Coffee is nudging tea aside in the UK’s affections. What can this civilisational shift mean? | Coco Khan

Is it the extra caffeine hit? The appeal of coffee shops? The array of options? Maybe it's not even about the drink itself

Last year I was queuing with my tea-loving mum at the Marks & Spencer's cafe. Did you know they've stopped using the cup and saucer?" she sighed. It's a mug now. So sad." Kitchenware isn't usually something to get emotional about, but on this day I could see her point.

Before then, tea at M&S cafes had been served in a pot to pour into a delicate china teacup with its matching saucer. It was a touch of elegance on the high street, enabling nearly anyone to treat themselves to the ceremony of a raised pinky finger; a drink that felt considered, and as if it were served with care (hence, a saucer to rest your teaspoon: an additional piece of washing up, but worth it for your comfort). And now it was a mug. A mug! A functional, joyless mug that, sure, saves on energy amid rising bills, because more can fit in the dishwasher (as M&S itself reasoned), but also says that ordinary people just can't have nice things.

Coco Khan is commissioning editor for Guardian B2B and a writer