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Only natural coffee is good for you: in Russia, people are drinking coffee to go more often, but they still prefer instant coffee
— Then how about a cup of coffee? — Each of us hears and pronounces this phrase every day. And what is surprising is that it often means completely different drinks. For someone, a cup of coffee is a 30-gram "thimble" of espresso, for someone else — a 300-gram cup of cappuccino, and others happily pour boiling water over a 3-in-1 bag. coffee. So, find out what we drink, how our preferences change and how much we spend on our favorite drinks.
"My husband and I recently calculated how much we spend on coffee each month," said one friend. - And they were horrified! The total cost of food for the family is about 80,000 rubles, of which we spent 12,000 on coffee alone. And this is despite the fact that I drink practically alone. Buy one cup on a walk with the child in the morning, buy another cup at lunch... If you add it all up, it will be a considerable sum.
Coffee has become a staple of modern urban life, but prices continue to rise (see By the Numbers).
"The prices for all the main coffee-based drinks have become higher," Daria Zhigalina, an analyst for the Kontur.Market service systems, explained to KP. "This can be explained by the poor harvest of various types of coffee beans and difficulties with logistics.
But people continue to drink coffee. BusinessStat research shows that in recent years (from 2019 to 2023), sales in the country have grown from 178,000 tons to 186,000 tons (+4.2% over five years).
In addition, people are actively buying coffee machines. The M.Video-Eldorado chain recently reported a 35% increase in popularity in the first half of 2024: about 1.1 million units were sold.
Why do Russians want to brew their own coffee? According to Ramaz Chanturia, CEO of the Rochaikofe Association, the reason is the same. It means that prices are rising.
"According to our observations, coffee consumption is not growing at such a fast pace now," Ramaz Chanturia told KP. - However, in 2022-2023, coffee prices increased, and now coffee lovers are adapting to the situation. Consumption of these drinks is being redistributed. People are trying to save money, but at the same time continue to drink the same amount of their favorite coffee drink.
So it all makes sense. With a coffee maker, you can make decent coffee at home or in the office and no longer have to rely on the retail price of a coffee cup.
"It is unlikely that a home coffee maker will be able to make a drink of such quality," says the general director of Rochaikofe. - In the end, a lot depends on the correct pressure, water quality, grinding, etc.
The Russian coffee market has been growing for several decades. In the early 1990s, natural coffee consumption was about 10 times lower. Previously, the average Russian drank less than 30 servings a year, but now we drink 300! In 2019, coffee consumption exceeded tea consumption for the first time (data from the Rochaikofe Association). Even after the rain, coffee shops continue to grow like mushrooms. Last year alone, the population of million-plus cities, according to 2GIS estimates, grew by 10% to 15 thousand people.
As a result, the total volume of takeaway coffee sales in 2023, according to Smart Ranking, reached 102.7 billion rubles. This is a two-fold increase in just two years!
"Before, you needed a reason to drink coffee, it was a ritual," recalls Alexander Sviridov, owner of the One Moment coffee shop. - Just a few years ago, a young man could invite a woman to a cafe for coffee. Try it today. It's already awkward. Because for many people, especially young people, coffee has become an everyday and familiar thing.
In Korea, each person drinks about 2 kg of coffee per year. This is much more than in India or China, but we are still far from Finland. They drink 12 kg each. This is the statistics of the International Coffee Organization (ICO).
- Will our coffee market continue to grow? We have room for improvement in the future," says Ramaz Chanturia. - I think 5 kg of coffee per person per year is quite an achievable result.
Demand for ready-to-drink (iced) coffee is growing in Russia. According to NielsenIQ, canned coffee sales grew by almost 160% in early 2024. It is also one of the fastest-growing market segments in Europe. Experts say the secret to its popularity is that many consumers consider it a healthier alternative to energy drinks and sodas. You can buy bottled cappuccinos, lattes, and other popular coffee drinks.
Despite our love for cappuccino, latte and other Americanos, oddly enough, the most popular coffee drink in Russia is still instant coffee. According to the consulting agency Petrova 5, it accounted for 63% of the coffee consumed by Russians last year. On a global scale, this figure is low - about 28% (data from Statista.com), but continues to grow. According to NielsenIQ, in Russia, sales growth in monetary terms amounted to 1.6% year-on-year.
"Coffee is a healthy drink, this is absolutely obvious, because it has been proven by serious studies," gastroenterologist, nutritionist, and candidate of medical sciences Irina Berezhnaya told Komsomolskaya Pravda. - For example, 36 thousand people took part in an experiment in Korea. It was proven that people who drink coffee every day have higher cholesterol and blood pressure. It is also useful for people with type 2 diabetes to drink coffee. And in the USA, patients with heart attacks were studied. And people who drank coffee suffered from a second heart attack less often.
But, according to experts, there is one important condition. The coffee must be natural. In fact, during the production of instant drinks, the beans are subjected to various manipulations and lose their natural taste and nutrients. Manufacturers try to compensate for the taste deficiencies with the help of compositions. Drinking such coffee can affect the adrenal glands and increase blood pressure.
"Decaffeinated coffee is especially harmful," explains Irina Berezhnaya. "Coffee sold in vending machines may also contain artificial additives. Therefore, choose only natural drinks. The permitted amount is up to 4 drinks per day and no more. Coffee has a unique ability to lower blood pressure that is too high and raise it that is too low.
Irina Berezhnaya considers the addiction of many (especially young) people to coffee drinks with milk, syrup, etc. to be at least unhealthy.
- A cup of natural coffee contains only 2 kilocalories, and a cappuccino already has 150 calories! - the doctor reminds us. - In addition, premium ingredients such as coconut milk and syrup also contain chemicals such as preservatives and flavors. Plus, you don't know what the quality will be.
There are many ways to make coffee at home. For example, pour instant or ground coffee with hot water. The taste of coffee brewed in a Turk will be more refined. In fact, not everyone has time to touch the Turks, especially in the morning.
However, many devices have appeared for those who are always on the go, but want to enjoy a truly tasty and aromatic drink even at home.
The cheapest are electric Turkish ones (from 400 rubles). This is similar to an electric kettle, where you pour coffee in addition to water. Speed is the biggest advantage, but at the same time the biggest disadvantage is that the water in an electric pot boils in about 1 minute 30 seconds. And during this period, experts say, the taste of the coffee does not have time to fully open up.
Filter coffee is prepared using drip coffee makers (from 800 rubles). It is believed that coffee prepared this way is the healthiest, as it is maximally purified from substances that increase cholesterol levels.
Horn-type coffee makers are closer to professional coffee makers. The taste of coffee is rich and full-bodied. With their help, you can make espresso, latte and cappuccino. Price: from 3000 rubles.
A distinctive feature of capsule coffee makers (from 7,000 rubles) is the lack of need to buy regular coffee beans. All you need is coffee in special capsules. One of the main disadvantages is the cost of identical capsules. It is more expensive than beans.
Finally, an automatic coffee machine allows you to brew quality coffee with one push of a button. Premium models allow you to control the amount of water or milk supplied, set the degree of grinding, temperature, strength of the drink, etc. The price of a quality coffee machine is on average 40,000-50,000 rubles.