The weekend coffee run has become the North's favourite ritual

Once upon a time, coffee was simply fuel. Something grabbed on the way to work, drunk at your desk and largely forgotten about by lunchtime. Now? It's become a full-blown weekend activity.

New research from payments platform Square has revealed that Saturday is officially the UK's biggest day for coffee purchases, with almost 50% more coffees sold than on an average weekday. And honestly, if you've tried finding a seat in a Leeds, Manchester or York coffee shop on a Saturday morning recently, this probably won't come as much of a surprise.

Across the North, coffee culture has exploded over the past few years.

From neighbourhood favourites in Leeds and Sheffield to the independent coffee scene thriving in Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle, grabbing a coffee has become less about caffeine and more about the ritual. It's meeting friends, taking a laptop to your favourite café, wandering local markets with an iced drink in hand or queuing outside that bakery everyone on TikTok is talking about.

In fact, more than half of UK adults now say going for coffee is a social occasion rather than simply a daily habit. And perhaps even more interestingly, what we're ordering is changing too.

While the flat white remains the UK's most ordered coffee, followed by lattes and cappuccinos, specialist drinks are rapidly climbing the ranks. According to Square's data, matcha lattes have now broken into the UK's top ten most ordered coffee shop drinks, with matcha sales growing by 30% over the last year alone.

Meanwhile, ube - the vibrant purple Filipino yam that's become increasingly popular across social media - has seen an even bigger rise, growing by 49%. If you've spent any time on TikTok recently, this probably makes perfect sense.

Matcha has gone from being a niche menu item to something you'll now find everywhere from independent cafés in Leeds and Harrogate to speciality coffee shops across Manchester and Liverpool.

And while some people are still fiercely loyal to their flat white order, younger generations are increasingly driving demand for drinks that feel a little different. The research found that more than half of Gen Z consumers would be willing to pay more for specialist ingredients like matcha and ube.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the research is that coffee is no longer just about the drink itself. Nearly a third of people have discovered a new coffee shop through social media, while more than a quarter have tried a new drink after seeing it online.

That feels especially true in the North, where independent coffee shops have become destinations in their own right. Think North Star in Leeds, Foundation in Manchester, 200 Degrees in Sheffield, Bold Street Coffee in Liverpool or Pink Lane Coffee in Newcastle. People aren't just visiting for caffeine anymore. They're going for the atmosphere, the interiors, the pastries, the conversation and, increasingly, the content.

Let's be honest, we've all taken a photo of an iced matcha at some point.

One of the reasons the North's coffee scene feels so exciting right now is because so much of it is being driven by independent businesses. While chains still have their place, it's the local cafés experimenting with seasonal menus, introducing new ingredients and creating genuinely unique spaces that are shaping modern coffee culture.

And as customers become more adventurous, those businesses are benefiting. The research suggests consumers are increasingly willing to spend more on premium drinks and specialist ingredients, creating opportunities for independent cafés to innovate and stand out.

The days of grabbing a quick coffee on the way to work aren't disappearing entirely. But they are being joined by something bigger. Coffee has become a social ritual, a weekend activity and, for many people, an experience in its own right.

Whether you're a flat white purist, an iced latte loyalist or fully embracing your matcha era, one thing is clear - Britain's coffee habits are changing. And if the queues outside northern coffee shops every Saturday morning are anything to go by, they're changing for good.