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If it feels like London sprouts a new artisanal coffee shop every two to three days, complete with ultra-cool baristas and reclaimed vintage interiors, well... it’s because it probably does.
According to new research, the capital’s caffeine fixation is real.
London has seen a 700 percent increase in the number of independent coffee shops in the last decade.
Our urge for a cup of joe fancier than one we can knock up at home has seen the number of ‘quality independent’ coffee shops rise dramatically from 50 in 2010 to more than 400 in 2020.
‘Londoners are looking for a more polished but still informal experience,’ said Jeffrey Young, founder of the London Coffee Festival and the CEO of Allegra, who carried out the research. ‘The days of the grungy coffee shop are gone.’
When it comes to our favourite coffee format, the research revealed that most Londoners love a latte, with 51.4 percent opting for the milky beverage. The alternative milk boom has also changed our coffee habits over the last decade, as one in five Londoners now chooses oat milk in their coffee.
Our addiction to caffeine on every corner has been beneficial to larger chains as well. Coffee giants like Starbucks and Costa have also multiplied across the city in the last decade.
What does it all mean? Are we sleep-deprived, lethargic or just addicted to the buzz of a flat white? Who cares, as long as we’re never too far away from a decent coffee.
Feeling a bit sleepy actually? Here are 65 killer coffee shops in London.
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