Hungarians spend HUF 3,000 a month on at-home coffee

We’ve gotten used to the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has rewrote all our habits – and coffee consumption is no exception. We spend more on at-home coffee and take our usual brand off the shelf, but in the meantime, we are also happy to try new products, while ground coffee is still the most popular choice. Costa Coffee’s research also revealed the most important aspects we take into consideration when we buy a coffee machine for home.

How much do we spend on coffee?

One person spends an average of 3,000 forints a month on at-home coffee – according to half of the respondents who completed the joint survey of Costa Coffee and GKI Digital about coffee consumption habits. 2,721 people answered the questions, and more than 2,000 of them are regular coffee consumers. 28 percent spend between 3,000 and 5,000 forints, while only one in every ten respondents spends more than 5,000 forints per month.

Many drink coffee at work, even though the location of it has mostly changed due to COVID-19: those who still drink coffee at their workplace during the day spend up to 3,000 forints a month, while more than half of the respondents don’t pay for coffee at work as it is provided by their employer.

Although we weren’t able to sit down for a cup of coffee in HoReCa outlets for a long time, it was still possible to jump into open cafés for a hot drink to-go in recent months. 15 percent of the respondents spend more than 3,000 forints on takeaway coffee per month, and one in every five Budapest citizens spends at least 3,000 forints on takeaway coffee. Sixty percent of the respondents would also spend around 3,000 forints to drink their favorite coffee in a café. On these occasions, respondents are willing to pay an average of 482 forints for an espresso and 694 forints for a latte or a cappuccino.

Where do we get our daily coffee?

Many families have changed their shopping habits due to COVID-19 and make weekly or monthly bulk purchases, so it’s not surprising that coffee shopping typically takes place at supermarkets (47%), hypermarkets (36%), and discount stores (34%). Nearly one-fifth of the respondents buy coffee from online coffee stores, while every tenth of them buy coffee from online supermarkets.

Coffee consumers are loyal to the brand – as revealed by Costa Coffee's research. Nearly half of the customers usually choose a familiar brand, but eager to try something else if a new brand catch their attention. One in every five respondents choose from multiple favorite brands, while 34 percent stated that they always choose the same brand.

Ground coffee, beans, or capsules?

Coffee beans and capsules are driving the growth of the Hungarian coffee market; therefore, Costa Coffee had entered the Hungarian market in last May with ground coffee and beans, then launched capsule packaging in autumn. The conductors of the survey were also curious about what type of coffee is the most popular among consumers. According to the research, two-thirds of the respondents buy coffee beans or capsules, while nearly half also buy ground coffee.

Top considerations when buying coffee

One in every two people said that their main considerations when buying coffee are previous experience and taste, but a third of the respondents have also put the brand, price, and strength of the coffee into the selection criteria. Sustainability is an important aspect to 80 percent of coffee drinkers, and 7 percent keep it in mind when they buy coffee. All of Costa’s coffee around the world is made exclusively from Rainforest Alliance Certified (RFA) coffee beans. Using only materials that are certified by the organization is also an important criterium for the brand when it comes to choosing packaging materials.

Changing consumption habits

In the last year, more than half of the respondents have not changed their coffee habits, at least regarding quantity, due to COVID-19, but the location of consumption has changed significantly. As an effect of the pandemic, 93 percent of the respondents have more coffee at home, 48 percent don’t drink coffee in cafés and restaurants, and 45 percent have less coffee at work.

How do we make coffee at home?

The type of coffee Hungarians buy is closely related to what kind of coffee-making equipment they have at home. The research found that the majority of households have more than two types of coffee makers – almost equally popular are the moka pots (38%) and capsule coffee machines (37%). Costa Coffee experts believe that you can make barista-quality coffee even with a moka pot from high-quality coffee – the secret lies in the quality of the coffee and a few little tricks.

When it comes to buying a coffee machine, the most important aspect for half of the respondents was being able to make delicious coffee at home as well as to make high-quality coffee fast with the device. Interestingly, price is not a deciding factor in this case: only 7 percent said that they chose the appliance because of its low price. This also indicates a shift among domestic consumers from functional ‘wake up’ coffee to experience-based coffee and to the purchase of necessary high-quality ingredients and equipment. Costa Coffee is a great partner for at-home coffee consumption, whether it be an espresso, latte, cappuccino, ristretto, or iced coffee.

GKI Digital’s research, commissioned by Coca-Cola HBC Hungary, was conducted with the participation of 2721 respondents in March 2021.