Surge in DIY coffee as Kiwis fine-tune barista skills from home

A recent Canstar Blue survey found close to half of New Zealanders prefer the coffee they make from a home espresso machine, rather than a cafe-purchased coffee. Photo / iStock

It's a habitual morning fix that's an essential part of the day, and now more Kiwis are fine-tuning their own barista skills from home.

A recent Canstar Blue survey found close to half of New Zealanders prefer the coffee they make from a home espresso machine, rather than a cafe-purchased coffee.

Additionally 48 per cent of the nation were drinking even more coffee after purchasing an espresso machine.

The surge in DIY brews has given people a boost of confidence, with 78 per cent of people with a home espresso machine saying they felt assured enough in their barista skills to make coffee for guests.

Not only are New Zealanders making their cup of joe at home, but 56 per cent of men who used an espresso machine said they preferred it over a barista-made coffee.

It also found 70 per cent of the respondents said they had saved a lot of money since refraining from purchasing barista-made coffee.

37 per cent of Aucklanders said they were using their machines daily, and 18 per cent of those were using it more than once a day.

While Otago had the highest consumption of coffee at five cups a day, 28 per cent of coffee-drinkers in Wellington reported having caffeine withdrawal headaches when cutting down.

New Zealanders are also a conscientious bunch, with the survey finding 18 per cent of coffee-drinkers choosing to buy only organic beans and grinds.

Wellington-based Fidel's barista Connor Anderson said it would probably be the cost of having multiple coffees that would entice people to use espresso machines at home, but there was a difference in quality.

"If you're a good barista then the quality of what you're doing is probably going to be slightly higher than what you can get at home"

Mr Anderson was not worried about losing customers, as people still appreciate the cafe experience.

"I think people seem to like coming in to a place and drinking coffee because it's a nice environment," he said.