For a long time, Britain was a nation of tea drinkers. That is still true but something else has happened. In the last twenty years, the UK has witnessed the rise of one of the most thriving specialty coffee cultures of the world. This is centered in London but expanding quickly to the other great cities.
The emphasis on The Three Waves of Coffee, as discussed by Third Wave Coffee historians. The first wave happened in the 20th century, and it was at this point that the mass commercialization of coffee began in the form of supermarket tins of instant coffee, and the focus on the quantity, rather than quality of the coffee consumed.
The second wave saw chains like Starbucks drawing many consumers into the world of the cafe and its associated espresso-based culture. The third wave appears to be in full swing within the UK, representing the artisan-crafted coffee movement and focusing on origin processing roasting and techniques.
London Though its origins can be traced further back, the specialty coffee scene in London really took off in the mid-2000s. Thanks to a wave of Australian and New Zealand expats bringing their famed coffee culture across the globe, the capital embraced it. Monmouth Coffee, Square Mile and Flat White in Soho helped define what was possible. Now, there are hundreds of coffee shops and several world-class roasters in London.
More than just in London Manchester Edinburgh Bristol, Leeds and Birmingham all have exploding specialty communities. Independent roasters are popping up all over the country, buying direct from farms and roasting to order.
And What This Means for Coffee Drinkers. Now more than ever, coffee lovers in the UK can get their hands on amazing coffee. Whether ordering beans by mail order, visiting a specialty shop or brewing single origins at home, the high standard found today is virtually inconceivable in the early 1980s.