Victoria’s most popular coffee revealed

Karen Collier
December 11, 2018
Herald Sun
Coffee-addicted Victorians have crowned lattes their favourite brew.
Our top caffeine fix accounts for two in five buys at coffee shops, a transactions analysis shows.
Flat whites and cappuccinos were next most popular.
We’re splurging an average $4.18 per cup on lattes — up 9c on last year.
Accounting for all cup sizes, Victorians’ average spend per drink was $4.07 for flat whites (up 8c) and $4.05 for cappuccinos (up 1c).
Payment platform Square tracked transactions at hundreds of cafes and coffee bars.
“Melburnians and Victorians take their coffee very seriously and value quality, ” Square spokeswoman Caitlin Walsh said.
Cards have taken over from cash as the most common payment method, with more than half of customers (56 per cent) using plastic rather than spare change to buy beverages.
“A rise in tap-and-go payments is allowing businesses to serve customers faster, particularly during busy periods.”
The peak time for a pick-me-up is 9am for lattes, flat whites and cappuccinos, the Square and Specialty Coffee Association research found.
Tea sales are strongest at 10am, chai at 11am, and matcha at 3pm.
Long blacks were cheapest: Victorians shelled out an average of $3.87 across all sizes.
For tea drinkers, chai, matcha, English breakfast, Earl Grey and green tea were the most popular orders.
Ms Walsh said that while latte sales in Victoria had slipped from a 49 to a 42 per cent share compared with last year, it was still clear favourite.
Flat whites consumed 17 per cent of purchases, cappuccinos 14 per cent, and long blacks 7 per cent.
Some coffee connoisseurs were increasingly experimenting with flavour-infused versions of their favourites.
Sales of matcha-infused coffee and chai latte have surged over the past year, although they still account for only about 5 per cent of the overall sales.
“More non-dairy options are also popping up on menus. Soy is the most popular choice, followed by almond, coconut, macadamia and cashew,” Ms Walsh said.
karen.collier@news.com.au