Coffee Mugs Are For Coffee, But Wait Theres More!

I put coffee in my coffee mug. How about you? Sometimes hot chocolate I guess once in a very blue moon, but largely coffee and that's why most of us call them 'coffee mugs'. Considering Britain is supposed to be a nation of tea drinkers, most of us actually drink the good old inky black stuff instead, and I don't think Starbucks et al are to blame for the trend.

According to the Telegraph Britain is falling out of love with tea, with people drinking 22% less of it than they did 5 years ago as coffee has surged in popularity.

So why do British people drink so much coffee and are we losing our quaintness?

It's entirely possible that fancy coffee shops and coffee culture are to blame, but I put it down to good old fashioned stress and exhaustion to be honest. At the end of the day it's probably easier to spoon a hefty serving of coffee into your cup in the morning than it is to press dramatically at a couple of tea bags for an extended period of time trying to muster as much caffeine out of them as possible.

People work too much. Specifically Britain's work too much. And we're tired as a result of that, so no wonder we're lurching from one coffee mug break to the next to boost our productivity.

As we develop furthermore into coffee drinkers we have to ask ourselves if we're also becoming less 'quaint'. Should we also abandon wearing twead, carrying wooden handle umbrellas and talking about how bad the weather is regardless of whether it's clement weather or not? We may even be forced to put on some sort of farcical pretence when in the presence of American's ... so as to preserve our national identity.

I love coffee just as much as anyone else, however I'm a Caribbean / Scottish mix and so probably have some degree of excuse. For the rest of you British coffee mug hugging heathens, here are some wonderful recipes with which to spice up your precious coffee;

Pumpkin Spice Latte

There is a difficult way to do this (involving actual pumpkin and a mixing bowl) and an easy way, and going to tell you the easy way. Simply make your usual favourite coffee and pour in a hefty dash of Pumpkin Spice syrup, if you're feeling decadent top it to the brim with squirty cream and sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top.

Scottish Boozy Coffee

A Scottish take on the traditional 'Irish coffee'. Half fill your coffee mug with your favourite black stuff, pour in two measures of Scottish whisky, spoon in 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, and top the remainder of your coffee mug up with double cream. Stir your coffee cocktail to perfection.

Iced Coffee

Turn your coffee habit into a desert habit with the addition of icecream. Put two scoops of vanilla (or any other flavour) ice cream into your coffee mug and pour cold filter coffee over the top along with some maple syrup and chocolate shavings for decorative effect.

Refreshing Breakfast Banana Coffee

Combine your breakfast with your coffee to achieve a revivitalising wake-me-up. Perfect for time starved A-type high achievers. 

Use a blender to combine the following; half a frozen banana, half a cup of milk (could be coconut or almond milk if you want), I tablespoon of flaked coconut, 2 teaspoons of vanilla syrup, 3 - 5 icecubes, and a quarter of a cup of expresso or other strong coffee.