Costa Coffee Quiz: Ultimate Café Trivia

Costa Coffee was born in London in the early 1970s, founded by two brothers who immigrated from Italy with a deep passion for quality coffee. They believed the British public deserved far better than the instant coffee that dominated the market. Their founding year marked the start of a quiet revolution in British café culture.

Costa Coffee's signature blend has remained a constant across decades of ownership changes and global expansion. Named to reflect its Italian origins and classic roasting philosophy, this blend is slow-roasted to a specific process that the Costa brothers developed themselves. It remains the foundation of every espresso-based drink served across Costa cafés.

Before finalising their signature blend, the Costa brothers put themselves through a rigorous and demanding tasting process. They experimented with a large number of different bean combinations and roast profiles before landing on the one that met their standards. The sheer volume of trials reflects how seriously they took the craft of coffee.

Costa Coffee's journey from wholesale coffee supplier to retail café began on a specific road in South London. This first retail store, opened in the 1980s, marked the transition from selling beans to institutions into serving coffee directly to the public. It was a modest but significant step that shaped the brand's future direction.

In 1995, Costa Coffee was acquired by a major British hospitality and leisure company, giving it the corporate backing needed to scale rapidly across the United Kingdom. Under this new ownership, Costa transformed from a small London chain into a national brand with hundreds of outlets, cementing its place in British daily life.