Costa Coffee

Costa Coffee is a popular British coffeehouse which began its operations in 1971. This is the largest chain of coffeehouse in Britain and ranks second in the list of different coffeehouses of the world. The Costa has its own roastery which differentiates it from other competitors. Only three Italian Master Roasters market this branded coffee in UK. The coffee blend in Costa is also served in several UK stores and it is rebranded as Mocha Italia.  This coffee blend is prepared by combining one portion of robusta beans with six portions of Arabica beans. The very method of preparation differentiates the coffee and its blend from its competitors.   

 

Costa Coffee History
This Costa Coffee was born in 1971 when Sergio Costa and Bruno began their own roastery in the Lambeth area of London. They established it with the only aim of supplying grinded coffee to the coffee shops and caterers operating in the area. They branded their slow roasted coffee grind as Mocha Italia. Costa and Bruno retailed their brand for the first time in 1978 by opening the Vauxhall Bridge Road in London.  Since 1995, the brand is acquired by Whitbread Company, which went on to acquire the 1000th store in Cardiff. Today Costa coffee is sold at 1175 stores and outlets across UK. Also, this coffee is sold 442 stores across the globe in 28 countries. Outside UK, Costa’s largest outlet is operating in Dubai.  The Costa appraised its brand value by buying the famous coffee brand Coffee Heaven in 2010. The Coffee Heaven merger made Costa richer by 79 stores across Eastern and Central Europe. The Costa brand added another achievement to its fame by acquiring the Starbucks in UK by taking over its 37.6% share in turnover. The brand also operates from small outlets positioned at main public places like Railway stations, business parks and airports. Also, Costa coffee has tied up with big business brands like Pizza Hut, Tesco, Beef eater Pubs etc to promote their products through small stalls within their stores.

 

Mocha Italia Variations
Many of the Costa variations are popular across UK and world. About 9 of the costa variations are commonly served through all its outlets. They are:

  • Espresso: A strong and short black coffee variation which is served without milk. This humble espresso is prepared by combining different types of beans which actually regulate its acidity, sweetness, bitterness, aroma, and body as a whole. This popular Costa coffee variation is popular with drinkers all over the world.  
  • Ristretto: A black coffee variation which is stronger and shorter than Espresso.
  • Americano: This special coffee variation is created by amalgamating hot water with shots of espresso and it is enjoyed with or without milk.
  • Cappuccino: This coffee variety is created by amalgamating the steamed and frothy milk with espresso. It is served simple or with a topping of chocolate.
  • Mocha – This is an espresso variation which is prepared by amalgamating the coffee with hot chocolate and is mostly served after topping it with frothed milk.
  • Espresso Dopio: This Costa coffee variation is created with double shots of espresso and mainly targets coffee aficianados who prefer their coffee strong.
  • Macchiato: This is another espresso variation which is served with extra milk.
  • Flat White: This coffee variation is rich, smooth textured, velvety and is full flavored.
  • Caffee Latte: This Costa coffee variation is created with steamed milk but it’s not stronger as cappuccino.

Costa also caters to the special needs of its customers by creating coffee recipes which incorporate healthier ingredients such as skimmed milk or Soya milk and make use decaffeinated coffees as well. The Costa has also introduced some syrupy coffee variations involving popular flavors such as caramel, vanilla and hazelnut.

 


Features of Costa Coffee Brand

  • Costa imports its beans from Africa, America and East.
  • All of the Costa coffee blends are 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified.
  • The brand still retains the original Costa blend created by Costa brothers by amalgamating the Robusta beans and Arabica beans.
  • Costa became the first coffee brand in UK to set up a benchmark and control its own process starting from sourcing, storing, blending, roasting, grinding and preparing its own coffee.

 

Costa Trivia

  • The company has employed Gennaro Pelliccia as its chief coffee taster who insured his tongue for £10m at Lloyd’s in 2009 at London.  
  • Mihaela Petkova from Sofia, Bulgaria, won the Barista of the Year in 2010 for her amazing coffee blend named Lavender Spell which was prepared by amalgamating various types of spices and herbs with coffee. The Barista of the Year award is handed over at Costa Book awards which are instituted by the Costa management to select the best Costa stores from across the world. These Costa Coffee stores or brewers are selected on the basis of their presentation, technical skills, passion and personality.