Beverages: Britons still love their cuppa

Britons might have finally learned the difference between a cappuccino and an espresso, but tea is still the number one national drink, according to a new report. Drinkers are twice as likely to brew up a cuppa than put the kettle on for coffee.

According to the Nestle Hot Beverage Report for 1997, on average Britons sip their way through just over three cups of tea a day, compared with 1.5 cups of coffee. However, with an explosion in fashionable coffee shops, cash spent on coffee has surged in the last five years by 32 per cent to pounds 737m - pounds 200m more than on tea.

People in the Midlands are the most fond of tea drinking. For the 20th year in a row the region has drunk more tea than anywhere else, averaging 3.5 cups a day.

Scots come bottom of the tea tree, sipping their way through just 2.74 cups a day but come out tops for instant coffee, drinking 1.5 cups.