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Coffee addicts ? Are we drinking too much?

By Clara Maasz  The first thing many of us do in the morning is reach for a cup of coffee. Coffee fuels our day, gives us the energy to push through the day-to-day grind, and brings us moments of joy as we take the first delicious sip. Although it has become the norm to consume coffee throughout the day, have we become coffee addicts? Perhaps some of us drink too much? Perhaps we need to reign it in and get a hold on our coffee consumption? Perhaps not. I recon that I drink anywhere between 3 and 5 cups of coffee every day, I love the taste of coffee and it brings me a sense of comfort. If anyone asked me, I wouldn't call myself an addict, I can go without if I need to and if I don't manage a morning cup I wont loose my head over it; however, I would count myself as verging dangerously into the danger zone.  In terms of other people's coffee consuming habits, on average Americans drink 3-5 cups of coffee per day, and in the UK this lessens to an average of 2 cups per day wi
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Coffee culture - is it still on the rise?

By Clara Maasz 

Café culture became increasingly popular in the 2000's, with the 90's paving the way for the wave of cafe's that would populate the UK highstreets. Until relatively recently coffee was seen as an exotic drink, with the popularity surrounding café culture being a very modern and indulgent concept. Coffee shops and the hype surrounding them can be traced back to a number of possible influences, some being more notable than others.  

The hugely popular sitcom 'Friends', which aired in the 90's, is said to be a huge factor in the rise of the popularity surrounding coffee shops. Throughout the ten seasons, the group of close friends meet at their local coffee shop named 'Central Perk' almost every episode; this is one of the only scenes where the group meet as a whole and share all of their life updates with one another. The coffee shop represents the core of their friendship, something that attracted viewers of the show to emulate this into their day to day lifestyles. 

Another major influence in the boom of café culture throughout the late 1900's into the 2000's can be linked to the rise of the company Starbucks. Starbucks began in 1971 in Seattle with the aim of combining the concept of Mediterranean coffee culture with good quality coffee beans and equipment; Starbucks went from a good quality coffee brand to the major brand it is today under the influence of Howard Schultz who introduced the innovative idea of the 'third place'. The 'third place' is the idea of somewhere between the office and home where people can socialise and work in a comfortable environment, this completely revolutionised café culture and made it what we know today. 

In line with the rise of social media, coffee shops have developed further to keep up with online trends. In order to remain current and attract new consumers, coffee shops have to think more about the presentation of food and décor, and keeping up to date with the expectations of their menus, which stretches much further than just a good cup of coffee nowadays. The expectations have grown in all industries, and in order to survive, coffee shops need to create an environment that is ascetically appealing for photos and social media posts. Aesthetics and good digital marketing are essential for survival, as social media sharing is key to attracting new customers and making the coffee shop stand out from competitors. 

To refer back to the question, is coffee culture still on the rise? Yes, I believe it is. Coffee is now an integral part of our culture, and as long as society continues to develop both in the real world with what we continue to expect and demand, and on the online world, coffee culture will continue to develop and rise with it. 

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Location: Glasgow, UK

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