It’s official, coffee has overtaken tea as the nation’s favourite hot drink – and new research from GetYourGuide, a leading platform to search and book unforgettable travel experiences, reveals it’s even influencing our holiday choices.
The research shows that four in 10 Brits (42%) are influenced by a destination’s coffee scene when choosing where to go, beating “bar and clubs” and “choice of bakeries”. And for one in five Brits (18%), going out to find a coffee is the first thing they do when they arrive at a destination BEFORE unpacking their suitcase.
Coffee has even made its way on to our packing lists. A further one in two(51%) admitted that they now travel with their own coffee supply, beating teabags as the nation’s new suitcase essential.
But despite our love for the brown stuff – the research reveals a knowledge gap when it comes to its origin.
Ahead of World Coffee Day on 1st October, it’s been revealed that three quarters of Brits are clueless as to where coffee actually originates from. 1 in 10 believe it’s the US (7%) and another one in 10 (7%)think it originated from Italy – despite its origin being from the ancient coffee forest of Ethiopia.
This knowledge gap hasn’t dampened curiosity though, with British travellers being twice more likely to attend a coffee crawl than a bar crawl on holiday and 6 in 10 (62%) chasing the perfect coffee abroad.
As coffee lovers’ look to taste, upskill and educate themselves on their favourite drink, GetYourGuide has reported a four-fold increase in bookings for coffee-related experiences over the past three years and shared their tour guide curated tips on how to drink your coffee.
GetYourGuide’s coffee guru Matteo Di Lorenzo, Co-Owner of Sensorio Coffee Lab and guide of Specialty Coffee Workshop & Tasting Experience in Rome, reveals the top three mistakes Brits make when ordering their coffee:
1. Ordering ‘extra hot’
“If your coffee is above 70c you scald the coffee and it becomes very bitter. The milk dehydrates and releases more lactose – it’ll have you running for the toilet!”
2. Using plant-based milk
“Unless it’s for an allergy, I don’t understand it as most of the flavours don’t match well with coffee.”
3. Coffee with syrups
“Coffee doesn’t need balancing with sweetness, it’s like adding more sugar to a pack of sugar.”
On the rise in coffee tourism, local guide Matteo reacted; “It’s mostly travellers that take our specialty coffee workshops, to engage with the local culture through coffee traditions. We explain espresso techniques, brewing methods, and bean origins, to break down what quality coffee means. In Italy, a country where coffee is practically a religion, these immersive encounters are becoming key storytelling moments.”
Benjy Potter, spokesperson at GetYourGuide, commented on the trend: “It’s quite clear, coffee now appears to be the nation’s cup of tea and it’s even driving our holiday choices.
“We’ve seen bookings by Brits for coffee experiences increase four fold over the past three years with the demand for authentic, local cultural experiences going through the roof.
“From a specialty coffee workshop in Rome to the coffee plantations of Nairobi there’s plenty of coffee culture to soak up for the most avid caffeine collector.”
Benjy shares his top five recommended coffee experiences on GetYourGuide:
1. Specialty Coffee Workshop & Tasting Experience in Rome
2. Cartagena: Colombian Specialty Coffee Tasting
3. Vienna Coffee and Cake Tour: Sweets, Stories & Hidden Cafés
4. Nairobi: Coffee Factory and Farm Tour with Transfer
5. Hoi An: Vietnamese Coffee Culture and Coffee Making Class
