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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

COFFEE
CULTURE
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1 Warm-up

How often do you go out for coffee? Do you prefer chain coffeehouses or artisan coffee shops?

2 Key words

Match the words with their definitions:

1. a high street a. a funny TV series that is about the same group of people every
week in different situations
2. a commuter b. a person who regularly travels from one place to another, usually
to work
3. sip c. a place where people of many different races and from different
countries live together
4. bleak d. cold, empty, not attractive

5. unpretentious e. simple and sincere

6. a sitcom f. the main street of a British town

7. a melting pot g. to drink something, little portions at a time

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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

COFFEE CULTURE

3 Find the information

Choose the right answer for each question then read the article on the next page to check your
answers.

1. How many cups of coffee are consumed in the U.K. every day?

a. 10 million b. 70 million c. 100 million

2. When did coffee start to become very popular?

a. in the 1970’s b. in the 1980’s c. in the 1990’s

3. How many more coffee outlets were there in 1997 compared with 1993?

a. the same number b. 53% more c. 847% more

4. How many British households own a coffee machine?

a. 33% b. 50% c. 60%

5. How much does a typical cup of coffee in the U.K. cost?

a. around $1 b. around $2.10 c. around $3.65

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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)
COFFEE CULTURE
Coffee in the United Kingdom
How Britain became addicted to coffee shop culture
Adapted from The Independent, August 13th, 2013
1.
Stereotypes might suggest that British people only
drink strong tea — but the 70 million cups of coffee
consumed in the U.K. each day tell a different story.
2.
A quick glance down any typical British high street
will prove that Britain is now a nation of coffee
addicts. Commuters quickly drink espressos to treat
exhaustion at station platforms, and soup-bowl-sized
lattes are sipped at countless cafes.
3.
In the past 15 years, chain stores including Costa
Coffee and Caffe Nero have occupied every corner of
the main streets, familiarizing the British people with
the drink and making them eager to explore more
flavors. Small artisan coffee shops serving beans from
around the world have since appeared, and the U.K. is
now in the middle of what is known as the third wave
coffee movement.
4.
The twenty-somethings of the 1990’s are largely to
blame for our addiction to coffee, explains Jonathan
Morris, Professor of history at the University of
Hertfordshire and the co-author of Coffee:
Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Beverage and
the Industry. Between 1993 and 1997, the number
of U.K. coffee outlets shot up by 847%.
5.
Waiting for your coffee in the morning, it’s easy to
forget that coffee was quite recently regarded as an
exotic new drink, made using machinery resembling
a space-ship. This "new" coffee tasted dramatically
better than the bleak jars of instant coffee sold in
supermarkets.
6.
Drinking coffee was also seen as a way to emulate
the cosmopolitan New York lifestyles showcased in
hugely popular sitcoms.
7.
Cafe or coffee shop culture became even more
popular during the emergence of the digital age,
when laptops, mobile phones, and later tablets, freed
some workers from their desks. And when retail
shops disappeared during the financial crisis, coffee
shops filled the gaps. By installing Wi-Fi, cafes
became an alternative place to socialize and work.
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This was combined with a demand for breakfasts on
the go from commuters, the closure of pubs, and the
emergence of the foodie culture.
8.
Experts agree that now the U.K. has one of the most
vibrant coffee cultures in the world. The scene is
a melting pot of influences, which offers American
and Scandinavian style filter coffee as well as shorter
black beverages favored by Italians and Spaniards.
9.
Coffee is now enjoyed at home, too. A third of people
have some type of coffee machine in their kitchen,
which is easily filled with quality artisan beans bought
online, according to Professor Morris.
10.
And those wondering why such a bitter drink
is so desirable are probably just the victims of
a bad barista, who should be well-trained and
knowledgeable about the bean that they’re serving.
"Someone new to coffee should look out for what
tastes good — it sounds really simple but there should
be no bitter or unwanted flavors in good coffee,"
A stresses Matt Caroll the owner of Fortitude Coffee
in Edinburgh.
11.
And the best coffee shops are unpretentious,
showcase the drink’s versatility, and don’t forget the
farmers who grow the coffee. They recognize that
the majority of the British public is lucky to have tap
water and enough disposable income to enjoy the
odd coffee.
12.
"Ethics and environmental sustainability, as well as
sustainable relationships are extremely important,"
says Gerard Fisher, the owner of Nude Espresso
and Coffee Roasters in London. "We work directly
with farmers in coffee producing countries to ensure
that they get the best possible price for their coffee
allowing them to pay their pickers well, house them
and provide health care for their families."
13.
"We are extremely lucky to have our daily coffee,
many of us do not think twice about going out for
coffee and paying $3.65 for it," says Young: "Let’s
celebrate."
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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

COFFEE CULTURE

4 Checking understanding

Put T (True) or F (False) next to each of the following statements:

1. Artisan coffee shops have always been popular in the U.K.

2. People preferred the coffee in cafes because it tasted better than instant coffee.
3. British people drank coffee to copy the lifestyle of New Yorkers.
4. The digital age made coffee culture even more popular because of the variety of coffee.
5. The U.K. doesn’t offer many different types of coffee.
6. Good quality coffee tastes bitter.
7. Ethics and environmental responsibility have become important.

5 Find the word

Find a word or phrase in the text that means:

1. a quick look (noun, par.2)

2. very willing (adjective, par.3)
3. increased rapidly (phrasal verb, par.4)
4. to try to be like someone or something that you admire or that is successful (verb, par.6)

5. full of excitement and energy (adjective, par.8)

6. drinks (plural formal noun, par.8)
7. display (verb, par.11)
8. give a person or animal a place to live (verb, par.12)

6 Talking point

Discuss any of the questions below.

1. Does your country have a coffee culture?

2. How does it compare to the United Kingdom?
3. Has it changed in the past 15 years? How?

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