BRITAIN is going tea-total — with most of us preferring a cuppa to booze, a poll suggests.
A sobering 70 per cent often or regularly choose a brew over a beer, while the figure rises to 81 per cent of 30 to 44-year-olds.
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Women are bigger tea lovers, with almost a third – 32 per cent – citing tea as their go-to beverage, compared to 23 per cent of men.
But despite the nation’s love affair with the leaf-based drink, experts at the UK Tea and Infusions Association claim many of us are getting the tea ritual wrong.
The industry body, which conducted the 2024 Tea Census Study, said fewer than one in ten of us brewed our cuppa for the recommended three to four minutes.
The survey of 1,010 Brits said: “It turns out that while we are known as a nation who likes a strong builder’s brew, only a few of us are brewing our tea for longer.
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UKTIA chief exec Dr Sharon Hall said: “Only seven per cent said they brewed their tea for the optimal three to four minutes for most types of tea, especially black teas.
“A quarter said they only left the bag or leaves in for one to two minutes, while nearly a fifth brew their tea for less than a minute.”
Three quarters of respondents add milk, while just five per cent prefer plant-based alternatives.
The report backs up research by consumer analysts that found Gen Z is turning its back on boozing due to fears over alcohol’s financial, health and “emotional” impacts.
A Mintel study this year found one in three 18 to 24-year-olds do not drink alcohol at all – with the age group twice as likely as older generations to choose energy drinks over booze.
Dr Hall added: “The higher proportion of 30 to 44-year-olds preferring tea to alcohol could be because this group might be the most likely to have young children to care for, coupled with hectic jobs, lifestyles and houses to run.
“Tea can be a helpful pick-me-up while alcohol can have the opposite effect, which is the last thing someone with a stressful day-to-day life needs.”