Coffee Revealed as the UK's 'Hottest' Drink as the Nation's Love Affair With it Reaches New Heights

LONDON, June 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Coffee; strengthening its position in the market, as Nespresso opens new retail experience in the capital to meet the demands of UK coffee lovers

- Nearly half of adults (45%) believe coffee has a higher social status than tea (12%) including 50% of adults in Yorkshire - the heartland of tea in the UK

- Three fifths of the UK (60%) choose coffee over tea as the preferred drink to be seen with when out with friends

- High achievers drink more coffee than those who consider themselves not ambitious, with 70% of high earners preferring coffee over tea

Today Nespresso is bucking the high street trend with regards to expansion and growth, by opening a brand new flagship Boutique retail experience in the heart of London's West End, as the UK's love affair with coffee breaks new ground.

To mark the opening, Nespresso commissioned independent research into coffee trends.

With nearly half (45%) of adults believing coffee has a higher status than tea, (only one in ten respondents chose tea), coffee is fast becoming an indication of sophistication.

As a result it seems that coffee, rather than tea, is now the beverage we like to savour when socialising, with two thirds of Brits (60%) admitting they would order a cup of coffee over tea when meeting with friends.

Of those that drink coffee nearly one third (31%) admitted that they could not live without it in their life.

With coffee now a much more important part of the daily ritual, coffee lovers are trying to create a quality coffee experience at home.

The in-home coffee moment is therefore growing in significance, with over half of respondents (52%) revealing that they put a lot more effort into creating coffee compared to tea making (35%) as they try to ensure they deliver a consistently high quality coffee experience for friends, family and themselves.

This is complemented by the fact that Brits admit that when purchasing, the right choice of coffee is a more important choice than tea.

Professor Charles Spence, lecturer and professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford said: 'The explosion of coffee culture both at home and on the high-street, mirrors the change in our wine drinking habits from Lambrusco and Chablis through to today's very sophisticated wine market.

As a result, shown through the research, the coffee drinker now expects more from their cup of coffee.

Like with wine, consumers are starting to use their choice and knowledge of coffee to send a signal of their sophistication.

With good coffees having around twice as many volatile compounds and aromas as even

the finest of wines, there is lots for the coffee drinker to seek out and appreciate in order to utilise this information to elevate themselves amongst their peers .'

As the UK's thirst for coffee knowledge grows, nearly two thirds of the UK (60%) agree that they would welcome a better understanding of coffee with regards to taste, preparation and serving.

Surprisingly, 18-24 year olds are the age group with a markedly richer understanding of coffee, with one third (33%) able to pair coffee with a course and a quarter (25%) acknowledging knowing more about coffee than wine.

As a result of the nation's love affair with coffee, not only are the UK broadening their knowledge of coffee at a younger age, like our cousins in Italy and France we are starting to be introduced to coffee earlier in our lives.

Three quarters (78%) of those questioned had first started drinking coffee by the age of 15.

In the workplace high earners in top management roles are also driving this shift of coffee's place in the UK as coffee is fast becoming the hot drink to be seen with and an indication of success.

Over three quarters of senior managers (77%) will choose coffee over tea when meeting important business colleagues or clients, with those who deem themselves as ambitious

drinking 1.5 times more coffee than other people.

Four fifths (78%) of high earners

acknowledge coffee as a necessity for them to feel on the ball and be productive, demonstrating coffee's integral role in the lives of those higher up the career ladder.

Strong coffees (espresso and macchiato) are the coffees of choice amongst this high achieving group, with two thirds of those in top management roles (66%) and more than three quarters of ambitious workers (77%) choosing these

compared to milky lattes (43%), though the cappuccino tops the list as the nation's favourite coffee.

Over half (55%) of those in top management roles resort to bringing in their own coffee from home because the office coffee isn't up to scratch, showing how important quality coffee is to this group of high achieving decision-makers.

Brema Drohan, UK Managing Director for Nespresso says, "Nespresso is experiencing continued and impressive growth, showing how there is increasing desire for quality coffee in the UK; a truth which is echoed in the research. There is a marked evolution in the way coffee is now fitting into our lives and an ever growing desire for quality coffee in the UK. As a response to this we are opening the Boutique in the heart of the capital.

We're confident that London's new flagship will be welcomed by the UK's increasingly discerning coffee drinkers."

The research comes as Nespresso opens the doors of its new flagship Boutique on Regent Street, London this week.

The unique retail experience on one of London's most popular shopping streets offers customers a multi-sensorial space where they can discover the entire Nespresso product range whilst enhancing their own coffee expertise.