Russia: coffee supplants tea

Audio 01:59

On average, according to figures cited by the Kommersant newspaper, Russians drink 21 liters of coffee per year.

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By: Daniel Vallot Follow

5 mins

Is Russia Converting to Coffee?

The country has long preferred tea leaves to coffee beans, but for ten years the consumption of espresso, cappuccino and other lattes has been on the rise, especially in large cities.

As a result in 2019, Russia imported more coffee than tea.

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This figure caused a sensation when it was made public last spring: for the first time in Russia, sales of coffee exceeded those of tea: 180,000 tonnes of coffee sold in 2019, compared to 140,000 tonnes. Some tea.

Unheard of in a country where tea is considered a national drink, even though it is imported from India, Sri Lanka or Kenya.

In Russia, the image of the Samovar and hot cups of tea, which are drunk at any time of the day, is part of national folklore.

And yet, for the past decade, coffee has been establishing itself in people's minds and in cups.

And while tea consumption is trending downward, coffee consumption continues to climb.

According to figures cited by the TASS agency, coffee consumption doubled in Russia during the 2010s. And the story has only just begun because, despite this meteoric growth, Russians remain "small" consumers when the we compare with other countries.

On average, according to figures quoted by the newspaper

, they drink 21 liters per year, against a hundred for the Americans, and 200 for the Finns who are the biggest coffee drinkers in the world.

Russians are drinking more and more coffee and they are doing it differently!

After having favored instant coffee for years, amateurs are discovering - at least in big cities - the delights of espresso, latte or cappuccino.

Result: in Moscow as in Saint Petersburg, a multitude of cafes have opened to surf on this craze.

The Russians, it must be said, have long been deprived of quality coffee: in Soviet times, it was often necessary to be content with chicory or ersatz without much flavor.

Today, coffee in Russia therefore conveys a trendy image, opening up to the outside world.

However, tea still has a say in a country where it remains essential.

And the coronavirus could also slow down somewhat the irresistible rise of coffee in Russia.

Because it is outside their homes, in restaurants or bars, that Russians prefer to drink coffee.

When they stay at home, as was the case during the confinement imposed last spring, it is the kettle and the tea leaves that are required again.

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