We are going to talk about lockdown, so brace yourself. Five years on from Boris telling us all to stay indoors, it’s safe to say that the way we consume coffee has completely changed. Thanks to a recent survey, we can see exactly how.
Firstly lets get some terminology out of the way:
👶🏻 Gen Z - 16-27 year olds
👨🏻 Millennials - 28-43 years olds
🧔🏻 Gen X - 44-59 year olds
👴🏻 Baby Boomers - 60-78 year olds
Nearly half of Millennials (48%) reported drinking more coffee than before the pandemic, while 45% of Gen Z said the same. This isn’t too surprising, considering we were the generations juggling homeschooling our kids with having to say “you’re on mute” 39 times a day.
By contrast, older generations have been less affected, with only 21% of Gen X and 14% of Baby Boomers reporting a change in their habits. The survey didn’t ask the Silent Generation (79-100 years old), perhaps because they couldn’t get the grandchild to come over and fix the Wi‑Fi in time.
The survey of over 2,000 people, conducted by Opinion Matters, highlighted much of what we here at Rave have experienced firsthand: coffee drinkers have become coffee nerds over the past five years. Over half of Millennials now place a greater value on good coffee than before lockdown kicked in, with Gen Z showing a 42% increase. But as the nerdery has increased, so has everyone’s expectations of good coffee being served to them with 61% saying they expect ALL coffee to be of a high standard now.
Lockdown wasn’t just a pause, it was a chance to experiment with brewing techniques and explore a real range of coffees. With more time at home, we got hooked on not just the taste but the story behind every bean: from flavour profiles to ethical practices. Now, 47% of both Gen Z and Millennials are exploring new coffee varieties, something they wouldn’t have done before, making their coffee exploration as strong as their (tongue-in-cheek) dislike of Gen Alpha.
Sustainability further highlights the generational divides, with only 27% of Baby Boomers saying they would pay more for sustainably sourced coffee compared to 58% of Millennials.
Final Sip ☕️
Coffee wasn’t just a lockdown phase, like my brief foray into knitting, it’s a lasting shift that’s transformed our coffee culture, making us all think more about quality, sustainability, and that perfect home brew set up. Regardless of the generation you are in, one thing is for certain; you are reading about coffee culture on Rave Coffee’s coffee blog so you are in the category that places greater value on good coffee, so have a look at our latest Rare release below ⬇️
