Is Tea Drinking On the Decline in the UK?

When someone says the word ‘Britain’ to you, I bet the first thing that comes to mind is someone drinking a cup of tea. Tea is part of British culture, you wake up and you’ll have a cup of English Breakfast, followed by elevenses, a pick me up later in the day, a quick tea before your next meeting, afternoon tea at around 4 pm, a cup of tea after dinner, and perhaps a tea before bed. According to the UK Tea Infusions Association (UKTIA), 100 million cups of tea are drunk daily by Brits, with 46% saying that a cup of tea is what sets them up for the day ahead. But despite our love for tea, are our habits changing - is tea drinking in decline and are more Brits opting for a barista-made coffee instead?

According to several studies, tea consumption has declined in the UK. In 1974 the average household bought 68g of tea per weekend compared to 25g back in 2014 (representing a 63.25% decline), and in 2016 we were drinking an average of 8 cups per week, compared with an average of 23 back in 1974. However, this decline is not the same for all types of tea. While the sales of black tea fell, there was actually an increase in the sale of green tea, herbal tea and other speciality tea blends. This could be because herbal tea is seen to have health benefits (you can now buy herbal tea with added vitamins) and people are more willing to try exotic flavours of fruit tea that are now widely available in supermarkets.

One of the major reasons for the decline in tea consumption is down to the rise of coffee culture in the UK with new cafes constantly opening up in every town and city across the UK. In supermarkets the sale of coffee had doubled compared to tea with more people choosing to buy fresh coffee beans or pods for their coffee machines in 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was revealed that second to not being able to see family and friends, people missed being able to grab a coffee from their local coffee shop and as more people worked from home they found themselves reaching for a coffee rather than a tea.

Age is another factor contributing to the decline of tea drinking in the UK. A survey undertaken by Mintel in 2016 discovered that only 16% of those aged between 25 and 34 drank more than 5 cups of tea a day compared with 35% of those between 55 and 64 who said they did. The decline in milk sales, as young people look to reduce their dairy intake is said to be a reason why young people are drinking less tea. Plant-based alternatives don’t go as well in tea, compared with dairy milk as it often curdles and changes its texture. This deters people from drinking tea as they are put off by the consistency and so they turn to drinking coffee as it doesn’t have the same effect when using plant milk.

So there you go - tea drinking is on the decline in the UK! However, I think tea will always have a part in British culture and most people would never turn down a cup of tea if offered one. For tea to continue to thrive I think that companies need to start being more innovative and create unique flavours to entice the younger generation.