Coffee consumption in the UK -- 1950s, 1970s, 1990s

[alimsiemanym]

Here on this side of the pond we seem to have this weird idea that folks in Britain drink enough tea daily to float the Mayflower. The truthfulness of that statement aside, I'm trying to figure out whether my character would believably drink coffee, how often, how much, and how easily he'd be able to get it

Comments

[bopeepsheep]

I don't have statistics to show you - anecdotally, I remember my parents drinking coffee at least once daily from c.1975-1990; I was introduced to espresso as a small child (Italian family), but never met non-family members who liked it until I was in my late 20s - but I can offer you The British Coffee Association contact info.

[oh_meow]

Coffee would be available everywhere, and perfectly normal, but quite likely to be nasty instant stuff. People drink a lot of hot drinks here, so as often as you like, really.

[janewilliams20]

In 1990-1995, I was in my late twenties, middle-class, reasonably successful, living and working a bit north of London. I was trying to reduce my coffee consumption to a more reasonable level than my preferred 10+ cups a day, and usually failing

[ffutures]

Coffee "bars" were prominent in the growth of youth culture and rock and roll in Britain from the fifties onwards, once post-war rationing ended - these were basically cafes with expesso machines and juke boxes, and very common in city centres. I'd guess I started drinking coffee in my teens in the late sixties, and I can't think of a cafe I visited even then that didn't sell it in some form, although some places only had instant

[inamac]

Your Mr X wouldn't be regarded as odd or 'unpatriotic' if he preferred coffee (or, indeed, hot chocolate) to tea as his hot drink of choice at any time since the 1950s (though the lack of coffee during wartime rationing did reduce the numbers of people who got a taste for it - particularly as 'Camp' coffee - a liquid coffee/chicory concoction - was one of the most common 'instant coffee' products available in the 50s and tasted foul).

If he was drinking at home he'd probably have a coffee-making machine (hot water, filtered through the ground beans) from the 60s on for 'serious' drinking - otherwise jars of 'instant' coffee allow the ENglish to drink coffee (of a sort) just as frequently as tea. (First thing in the morning, at elevenses, with a sandwich at lunchtime, when he gets home from work, and last thing in the evening.)

Espresso is a Work of the Devil (other opinions are available),though has been available in England since the 50s.