Iced instant coffee served in a water glass, the icon of 1980s cafe society, has been cold-shouldered by young Greeks lured by the smoother charms of Italian cappuccino.

According to statistics presented yesterday at the CoffeeBiz international fair in Thessaloniki, some 70 percent of young Greek coffee drinkers prefer cappuccino — which most drink iced, in a form pioneered in Greece — with only 30 percent going for the frothy “frappe” instant coffee, another Greek invention. The figures were based on a survey of 200 Athens cafes.

A few years ago, frappe accounted for 80 to 90 percent of coffee consumption at cafes frequented by younger people.

Greeks go through some 48,000 tons of ground coffee every year, while worldwide consumption reaches 6.6 million tons. According to coffee wholesalers, only 7 percent of the Greek population never drinks coffee.