Is Sydney the real coffee capital of Australia?

What is the measure of a true coffee aficionado? Is it how often you visit a cafe? Must you own an expensive coffee maker? Or is shunning instant ‘coffee’ the real indication of a caffeine devotee?

Melbourne has long declared itself Australia’s most caffeine-crazed city, but the latest findings from Roy Morgan Research reveal that our coffee habits are a little more multifaceted.

The nation’s fondness for fresh coffee is undeniably growing. Between 2010 and 2014 the proportion of Australians aged 14+ visiting cafes in an average three months rose from 53.7% to 56.8%, while ownership of coffee makers increased from 28.2% of households to 36.9% over the same period.

Furthermore, 38.4% of the population bought fresh coffee in any given four weeks last year (up from 36.3% in 2010). And while a considerably higher proportion (52.6%) bought instant coffee, this has decreased since 2010, when it was 58.5%.

The figures become interesting when they are broken down by city. Not only are Sydneysiders more likely than other capital city residents to buy fresh coffee, with 43.7% doing so in an average four weeks, but they are also the least likely to buy instant (45.5%). Some might say this makes the Harbour City Australia’s rightful coffee capital!

The coffee habits of Australian capital cities

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), January-December 2014.

Angela Smith, group account director, Roy Morgan Research, says that Melburnians’ fondness for barista-made coffee may account for their city lagging behind Sydney in purchases of fresh coffee for home/work consumption.

Smith also points out that while the popularity of instant coffee has been declining for several years, instant coffee brands Moccona and Robert Timms are actually bucking this downward trend, with higher purchase rates in 2014 than in 2010. Meanwhile, she says Lavazza maintains the top spot among the fresh coffee brands.