COSTA has made a big change at its self-service machines in shops and petrol stations and shoppers will love it.
The UK’s biggest coffee chain has announced it is expanding the range of hot drinks it serves.
Customers will now have the option to make a hot tea at 7,000 of the self pour machines plotted across a range of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Co-op convenience stores as well as other locations.
Costa’s standalone branches have always sold tea, including traditional English breakfast and a range of herbal blends.
But this is the first time its self service model is branching out and offering beverages besides the likes of a Latte, Cappuccino or Americano.
Andrew Miller, express and corporate sales director at Costa Coffee, said: “Not only do our Costa Express machines deliver high-quality crafted coffees like Latte, Cappuccino and Americano, but our customers can now order tea from over 7,000 Costa Express machines.
“Whether you take it with milk, a touch of sugar, or like it brewed just right, Costa Express provides a quick and convenient way to enjoy the perfect cup – wherever.”
Customers can find their nearest Costa Express machine by visiting, https://www.costa.co.uk/locations/store-locator/map.
The Sun has enquired about prices and will update this piece once we hear more.
It comes amid a number of changes for the popular brand.
Back in August, the chain shook up its loyalty card offering.
Members of Costa Club now get one “bean” point for every drink they order – and get two if they bring in a reusable cup.
Bean points, are virtual stamps that Costa Coffee Club members earn for every drink they purchase.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”The best loyalty schemes revealed & how to get freebies” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6354455716112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]If customers collect 10 beans they can use the points for a free drink.
Customers can now use the new “Swaps” feature to get extra top-ups like syrups, cream or an extra shot of coffee in exchange for two “bean” points.
The brand says this will allow coffee drinkers to further personalise their hot drinks.
Costa Club members can still redeem a free handcrafted drink in exchange for ten “beans” in-store, but Swaps offers the added flexibility of using collected beans sooner for delightful extras.
[authenticated-scripts src=”%3Cscript%20class%3D%22palin-poll%22%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fpollingwidgets%2Fv3%2Fwidget.js%3Fquestion_id%3D106307%26game%3Dpolling%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E” type=”embedded” width=”100″ /]The history of Costa
Costa was established in 1971 and opened its first roastery on Fenchurch Street, in London.
Their unique coffee blend was invented by Sergio Costa, whose family had moved to England in the 1950s.
Soon, the coffee became so popular that the family opened their first store in 1981.
By 1995, they had 41 stores in the UK before opening shops across central and eastern Europe.
In 2019, the chain was acquired by The Coca Cola Company in a deal worth $4.9 billion.
As of December 2024, they are the second largest coffeehouse chain in the world after Starbucks.