Sugar cubes are white sugar granules pressed into small cubes measuring approximately 1 teaspoon each. They are usually used for sweetening drinks such as tea and coffee. They were invented in the early 19th century in response to the difficulties of breaking hard "sugarloaves" into small uniform size pieces. They are often found in cafes and restaurants, although their popularity as a DIY sweetener has waned with the rise of barista cafes. Nevertheless they still have many uses such as arts and crafts, as metaphor for the amount of sugar in a product, and at formal events.