towns and cities. The data revealed that Nottingham folk drank the most coffee in the last twelve months, with 1,217,916 cups sold. Leicester came in second with 1,004,677 sales, and Birmingham in third with 809,821 coffee sales. Coffee? It’s a Midlands thing!
Coffee City Top 10
1 Nottingham 1,217,916
2 Leicester 1,004,677
3 Birmingham 809,821
4 Coventry 663,801
5 Belfast 660,887
6 Derby 635,355
7 Northampton 595,289
8 Peterborough 573,478
9 Sheffield 542,149
10 Manchester 541,901
Selecta has many coffee vending machines situated in train stations, so the fact that Nottingham comes in top should come as no surprise: it’s one of the busiest stations in the UK.
Coffee with the commute is so ingrained in our culture that some people, during the recent lockdowns, were dubbed ‘faux commuters’. They were in the habit of going out for coffee in the morning and taking it home. With the Covid-19 pandemic easing up and restrictions being lifted, commuters will no doubt return to the pleasure of enjoying great coffee on the go.
Along with the sales data that was gathered, the most popular drinks choices were revealed:
Selecta: Most Popular Coffees Top 10
1 Black Coffee 5,496,536
2 Latte 4,673,299
3 Cappuccino 3,259,145
4 White Coffee 3,100,323
5 Mocha 2,936,620
6 Espresso 1,147,500
7 Americano Black 245,781
8 Americano White 150,916
9 Double Espresso 91,178
10 Flat White 65,548
Black coffee is as simple as it gets, and its simplicity is clearly popular around the UK with 5,496,536 sales of black coffee in 12 months. Dubbed a lot of the time ‘the most popular coffee’, Latte was not most popular in this case with the second highest sales with 4,673,299, then it was the classic cappuccino in third with 3,259,145 sales across the UK.
Looking deeper at the most popular coffee types in each location, 7 out of the 10 locations in the Top 10 had Black Coffee as their most popular coffee, though Nottingham and Derby opted for Lattes.
Black coffee being the most popular across the UK could be due to the numerous positive health benefits of drinking black coffee can have on the body. As Lattes have added milk, coffee drinkers could be opting for a healthier option when deciding what drink to have. However, with the popularity of dairy-free options for milk, this may not be the case.
‘It was fascinating to see the results of the study and to see where the biggest coffee lovers are’, said Selecta’s Head of Marketing Cecily Batten. ‘Our coffee vending machines help meet the expectations of today’s consumers by offering a range of coffee types. We offer a wide variety of healthy options too alongside our coffees, to encourage our consumers to make their own choices when it comes to on-the-go refreshments.’
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