Page 6 - APPD_Something's_Brewing_July_August'25(1Aug25)

Hi everyone, and welcome to
the summer edition of
"Something's Brewing"
magazine.
It has been extremely hot in
spells, and while the water may be
rationed in some places, the UK
cafe culture continues to keep the
beverages flowing.
I have to say that in some small
tourist villages I have visited, the
coffee outlets seem to outnumber
the other shops. I was recently at
a shooting event in Builth Wells,
Wales, and this was the case. On
the way back, I stopped in
Monmouth, where I counted 16
coffee shops along one high
street. Now I am not saying they
were all raking it in and making
vast profits, but over there they
seem to charge a little less, and
they all seem to be quite busy on
a beautiful day.
Currently, on weekdays, the
demographic appears to be older,
and that's okay. However, this was
a weekend, and what struck me
was the presence of families with
kids and dogs. (Dogs always seem
to be welcomed in Wales, which I
applaud.) It seemed like a trip of
importance since there aren't
many other shops. What else can
you deduce? There is also no
proliferation of drive-throughs you
see around the bigger cities on the
main throughways.
No one (sadly, I feel) says "let's go out for Tea"; it's
always coffee. No one invites their date in "for a
tea," so is the nation's favourite hot beverage now
coffee?
I still believe we are a nation founded on tea.
Afternoon tea should be officially recognised at 3
pm, especially when England are playing, and
everyone puts the kettle on at half-time. What is
that for now? Tea occasions (both at home and
out of home) used to outnumber coffee by a ratio
of 10 to 1 in 2015.** It would be interesting to see
if the gap has closed now.
(ed. Afternoon Tea Week 2025 will take place from August
11th to 17th.)
Having said all that, the BSA has some excellent
members involved in tea, chocolate, and coffee
from all parts of the trade. Whatever your
beverage of choice, we are here to offer you help,
advice, training, a voice, and a platform to
maintain high standards and expectations.
To contact me, you can either email me at the
address below or message me at 07711 087662.
You can also join our vibrant Beverage Support
Hub WhatsApp group.
Kind regards,
Steve Slark
chairman@beveragestandardsassociation.co.uk
** Tetley Tea survey 2015.
JULY/AUGUST. 2025 | ISSUE 43