NBS’s The TODAY Show USA

The TODAY Show NBC USA TV

I was on the Today show! The story? … COFFEE has surpassed TEA consumption in the UK!

This is something we artisan coffee enthusiasts set out to grow almost 2 decades ago. I was surprised by the data considering tea is such a strong part of British Culture!! 63% coffee over 59% tea!

As a New Zealander who came over many years ago, making 000’s of Flatwhite’s in Soho, unknown to virtually every customer who wasn’t a Kiwi or Auzzie its very satisfying to see the notable change. Having officially become a Brit, I’m very proud of being a part of history and inspired by how my friends in the specialty coffee industry has driven coffee culture through passion, expertise and courage. I’m super appreciative of how the humble beginnings of working in the first proper artisan antipodean cafe in Soho has lead to greater interest and popularity in Greater London, and I’m grateful that non-barista people(the public, coffee lovers) embraced our weird obsession and saw our staff, coffee work and cafes as inspiration too. 

I spoke to The Today Show correspondent for about an hour at the beautiful Hermanos Cafe on Portebello Rd, but there was A LOT that was left out of the aired piece. So I’m going to share the rest of my thoughts here.

But mainly this is an appreciation post to the passion and diligence of all the independent coffee cafes and roasters in London, particularly in the early days who pioneered specialty coffee, took risks to open cafes in a culture deeply “steeped” in tea 😉 and the UK people for just Loving Coffee!

I’m so grateful and in awe that people’s appreciation and interest in coffee is still growing

Coffee culture here differs from USA because thee way it is consumed, is completely different. In the sense that yes, we do drink “to go” coffees a lot, but we also still have a culture of sitting in and talking to our friends over coffee, something that is growing in the USA.

In terms of volume, USA is a completely different ball game, they tend also consume on a much much larger volume and quantity that you can’t compare their coffee consumption and habits to the UK.  However, Europe, not UK (thanks BREXIT) as a whole consumed almost* double the USA consumption last year!

The Artisan coffee movement spread faster in the UK due to multi-national corporations like costa, Nero, Starbucks rolling out Flatwhite’s on their menus, effectively introducing these drinks to the wider mainstream public. I quite disctinctly remember this moment. Then combined with the speed in technology and the likes of specifically social media, recipes, trends and information were able to be shared across the world faster than ever before. 

Why has coffee consumption increased - I believe it’s largely due to a few things; The pandemic, where there was a significant growth in WFH, DIY coffee and coffee becoming a ritual in peoples habits, inflation and cost of living has increased substantially therefore buying beans to make at home or in the office has become a cheaper alternative, which has increased the consumption of coffee. 

There is also possibly a generational shift where younger people are getting into coffee, and the that tea is remaining with an older more traditional market. 

You can watch the article here. (don’t blink you might miss me)

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts and please feel free to add yours in the comments below.