The Irish Cuppa: Tea and the Rise of Coffee Culture in Ireland

What are the chances that you're reading this with a hot cup of tea or coffee in your hand?

Pretty likely, it seems. We've probably got Ireland's temperate climate (and the culture we've built around sharing a pot of the good stuff) to thank for that. 

But in recent years, numerous studies have shown that we Irish are quite unique in our love for tea and coffee. As it turns out, we can really hold our own (on a global stage) when it comes to our consumption of these caffeinated drinks. 

We've been drinking tea and coffee for over 200 years, but in the early days, these hot drinks were exclusive to the upper classes. Over time, they became more affordable and more widespread; fast forward to 2021, and 7 out of 10 Irish adults admit to drinking at least one cup of coffee a day. 

There seems to be a special place for these hot drinks in the hearts of Irish people, so this week, we did a bit of digging to find out how Ireland compares to other countries when it comes to our love of hot beverages. 

Cupán Tae

The statistics on Irish tea drinking are pretty startling: in 2016, Ireland was the second-biggest per capita consumer of tea worldwide.

The average person is estimated to drink 4.8 pounds of tea a year — that's half a pound more than the average Brit, and six times as much as the average Indian (who hail from the country where our favourite kind of tea, Assam, originated). 

Here in Ireland, tea has been the subject of family-dividing debate (dare we ask, Barry's or Lyons?). A cup of tea can be a peace offering, an icebreaker, an energy booster, or a remedy — sometimes, all of those things at once!

There's also scientific evidence to suggest that drinking tea at least 3 times a week helps us to live longer. In a research study involving over 100,000 Chinese adults, scientists found that habitual tea drinkers lived about 20% longer than those who didn't drink tea regularly. 

According to the data, tea-drinking reduces one's risk of dying from 'atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.' 

Coffee-Obsessed?

This year, Dublin was crowned the second-most 'coffee-obsessed' capital in the world, due to the sheer number of coffee shops that line its streets. It's now home to a whopping 181 cafés per 100,000 people. To put that in perspective, Paris has just 45 coffee shops per 100,000. 

Meanwhile, the most recent research into Irish coffee drinking habits has found that 78% of Irish adults drink coffee every day. We consume an average of three cups daily; 41% claim that coffee is an 'essential part of their day.' Our top three favourite drinks include the Americano, Cappuccino, and Latte.

The rise of coffee in Ireland has been meteoric. A quarter of a century ago, coffee shops as we know them didn't really exist in this country. 

A man named Karl Purdy, who now runs the highly successful CoffeeAngel chain in Dublin, is often cited as the man who introduced coffee culture to Ireland. He opened his first coffee shop, The Ground Floor, in Belfast in the late nineties. It became an overnight success — many Irish entrepreneurs followed suit, and the food and drink scene in Ireland was forever changed. 

. . .

That's all to say that drinking tea — and increasingly, coffee — is an intrinsic and important part of Irish culture. The most fortunate aspect of their popularity? You don't have to go to Dublin to taste some of the best tea and coffee that this country has to offer. 

Artisan roasters are on the rise, as are local coffee shops run by people who are passionate about what they do. Support local this autumn/winter and head down to a local cafe — check out our local recommendations below: