Inside a young Brit’s IDEAL ‘cup of tea’

When it comes to a young Brit’s ‘cup of tea’ it seems the builder’s variety just isn’t their bag. Indeed, new research from Mintel reveals that as many as 37% of Brits aged 25-34 have drunk 5-6 different types of tea at home or in the workplace over the past month*, compared to just 3% of those aged 55+.

Furthermore, Brits aged 25-34 are the most likely to drink every variety of tea tracked by Mintel. While three in four (74%) of those aged 25-34 drink standard black tea, around half drink fruit tea or herbal/spice tea (51%), green tea (52%), speciality black tea (50%) and one in three (34%) drink instant tea. However, when considering overall interest in tea varieties, while 70% of Brits drink standard black tea, less than two in five drink fruit tea or herbal/spice tea (36%), green tea (34%), speciality black tea (34%) and less than one in five (17%) drink instant tea.

And while younger Brits are the most likely to have an adventurous taste for tea, they are also the most likely to want to turn to tea to satisfy their sweet tooth. Over half (56%) of those aged 25-34 who drink tea and other hot drinks say that flavoured teas are a good alternative to sugary drinks, up from an average of 49%.

Anita Winther, Food and Drink Analyst at Mintel, said:

“Consumers aged 25-34 have the widest repertoire of tea, which is reflective of this age group typically having a more adventurous attitude towards food and drink, with a greater tendency to seek out new foods and flavours to try. While sweet flavours have been around in the tea market for a while now, these launches will help grow tea usage among younger consumers.”

Indeed, it seems that young consumers in particular are turning away from the traditional cuppa and are keen to see more of an experimental approach to tea. Two in five (40%) Brits aged between 16 and 34 who drink tea or other hot drinks say that they’d be interested in knowing more about how to pair tea with savoury food, up from a UK average of 28%. Meanwhile, 12% of adults who drink tea or other hot drinks say that they’d be interested in trying teas tailored for drinking as an alternative to wine, rising to 15% of those aged between 35 and 44.