UK Coffee Consumption 2026: What Premium Drinkers Mean for Robusta

Quick answer: New British Coffee Association research puts UK coffee consumption at 103 million cups a day, with 18-34-year-olds now drinking more, and paying more per cup, than the over-55s. At the same time, Greggs has overtaken Costa by outlet count, a sign that value matters too. For Fine Robusta, the Western signal is not "premium is booming" but "demand is split between price and quality", which favours coffees that can prove what they are.

What the new UK numbers say

A Perfect Daily Grind recap on 25 September 2026 reports the British Coffee Association's latest findings. Daily consumption has risen to 103 million cups, up from 98 million in 2018. Two-thirds of the UK drinks coffee every day, and 29% drink three or more cups daily.

The generational shift is the headline. For the first time, 18-34-year-olds report drinking more coffee than people over 55, averaging 1.9 cups a day against 1.7. They also pay more: around £4 a cup, compared with about £3.20 for the older group. The recap's editor frames the open question as whether cheaper coffee reaches UK menus before this new generation gets used to paying more.

Value is growing alongside premium

The same week, Allegra World Coffee Portal's Project Café UK 2026 data showed Greggs at 2,737 outlets, narrowly ahead of Costa Coffee at 2,707. The report ties this to consumers visiting non-traditional coffee operators alongside dedicated chains, with value an important factor in purchases.

Put the two findings together and the UK market looks less like a straight climb to premium and more like a split: younger drinkers willing to pay more per cup, and a large part of the market choosing on price and convenience. Both can be true because different occasions call for different coffee.

How people drink it matters for Robusta

De'Longhi's Signature Order Index, drawing on more than 3,000 coffee drinkers in the UK, France and Germany, found that the latte was the UK's favourite drink, Germany preferred the cappuccino, and espresso was favoured in France.

That matters because Robusta's usual role is in espresso-based and milk-based drinks, where body and crema count. A market that mostly orders lattes and cappuccinos is one where an espresso component has to hold up under milk. This is a general feature of how Robusta is used in blends. It is not a claim that UK roasters are currently buying Cambodian coffee.

What this does and does not show for Fine Robusta

The data does not show that UK drinkers are asking for Robusta, let alone Fine Robusta. The British Coffee Association's findings are about volume, age and price paid, not about species or origin. Treating them as proof of Fine Robusta demand would be overreach.

What the data supports is narrower and still useful:

• A willingness to pay more exists among a growing group of younger drinkers, so a coffee that can explain why it costs more has an audience.
• A large value segment also exists, so a coffee that cannot justify its price faces direct competition from cheaper options.
• Milk-based drinks dominate in two of the three countries studied, which is the setting where a Robusta component must perform well.

What Cambodian Fine Robusta would need to show a Western buyer

A UK or European roaster evaluating a new Robusta origin will, in practice, ask for evidence rather than stories. Useful items include:

• lot identity and origin down to region or producer group;
• processing and drying method;
• moisture and defect information;
• evaluation details, such as cupping notes and whether an R Grader scored the sample;
• realistic available volume;
• how the coffee performs in espresso and in milk.

That last point is where a Fine Robusta can differentiate itself in a market that drinks mostly flat whites and cappuccinos. It is also the point most easily overclaimed, so it should be shown with actual sample results, not assumed.

What this means for cafés and roasters weighing a new origin

For a café group or roaster, the UK picture suggests keeping two lanes open. One lane serves price-sensitive customers with reliable, affordable coffee. The other serves the growing group willing to pay about £4 a cup, where story, origin and consistency are the reasons for the higher price. A new Robusta origin is only useful in the second lane if it is consistent from one delivery to the next, because a premium cup that varies from week to week is hard to charge for.

This is also why small, well-documented lots tend to start as limited releases or blend components rather than as a core supply. Repeatability across several harvests is what allows a buyer to increase volume later, and no single good sample can show that.

A caution about "premium"

Premium positioning is easy to claim and hard to defend. In a market where many drinkers are price-sensitive, a coffee sold as premium without documentation invites comparison on price alone. The more durable approach is to let the lot data carry the argument.

Frequently asked questions

Do UK drinkers want Fine Robusta?

There is no data in these studies on Robusta preference. The research covers how much coffee people drink, who drinks it and what they pay.

Why does the age shift matter?

Younger drinkers are now the biggest consumers and the group paying the most per cup, which makes them the most relevant audience for quality-led coffees.

Does Greggs overtaking Costa mean premium is shrinking?

Not necessarily. It shows value is a strong factor, which sits alongside, not against, growth among drinkers who pay more.

OCC takeaway

UK demand is growing and splitting between value and quality. That favours coffees that can document what they are. For Cambodian Fine Robusta, the opportunity is to show lot-level evidence and espresso performance, not to assume that premium demand will find it on its own.

Sources

• Perfect Daily Grind, Coffee News Recap, 25 September 2026 (British Coffee Association; Allegra Project Café UK 2026; De'Longhi Signature Order Index): https://perfectdailygrind.com/2026/09/coffee-news-recap-25-september-2026/
• British Coffee Association: https://britishcoffeeassociation.org/