A A GENERAL ENGLISH
Coffee culture
Lesson code: 1Z1E-C798-9C3Q UPPER INTERMEDIATE +
1 Warm-up
How often do you go to a cafe? Do you prefer chain stores or artisan coffee shops?
2 Key words
Match the words words to their definitions:
1. a high street a. a funny television series that is about the same group of people
every week in different situations
2. a commuter b. a person who travels to and from work on a regular basis
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, taking only a small amount at a time
3 Find the information
Choose the best 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 UK every day?
a. 10 million b. 70 million c. 100 million
2. When did coffee start to become very popular?
a. in the 1970s b. in the 1980s c. in the 1990s
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 UK households own a coffee machine?
a. 33% b. 50% c. 60%
5. How much is a typical cup of coffee in the UK?
a. around $1 b. around $2.10 c. around $3.65
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Coffee culture
A A A A GENERAL ENGLISH
Coffee in the UK
How Britain became addicted to cafe culture
Adapted from The Independent, 13 August 2013
1 Stereotypes might suggest that British people only combined with a demand for breakfasts on the go
drink strong tea but the 70 million cups of from commuters, the closure of pubs, and the
coffee consumed in the UK each day tell a emergence of foodie culture.
different story.
8 Experts agree that Britain now has one of the most
2 A quick glance down any typical British high street vibrant coffee cultures in the world. The scene is a
will prove that Britain is now a nation of coffee melting pot of influences, which offers American
addicts. Commuters quickly drink espressos to and Scandinavian style filter coffee as well as
treat exhaustion at station platforms, and shorter black beverages favoured by Italians and
soup-bowl-sized lattes are sipped at countless the Spanish.
cafes.
9 Coffee is now enjoyed in the home too. A third of
3 In the past 15 years, chain stores including Costa people have some form of coffee machine in their
and Caffe Nero have occupied every corner of the kitchen, which is easily filled with quality artisan
high street, familiarising the British people with the beans bought online, according to Professor
drink and making them eager to explore more Morris.
flavours. Small artisan coffee shops serving beans
from around the world have since appeared, and 10 And those wondering why such a bitter drink is so
the UK is now in the middle of what is known as desirable are probably just the victims of a bad
the third wave coffee movement. barista, who should be well-trained and
knowledgeable about the bean they are serving.
4 The twenty-somethings of the 1990s are largely to "Someone new to coffee should look out for what
blame for our addiction to coffee, explains tastes good it sounds really simple but there
Jonathan Morris, Professor of history at the should be no bitter or unwanted flavours in good
University of Hertfordshire and the co-author of coffee," stresses Matt Caroll the owner of
Coffee: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Fortitude Coffee in Edinburgh.
Beverage and the Industry. Between 1993 and
1997, the number of UK coffee outlets shot up by 11 And the best coffee shops are unpretentious,
847 per cent. showcase the drink's versatility, and do not forget
the farmers who grow the coffee. They recognise
5 Waiting for your coffee in the morning, it is easy that the majority of the UK public is lucky to have
to forget that coffee was quite recently regarded water on tap and enough disposable income to
as an exotic new drink, made using machinery enjoy the odd coffee.
resembling a space-ship. This "new" coffee tasted
dramatically better than the bleak jars of instant 12 "Ethics and environmental sustainability, as well
coffee sold in supermarkets. as sustainable relationships are extremely
important," says Gerard Fisher, the owner of Nude
6 Drinking coffee was also seen as a way to Espresso and Coffee Roasters in London. "We
emulate the cosmopolitan New York lifestyles work directly with farmers in coffee producing
showcased in hugely popular sitcoms. countries to ensure that they get the best possible
price for their coffee allowing them to pay their
7 Cafe culture became even more popular during pickers well, house them and provide health care
the emergence of the digital age, when laptops, for their families."
mobile phones, and later tablets, freed some
workers from their desk. And when retail shops 13 "We are extremely lucky to have our daily coffee,
disappeared during the financial crisis, cafes filled many of us do not think twice about paying ¿2.50
the gaps. By installing wifi, cafes became an ($3.65) for a coffee out of the home," says Young:
alternative place to socialise and work. This was "Let's celebrate."
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Coffee culture
A A A A GENERAL ENGLISH
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 UK.
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. Britain does not offer many different types of coffee.
6. Good 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, P2)
2. very willing (adjective, P3)
3. increased rapidly (phrasal verb, P4)
4. to try to be like someone or something that you admire or that is successful (verb, P6)
5. full of excitement and energy (adjective, P8)
6. drinks (plural formal noun, P8)
7. display (verb, P11)
8. give a person or animal a place to live (verb, P12)
6 Talking point
Discuss any of the questions below.
1. Does your country have a coffee culture?
2. How does it compare to the UK?
3. Has it changed in the past 15 years? How?
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Coffee culture - Key
A A A A GENERAL ENGLISH
1- Warm-up
Explain the difference between a chain store (e.g. Starbucks) and an artisan coffee shop (a cafe that serves coffee
made in a traditional way using high-quality ingredients).
2- Key words
1. f 2. b 3. g 4. d 5. e 6. a 7. c
3- Find the information
1. b 2. c 3. c 4. a 5. c
4- Checking understanding
1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. F 6. F 7. T
5- Find the word
1. glance 2. eager 3. shot up 4. emulate
5. vibrant 6. beverages 7. showcase 8. house
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You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex
Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.
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