Starbucks coffee to be stronger with extra shot of espresso The move, part of a multi-million pound plan that will lead to hundreds more cafés opening in Britain and across the continent, is expected to lead to a new coffee war with other retailers. Health experts, however, warned that Britons could be becoming too tolerant of normal servings of caffeine. The Sunday Telegraph disclosed at the weekend that the company was already spending £8m redesigning cafés in London with a more local feel. In Britain, the estate of 700 cafés will be increased to over 1,000 over the next three to five years. Meanwhile Starbucks lattes could soon be available on aircraft, trains and vending machines across Britain. But it is the announcement of an increased strength in its coffees that will be of most interest to customers, many of whom have expressed disappointment at the perceived weakness in Starbucks drinks when compared with rivals such as Costa. The move, the first by the multinational group anywhere in the world, follows extensive research which showed the company had reported a 60 per cent rise in people wanting extra caffeine shots in their lattes, its most popular drink. This was the equivalent of around 200,000 extra shots every week. Experts said the move was a departure from the standard Starbucks recipe used throughout the world. Starbucks said it reflected the fact that British customers prefer stronger coffee. Kris Engskov, Starbucks managing director in the UK and Ireland, said: "Customers are becoming more experienced, more sophisticated and many more are looking for a stronger taste. This is a big move and a big investment. The UK is the most competitive coffee market, more so even than the States. "But we've seen a big change in consumers" behaviour, with the number of additional shots we sell up 60 per cent in the last two years."