Among all, coffee is confirmed to be the most loved drink by Italians. 96.5% of the population between 18 and 65 years old consumes it, at least occasionally. This is what emerged from the survey conducted by AstraRicerche on behalf of the Consorzio Promozione Caffe, through interviews of a sample of over a thousand individuals representative of about 37 million Italians. At the regional level, the ‘strong ‘ consumers reside in the North West (Piedmont and Lombardy) and in the southern part of the country (from Lazio to Calabria, but also in Puglia and the islands).
The moments of the day when you have a coffee are, in the morning (80%), after lunch (76%), mid-morning (59%) and afternoon (50%). There is a different way of enjoying coffee: men prefer it bitter and pure, women with milk or cocoa. As for the preferred mode of preparation of coffee, between moka and pods, there are strong differences for age and geographical area. The moka is much loved by the over 55s, while young people between 18 and 24 choose the new pod or capsule machine.
Tradition versus modernity? But coffee is always a pleasure to enjoy alone or in company. In Italy coffee is something to be offered with pleasure to other people and enjoying it together means sharing an experience of the senses and affections.
According to Patrick Hoffer, president of the Coffee Promotion Consortium, “a vast scientific literature shows that coffee is fully part of an active lifestyle and a correct and balanced diet”.
Finally, what Italians like most about coffee is certainly the taste, but also just smell it. The pleasure comes even before they put their lips on the cup.
