British people love tea. They drink it for different reasons – for breakfast, to give to guests, for tea breaks at work, and even when talking about their problems. New research shows that herbal, fruit and other teas are more popular than English breakfast tea. A survey of over 2,000 tea lovers showed less than half of people said they preferred traditional tea. Over a fifth of people said green tea was their favourite.

Sales of traditional tea have fallen. The research shows this will continue. The researchers found many other things about tea-drinking in the UK. The biggest reason for drinking tea was to relax. A quarter of people drink up to 10 cups a day. British people love milky and sugary tea. Nearly 45 per cent of them sweeten their tea with sugar. People with a sweet tooth put three teaspoons of sugar in their tea.