Coffee consumption: Male vs female differences

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that coffee is what keeps offices all over the globe running efficiently. If you walk into almost any workplace, especially one in the developed world, you’ll most likely find coffee mugs on every desk and one or two makers in the common area. And if you think coffee is a gender-neutral drink, that’s incorrect. Based on a few scientific studies like this one published in the Food and Nutrition Sciences journal, there are some significant differences in male vs female coffee consumption.

Mmmm coffee: Why it’s so popular

Coffee doesn’t just inject us with energy and happy thoughts. Coffee can improve overall well-being, as established by a ton of reliable scientific literature.

For instance, coffee is known to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s. You can read more about coffee health benefits here.

If you’ve ever volunteered to do the coffee run for your coworkers, you may have noticed how everyone likes their coffee a little differently. You may have even noticed a disparity in tastes between male and female colleagues.

Here’s more about the research on the different habits between genders when it comes to a cup of joe.

Coffee consumption: Male vs female top differences

Males consume more coffee than females

According to the earlier-noted study from Food and Nutrition Sciences, more than 50% of males consume coffee compared to around 32% of females. If we take a look at daily consumption, males drink around 2.4 cups of coffee a day on average, which is half a cup more than females.

Those same researchers also found that females who avoid drinking coffee do so because they dislike the taste. In contrast, males who forgo coffee claimed the recurring cost is what deters them.

Females often like their coffee sweeter than males

A sweet treat! Researchers at Tokai Women’s Junior College found coffee consumption males vs females differed in the amount of sweetness. The 59 undergraduate students at the Japanese college were the subjects of the study.

Among the findings was that the male participants preferred sweeter coffee than females.

Coffee consumption, male vs female: Males often prefer stronger coffee

Whether it’s to keep up with appearances or due to some biological component that affects taste, Zagat’s recent survey found males prefer espressos while for the ladies it is lattes.

also noted males tend to prefer coffee that is stronger and less sweet. If you’ve done coffee runs for both males and females, you might have noticed this. On average, a man is more likely to prefer a regular cup of joe or an espresso.

The Zagat survey also noted a growing love for the “flat white,” which is an espresso with microfoam. It has been likened to drinking espresso.

Females are more likely to buy their coffee from chains

It’s not going to come as a surprise that the U.S. has booming coffee chains, including Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts. But what’s more interesting perhaps is that females are bigger supporters of coffee chains rather than males, as a whole.

On the other hand, males are more likely to make a cup at home using coffee makers, or to visit independent coffee shops. The latter places offer a greater variety of espressos and plain black brews, with less focus on lattes and cappuccinos.

Nothing wrong with a home cup; coffee makers today have come a long way. They come with features like twin boilers, programmable settings, automatic brewing, strength and temperature controls, and more, which make the brewing process easier than ever before.

ln addition, making coffee at home is easier on the wallet than drinking out. And we know that males are more likely to be deterred from buying expensive coffee.

Males typically spend less money on coffee than females

The final interesting difference in the coffee consumption male vs female discussion is financial. On average, polled ladies spent just over $2,300 per year on coffee, while males spent about $1,900.

Furthermore, this survey found that the 25-34 age range spent the most money on this beverage. Furthermore, looking at the careers of the caffeinated drinkers,  those who work in the finance industry took the top spot for the most cash spent on the brew annually (about $700).

In second place was those who are work in retail. Their average spends per year was $600.

Does caffeine affect males and females differently?

This is a related question that you might have been asking yourself, so let’s delve into it. Research reveals that caffeine affects males to a greater extent than females, and these changes happen as soon as ten minutes after the cup is devoured.

The study linked to the above featured 668 university students as participants; 450 were females and 238 were male. The researchers measured their caffeine levels before and after consumption of the brew.

The results indicated to the researchers that:

• Both genders experienced higher activity after consuming caffeine
• The impact on males’ activity levels was greater than females

Find out what the relationship is between coffee and depression here.

Final words on coffee consumption: Male vs female

While both sexes consume coffee, there are noticeable differences in drinking habits between the two genders. For starters, males drink more of it than females on average and prefer it stronger and less sweet. Males are more likely to brew it on their own than females.

Do your see yourself in any of these coffee habits?