The UK’s largest branded coffee chain has introduced tea at nearly half of its vast UK self-serve coffee machine network as more consumers seek an affordable alternative to daily coffee purchases
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Costa Coffee prices a regular cup of tea from a Costa Express machine at around £2.30 ($2.85) | Photo credit: Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee has added tea across 7,000 of its self-serve Costa Express machines in the UK following a ten-unit trial in April 2024.
In a press release, the UK’s largest branded coffee chain highlighted tea as a UK staple and said the move was focused on making it easier for people to ‘enjoy their favourite brew on the move’. Costa Coffee prices a regular cup of tea from a Costa Express machine at around £2.30 ($2.85).
“We know how much our customers value a great cup of coffee, and the same goes for tea – which is an integral part of daily life in the UK,” said Andrew Miller, Express and Corporate Sales Director UK&I, Costa Coffee.
The addition of tea to the Costa Express network will enable the Coca-Cola owned coffee chain to cater to value-conscious consumers, who are increasingly cutting back on regular out-of-home coffee purchases amid the cost-of-living crisis and turning to tea due to its lower price point.
With global coffee prices reaching record highs and many operators left with little choice but to pass on increased costs to consumers, World Coffee Portal’s Cakes, Shakes & Tea Breaks 2024 report found that 54% of UK coffee shop consumers surveyed now purchase tea out-of-home at least once a week, up from 48% in 2023.
World Coffee Portal’s Project Café UK 2025 report found that the average price of a 12oz hot tea at UK branded coffee shops is £2.80 ($3.47), compared to £3.64 ($4.51) for a regular latte or cappuccino of the same size.
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Costa Coffee has operated Costa Express self-serve coffee machines in retail stores, petrol and service stations, leisure sites and offices since 2011, when it acquired Coffee Nation for £59.5m ($77.3m). Its total UK Costa Express network comprises 15,000 units.
In June 2022, Costa Coffee – which also operates more than 1,600 Costa Express units across 20 markets globally – began the rollout of 1,100 new Costa Express self-serve machines across the UK capable of serving both hot and iced beverages, a ‘world first’' according to the coffee chain.