When I think of coffee and coffee shops in the US, there’s one word that comes to mind:
Starbucks.
Living in Naperville, I’m a hop, skip, and a jump away from two different Starbucks and if I ever want a hot drink or some kind of pastry snack, that’s my go-to place. Sure, there are probably other places I could go to if I really wanted to, but come on – it’s pumpkin spice latte season. Where else would I go?
That’s not how it is in Canterbury, England. There are a couple of Starbucks here (I would know. I staked them out early.), but it’s not as popular as it is in Naperville, and there are a lot of other options that I’ve really loved trying. They all have their perks.
One of the biggest differences in the UK that I’ve noticed so far is one that a lot of people might think is fairly obvious; besides coffee, they do drink a lot of tea here. At Canterbury Christ Church, the school that I go to, they have an event called “Tea and Toast,” where they serve late night tea and refreshments to those who live around the area. While North Central might woo students to attend events by offering free Chipotle or t-shirts, it’s not uncommon for free tea to do the same here at CCCU.
But it’s not all just tea. Coffee is a huge part of the culture here, just like it is in the States, but there are some fairly big differences between the two. While Starbucks and other shops like Dunkin’ Donuts offer more drinks to-go or in easy to carry containers, coffee shops here in Canterbury very rarely offer travel cups. When you order a drink here, it’s often served in a mug or glass, and you can sit down in one of the many indoor or outdoor tables located at nearly every cafe or shop and take in the atmosphere of the downtown area or listen to some music being played on street corners. Drinking coffee here is less about the actual caffeine (although that’s important too) and more about the experience of taking a moment to sit back, relax, and enjoy a great cup of coffee or tea, preferably with a friend or two. It’s all about the atmosphere.
It’s also worth mentioning that the presentation of the coffee itself is beautiful. Whether you get a mocha or an espresso, there’s always an intricately designed foam creation on the top of you drink, or the mug it’s in looks like it’s from a magazine. Each drink is a tiny, Instagrammable work of art.
To put it all into perspective, there’s exactly one Dunkin’ Donuts in the entirety of England. There’s quite a few Starbucks, but they’re vastly outnumbered by homier, more comfortable, quaint coffee houses that encourage people to simply come in and enjoy the coffee. The point of coffehouses here in Canterbury are not to get your coffee to-go, but instead to caffeinate in peace.