Coffee pods are steaming ahead. A raft of pretenders to Nespresso’s crown are vying for a bigger slice of the market, after Nestlé lost its legal tussle to protect its capsule technology. Elsewhere green teas and fruit-flavoured teas are hotting up, as adventurous Brits expand their palettes and leave standard tea to go cold. Meanwhile instant coffee is turning super-posh in an effort to take on the pods. The latest in our series of digital features lifts the (kettle) lid on all of these trends, alongside exclusive insight on ad spend, social media, and glorious NPD…

Hot Beverages 1

Green, fruit and herbal tea sales steam towards the £100m mark

The traditional cuppa is in hot water. Increasingly adventurous and health conscious Brits are ditching standard black tea in favour of fruitier, herbal and greener offerings.

Hot Beverages 2

Battle on the high teas: Our panel unimpressed by posh brands

We stacked up four premium teas from Typhoo, Tetley, Twinings and PG Tips and asked our consumer panel to evaluate them on video.

Hot Beverages 3

Coffee pods have the power as rivals vie for dominance

The coffee capsule war fuelled by Nestlé’s ageing intellectual property rights and Dualit’s victory have sparked a market free-for-all. Dualit, CafePod and Carte Noire are among those looking to steal Nespresso’s crown. Whatever will Mr Clooney say?

Hot Beverages 4

Nescafé tops our social list… in a wheelbarrow

A granddad pushing a grandma around in a wheelbarrow helped Nescafé reach more people on Facebook than any other hot beverage brand this summer. Here’s how it did it… and how its rivals are using new media to spread their messages.

Hot Beverages 5

Café culture’s coming home: super-premium instant steams ahead

When it comes to instant coffee, premiumisation is so last year. It’s super premiumisation driving sales in a category striving to compete with the meteoric rise of pods and at-home coffee machines.

Hot Beverages 6

Growth isn’t cheap: ad spend climbs 15.9%

It’s no surprise it’s the coffee brands that have increased ad spend the most in the past year. Following a string of failed court cases to protect its coffee pods and with the market awash with copycat capsules, Nespresso has spent 8,074% more on advertising in the last 12 months, and its rivals aren’t far behind.

Hot Beverages 7

Global innovation: Spanish herbal tea aims to help kids sleep

We scour the wonderful world of global hot beverages innovation for the most out-there brews you’re likely to see.

Hot Beverages 8

More tea, barman? Posh brands turn boozy

Black tea porter, chai infused ale and alcoholic ice tea are among the alcoholic teas to have hit the market in 2014…

Hot Beverages 9

It’s not just what you know… meet the buyers

Any brand looking to win share of this competitive market needs to know their buyers. Here’s a rundown of some of the most influential buyers in the industry.

Hot Beverages 10

Revealed: how much drinkers are prepared to pay for a cuppa

How much are Brits really prepared to shell out for a cup of the hot wet stuff?