We’re Waking Up, And Smelling The Coffee
Strolling around downtown Salt Lake, it’s almost impossible to ignore the presence and influence Mormonism still has on our state- LDS Temple towers over Temple Square, and the absence of lottery and happy hour advertisements are almost tangible. But, like in any city, there’s also evidence of a vital mix of cultures and beliefs. One such example is the prevalence of coffee shops around Salt Lake- a startling observation for some, given its direct contradiction to many Mormons’ refusal to drink coffee, but to most, a Salt Lake staple.
What might actually garner surprise is that out of 100 cities across the U.S., Salt Lake City’s been touted as the 7th “most caffeinated” in terms of coffee shops per capita, according to Redfin. Our capital trailed behind the usual coffee hubs, like Seattle and San Francisco, but held its own against smaller cities like Paradise, NV and New Orleans, LA.
The interactive map below depicts the most popular and highly-rated coffee shops in Salt Lake City. These points represent a portion of the total number of shops, 136 to be exact, with 104 locally-owned cafes and 32 coffee chains. Coffee shops are most dense around the western edge of Salt Lake, where you’d be hard-pressed not to find java brewing on every street corner.
The points on this map represent shops that have been open for decades, and the fledglings just opening their doors. Some have themes, defining characteristics — Publik Coffee Roasters lives in what once housed a printing press, Raw Bean Coffee boasts seasonal menu options named after Hogwarts Houses, and Sugarhouse Coffee offers live music with their brew. But they all share a goal: to produce, roast, brew and ultimately share the product of their passion with the rest of Salt Lake City.
And we’re not alone in this caffeine craze- Americans consume a whopping 400 million cups of coffee per day, enough to fill 37 Olympic-sized swimming pools. 31 percent of coffee drinkers make coffee before doing anything else in the morning, according to the Huffington Post, and even more strikingly, 55 percent would rather gain 10 pounds than give the good stuff up.
It’s clear coffee isn’t going anywhere. Demands for locally-sourced and ethically-produced brew push the market up into new heights, and as the largest coffee consumer in the world, we Americans are rising with it. For more info on coffee trends in the U.S., read on.
49 Percent
Coffee drinkers who would rather give up their cell phone for a month than give up coffee.
9 Ounces
Average coffee cup size.
$4 Billion
Amount of coffee imported into the U.S. each year.
2.1
Average cups of coffee consumed each day, per person.
