Afternoon tea is a much-loved British institution. Whether it’s at Claridge’s Hotel, from a flask during a walk, or snuggled up on the sofa at home, tea is for one and all.
So, in a bid to better understand the nation’s tea drinking habits during this recent Afternoon Tea Week, which took place Aug. 7-11, Product of the Year asked consumers all the hard-hitting questions in an online poll… and the results did not disappoint.
Product of the Year is the U.K.’s largest consumer survey of product innovation, with more than 10,000 shoppers voting each year to crown winning products across various categories.
According to the Product of the Year survey, the majority of Brits drink three or more cups of tea a day (35 percent), with 20 percent saying they drink an impressive five to 10 cups a day.
When asked how they drink their tea, “with milk” was by far the most popular choice (61 percent). Alternative milks stirred into tea were voted in by 11 percent of respondents. The purists among Brits, black tea drinkers had the lowest numbers with only 5.5 percent not adding anything at all.
Dividing opinion further, Product of the Year then asked a popular question for British tea drinkers: Do you add milk before or after pouring in the tea? To which nearly two thirds (56.3 percent) strongly believe tea before milk is the solution for the perfect cup of tea.
When asked “to dunk or not dunk?”, more than half of respondents are in fact biscuit dunkers (53.8 percent).
“Our survey reveals that tea and the culture surrounding it is just as important today as it has ever been,” said Helga Slater, a spokesperson for Product of the Year. “But what has changed is the way we brew and drink it. Brands tapping into speeding up the brew time, intensifying and diversifying flavors and even simply providing delicious/no-fuss snacks to go with tea are just some of the ways we’ve seen innovation take hold of this category and breathe new life into an ancient ritual. We’re looking forward to welcoming some interesting tea related innovation in the next awards [2024].”
To learn more about Product of the Year, visit ProductoftheYear.co.uk.
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