This article is part of our Hot Beverages Digital Feature.

Brits are brand snobs when it comes to coffee pods - 81% of users claim they only use the official manufacturer’s pods in their beloved machines.

The Grocer’s exclusive research, conducted by Harris Interactive, found that, of 2,088 Brits polled, 22% own a coffee pod machine, with the Bosch Tassimo favoured by a third of users followed by the Nescafé Dolce Gusto. Nespresso, which has Hollywood hunk George Clooney as an ambassador, came in third place. However, it is far more popular with 16 to 24-year-olds: 38% of pod machine owners have a Nespresso one.

Following the expiration of Nespresso’s patent, a multitude of Nespresso-compatible pods have hit the market, but with only one fifth of consumers willing to use them, the jury is out on how much potential they have. With this in mind, it is perhaps unsurprising that Tassimo has secured a staggering 47.8% growth in value over the past year [IRI 20 June 2015].

Nearly a quarter of respondents believe coffee pods are worth the premium as they make better quality coffee than instant, and 9% think they’re better than ground coffee.

But for those yet to become part of the so-called pod generation, the main barrier is price. While the humble tea bag costs on average 2p, coffee pods can be upwards of 25p in supermarkets and over 35p direct from the manufacturer. Of all the respondents, 35% felt that coffee pods are far too expensive (a view that became more prominent with age), while 18% said they would buy a machine if they were cheaper.

When it comes to tea, consumers are willing to pay more – but not too much more. Although nearly a quarter of consumers are only willing to pay 1p per bag (less than the current average price), 28% are happy to pay 5p and a further 13% 10p. The line, it seems, is drawn at 20p and over.

This may be because 42% of consumers believe tea is a simple pleasure, meaning they’re not interested in ‘fancy varieties’, but 23% say they would be willing to pay more if the quality was better.

Q1. Do you own a coffee pod machine?      
  Total Male Female 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
  A B C D E F G H
Yes 22% 21% 24% 22% 23% 24% 20% 21%
No  78% 79% 76% 78% 77% 76% 80% 79%
Q2. Which type of machine do you own?      
  Total Male Female 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Bosch Tassimo 34% 30% 36% 21% 29% 31% 43% 38%
Nescafe Dolce Gusto (by De’Longhi or Krups) 28% 22% 32% 28% 29% 25% 23% 30%
Nespresso 22% 26% 18% 38% 17% 22% 21% 18%
Philips Senseo 10% 11% 9% - 17% 13% 8% 8%
Lavazza A Modo Mio (by AEG) 2% 3% 2% 4% 1% 5% 2% 0
Starbucks Verismo 2% 4% 1% 3% 6% 1% - 1%
Other 3% 4% 3% 6% 1% 2% 3% 4%
Q3. Which pods do you use in your machine?      
  Total Male Female 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
I only use the official manufacturer’s pods 81% 78% 83% 83% 75% 78% 84% 83%
I only use third-party pods 7% 8% 5% 5% 12% 9% 1% 5%
I use a combination of the manufacturer’s pods and third-party pods 13% 14% 12% 12% 13% 13% 15% 12%
Q4. The average price of a coffee pod is 24p in supermarkets and can be as much as 35p from manufacturers, such as Nespresso. With this in mind, which of these statements do you agree with?
  Total Male Female 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Coffee pods are far too expensive 35% 33% 36% 18% 23% 36% 41% 42%
Pod coffee is for other people, it isn’t really my thing 27% 25% 28% 25% 22% 19% 28% 33%
Coffee pods make better quality coffee than instant coffee, and they’re worth the premium 23% 23% 23% 35% 31% 22% 20% 17%
I would buy coffee pods/a coffee pod machine if they were cheaper 18% 16% 20% 21% 20% 20% 17% 16%
Coffee pods make a comparable quality coffee to that available from coffee shops 16% 16% 17% 13% 12% 16% 17% 20%
Coffee pods make better quality coffee than ground coffee, and they’re worth the premium 9% 10% 9% 14% 13% 9% 8% 6%
Coffee pods are very bad for the environment 9% 10% 8% 8% 8% 10% 12% 8%
Coffee pods do not make better quality coffee than instant or ground 9% 10% 7% 7% 9% 7% 7% 11%
Pod coffee is for people like me and my family 8% 8% 9% 8% 7% 10% 8% 8%
I’ve stopped using my coffee pod machine and now make coffee using more traditional methods 4% 4% 4% 6% 5% 3% 6% 3%
Q5. How much would you be willing to pay per teabag?     
  Total Male Female 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
1p 23% 28% 19% 21% 17% 22% 23% 28%
2p 29% 29% 30% 20% 21% 26% 32% 37%
5p 28% 25% 30% 35% 32% 30% 27% 22%
10p 13% 12% 14% 16% 18% 15% 11% 10%
20p 4% 3% 5% 4% 6% 4% 5% 3%
More than 20p 2% 3% 2% 3% 6% 3% 1% 1%
Q6. The average price of a teabag is 2p. With this in mind, which of these statements do you agree with?
  Total Male Female 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Tea is a simple pleasure; I’m not interested in fancy varieties 42% 39% 45% 34% 33% 39% 42% 52%
I would be willing to pay more for tea if the quality were better 23% 22% 23% 33% 26% 23% 22% 17%
A genuine health benefit would make me drink a certain type of tea 20% 19% 21% 29% 21% 20% 22% 16%
Loose leaf tea is better quality than teabags 13% 14% 12% 16% 12% 12% 12% 13%
I would drink more tea if it had a comparable level of caffeine to coffee 6% 7% 5% 10% 13% 7% 6% 2%
Real men don’t drink herbal tea or fruit infusions 5% 8% 3% 8% 7% 5% 8% 2%
None of these 22% 22% 22% 18% 19% 23% 22% 25%
Q7. Which one of these do you drink most often?     
  Total Male Female 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Tea 44% 42% 46% 37% 42% 40% 42% 51%
Instant coffee 21% 21% 21% 8% 18% 20% 27% 25%
Ground coffee 7% 10% 5% 5% 5% 10% 9% 7%
Hot chocolate 7% 8% 6% 25% 8% 6% 3% 2%
Green tea 6% 5% 6% 10% 7% 5% 7% 3%
Premium instant coffee (such as Kenco Millicano or Nescafe Azera) 5% 5% 5% 1% 6% 7% 5% 5%
Fruit/herbal tea 4% 3% 5% 7% 5% 6% 3% 2%
Coffee from pods 4% 3% 4% 2% 3% 4% 3% 4%
Coffee from a coffee shop 2% 2% 2% 3% 5% 2% 2% 1%
Vending machine coffee 0 1% 0 1% 1% 1% 0 0
Q8. How do you take your tea?       
  Total Male Female 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+
Milk no sugar 33% 29% 37% 16% 19% 34% 36% 43%
Milk one sugar 15% 17% 13% 17% 19% 18% 14% 11%
Milk two or more sugars 15% 18% 11% 30% 25% 16% 12% 5%
Black no sugar 9% 9% 9% 7% 9% 9% 10% 9%
Milk with sweetener 8% 6% 9% 1% 9% 5% 7% 11%
Black with sugar 4% 5% 3% 8% 4% 6% 6% 1%
Black with sweetener 1% 2% 1% 1% 3% 1% - 1%
Other 1% 1% 2% 3% 1% 1% 1% 2%
I don’t drink tea 14% 13% 15% 17% 11% 12% 14% 16%

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