Not my bag: tea loses youth appeal

The great British tradition of brewing a cuppa could become a thing of the past as just 4 per cent of tea-drinkers are under 25.

A survey conducted by Typhoo tea found that 80 per cent of the UK's population relied on a cup of tea to get them through the day, but more than half of tea drinkers surveyed were over the age of 45.

The findings also revealed that the under-25s drank just one variety of tea despite previous research which had indicated a rise in popularity of the healthier array of herbal infusions.

Typhoo said estimates were that 3.5 billion cups of tea were disposed of annually within offices, having been brewed but never drunk.

The decline of tea time etiquette was further illustrated by the fact 20 per cent of tea drinkers across the nation opted to brew their tea in a mug, rather than the traditional teapot.

PA