Protection: A lesson in coffee

I must admit I was fairly oblivious to the invasion of the coffee houses, as well-known brands like Starbucks carpet-bombed city centres and opened outlets on every high street corner. My initial impression was why would anyone want to spend up to £5 on a gigantic cup of coffee when they could make their own at a fraction of the cost? Then one day, one of the best-known brands opened an outlet in our own staff canteen. Each morning I walked past huge queues of people who could now buy their coffee within feet of their desks, thinking that even though it was subsidised it was still ...