When ordering coffee, residents of Glasgow tend to opt for a caffè latte, Dijon denizens might choose an iced coffee and Strasbourg citizens pick a café con leche, according to a new study of coffee habits across 35 European cities by De’Longhi.
The Signature Order Index is based on responses from 3,001 adults aged 18 and over, comprising 1,000 respondents in the UK, 1,001 in France and 1,000 in Germany. The research was conducted by GreenPark in June 2026.
Coffee orders
At city level, Glasgow recorded the highest stated preference for a single coffee order, with 33.3% of respondents choosing caffè latte as their preferred drink. In Stuttgart, 30.6% selected cappuccino, giving the city the highest proportion for that drink in the study.
Cardiff was the only city where respondents were more likely to describe coffee as ‘part of their lifestyle’ than as a daily habit. In the city, 25% of respondents said that coffee was more than a morning pick-me-up.
The research also identified differences between the three national markets. In the UK, caffè latte was the most popular choice, selected by 19.7% of respondents, followed by cappuccino at 17.0%. In Germany, cappuccino was the leading choice at 23.1%. In France, meanwhile, espresso was the preferred coffee for close to a third (31.9%) of respondents.
Espresso was excluded from the city-level comparisons to identify differences in second-choice drinks. In France, the resulting city preferences included filter coffee in Lille, iced coffee in Dijon and café con leche in Strasbourg. Café allongé was the leading choice nationally after espresso.
Read more: Which European country has the most expensive cup of coffee?
Daily routine
The research found differences in the role coffee plays in daily life. In Germany, 47.7% of respondents described coffee as a ‘daily ritual’. In Munich, 54.3% said coffee was essential to their daily routine, the highest proportion recorded in the study.
The importance of coffee in social situations was also explored in the study. UK respondents were more than twice as likely as French respondents to associate coffee with spending time together. In France, respondents were more likely to associate coffee culture with the atmosphere and identity of their city.
The study also examined reasons for preparing café-style coffee at home. Across the three markets, 31.3% cited quality as the main motivation, while 12.4% said they wanted to recreate coffee experiences they had encountered abroad.
De’Longhi added that as well as featuring city and national profiles, its Signature Order Index also includes guides for recreating popular coffee orders at home. Read more here.
