Price increases at Costa have sent certain coffee options soaring past the £6 a cup mark, a Sunday Express investigation has found.
The chain’s 2,600 UK outlets are now charging up to £6.65 for improvised versions of their lattes, mochas and cappuccinos.
The fancier brews feature extra shots, specialist milks, marshmallows and chocolate toppings.
Basic versions of the same drinks still cost £3-£4 in smaller sizes.
The price hikes mean a cup of coffee could now cost more than three pints of Worthington’s Creamflow at Wetherspoon’s Red Lion branch in Doncaster.
A large mocha served with c coconut milk, two extra shots, hazelnut syrup and whipped cream at some London cafes will now cost as much as £6.60.
Costs have been driven up by inflation, with Costa estimating the rises have added 25p to each item.
A Costa spokeswoman said: “Like all retailers we are facing unprecedented inflationary pressures resulting in increased costs.
“We know our customers are feeling the pressure too, which is why we have been absorbing costs wherever we can.
“Despite this we’ve made the difficult decision to increase prices to ensure we can continue to invest in our people, products and stores.”
Starbucks charges £6.15 for a grande latte once an extra shot of coffee, caramel drizzle, whipped cream and cinnamon dolce syrup have been added. And at Caffe Nero a grande cappuccino, with two added shots of the single origin coffee blend, coconut milk and vanilla syrup will cost £5.95.
Our research comes as Costa confirms it has increased prices for the third time in 15 months by between 5p and 25p on popular menu choices due to “inflationary pressures”.
These follow an 18 percent rise in “pour-yourself” drink prices at 12,000 Costa Express machines last September.
Reports suggest Costa’s strong post-pandemic sales figures helped boost the full year 2022 profits of parent company Coca-Cola to £34.6 billion.
The firm bought Costa in 2018 for £3.9 billion. But last night independent consumer champion Martyn James criticised the latest increases.
He said: “To see Costa Coffee’s prices creeping up to £7 a drink is shocking. With high streets already struggling and flexible working reducing footfall, it seems silly to price out loyal customers who are in serious danger of seeing coffee as a luxury they can live without.”
