Coffee capitals of the world: these are the cheapest cities to get your caffeine fix

Coffee capitals of the world: Bogotá, Istanbul and Rome named the cheapest cities to get your caffeine fix on your travels

• Finland is home to those most addicted to coffee, with almost 10kg consumed per person, per year – more than five times that of Brits (1.7kg/year per person)

• Colombia’s capital, Bogota, is where you can grab the cheapest cup of coffee at just under a pound, while Copenhagen is home to the most expensive cuppa at £4.47

• Athens has the most coffee shops, with 17.4 shops per square mile – London only has 2.6 per square mile!

• Cappuccino is the world’s favourite coffee type, followed by espresso and flat white

It’s no secret that most of us rely on a cup of coffee or two to help us stay alert and focused throughout the working day, however, new research from Lenstore has revealed that a shocking one in five of us are consuming five or more cups of coffee daily!

Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or will happily settle for a cup of the instant kind, new research from Lenstore has revealed how coffee really makes us feel, where the biggest coffee lovers reside, as well as the cities where we can get the cheapest cup worldwide.

Finland is the country most addicted to coffee 

Residents in the Nordic countries are revealed to be some of the biggest coffee drinkers, with Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway taking the top spots. Coffee drinkers in Finland consume an average of 9.6 kg of coffee each year, triple the number of those in 20 other countries, including the UK (1.7 kg), New Zealand (1.3 kg), the USA (3.1 kg) and France (3.2 kg):

Bogotá, Istanbul, and Rome are the cheapest cities in which to grab a cup of coffee

The capital of Colombia, Bogotá, revealed to be the cheapest city for coffee lovers with a cup setting you back just £0.93, five times less than a cup of coffee in Copenhagen, which would cost you a shocking £4.47, making it the most expensive capital in which to get your caffeine fix. 

If you’re planning a European getaway this summer, you’ll be pleased to hear many beautiful cities feature in the top 10 cheapest cities list for a cup of coffee, including Rome, Budapest, Lisbon, and Madrid:

Where is the easiest city to grab a cup of the good stuff?

How easy is it to pick up a cup of caffeine to keep your energy levels up whilst exploring a new city? 

Lenstore has also revealed the top five cities where you will find the most coffee shops, with the breathtaking city of Athens taking the top spot with a huge 17.4 per mile. On the other hand, London has 2.6 coffee shops per square mile, meaning Athens is home to almost seven times as many stops for a cup of brew.

Cappuccino is the world’s favourite coffee

Whether you’re partial to a frothy coffee or prefer to forgo the milk, Lenstore has also revealed the world’s most popular type of coffee, with cappuccino taking the top spot with residents in some of the famous capitals, including Paris, Budapest and Stockholm, enjoying this style of coffee the most.

Espresso came in second place as the most popular coffee type worldwide, loved by residents in capital cities such as London, Washington D.C and Rome. Meanwhile, flat white comes in third, preferred by those in cities such as Prague and Berlin. 

A quarter of us feel irritable until we’ve had a cup of coffee

Lenstore’s research revealed that almost half (49%) of Brits can’t start their day without drinking a cup of tea or coffee, with the average person drinking 2.71 cups of coffee a day on average. Shockingly, one in five of us (19%) will go on to drink five or more a day to keep ourselves feeling awake.

Despite experts suggesting we shouldn’t drink more than four cups a day in order to avoid mental and physical symptoms such as dizziness, headaches and heart palpitations, many of us are willing to risk the negative side effects in order to reap the benefits with almost a quarter saying they feel irritable (24%), and more than one in five (21%) admitting to feeling anxious until they’ve had a cup.

Struggling to get your 8 hours in? Whilst drinking coffee close to bedtime has been associated with insomnia and trouble sleeping, over two fifths (42%) say they don’t care what time of the day it is when they pour themselves a cup and three in 10 (29%) say that having a lot of caffeine doesn’t make it difficult for them to get to sleep.

Sujata Paul, professional services clinical lead at Lenstore and contact lens optician FBDO/CL says: “For many of us, our morning cup of coffee is what helps keep us motivated and awake throughout the morning, and we might even look forward to a cup of tea or two throughout the day during work breaks.

“However, if you’re regularly drinking an excessive amount of caffeine, you might experience high blood pressure which can potentially result in a number of eye problems including blurred vision, nerve damage, bleeding of the eye and even sight loss. There is also a connection between over-consumption of caffeine and the risk of glaucoma, symptoms of which include red eye, eye pain, seeing rings around lights, blurred vision, and even blindness. 

“Whilst having a few cups of tea or coffee throughout the day isn’t an issue, make sure to keep an eye on your caffeine intake and consult your optician if you’re experiencing any of the above symptoms.”

For more information on Lenstore’s research, please see the blog post here: https://www.lenstore.co.uk/eyecare/the-effect-of-caffeine-on-our-health-and-vision