Back To Black - Seven In 10 Brits Prefer A Traditional Brew, Says New UK Tea and Infusions Census Study

Regular 'Black' Tea Is Still The Nations #1 This International Tea Day 21^st May 2025

LONDON, May 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ --The nation's favourite traditional brew is holding strong in the popularity stakes among Brits – world renowned for being a nation of tea lovers – according to the latest real-world New Tea Census Study^[1]  of over 1,000 Brits commissioned by the UK Tea and Infusions Association (UKTIA) – www.tea.co.uk.

"The publishing of our latest New Tea Census Study coincides with International Tea Day (21st of May) this year – a day designated by the United Nations to raise awareness about tea's history, cultural significance, and economic importance," comments Dr Sharon Hall, Chief Executive of the UKTIA. "As a nation with a long history of tea drinking, Brits are ideally placed to raise a cup or two to celebrate. What's more, the Tea Census Study data clearly shows that the majority of us stick to tradition when it comes to our brew choice," notes Dr Sharon Hall further.

Dr Sharon Hall continues:  "For 71% of us, traditional black tea, with or without milk, holds strong as our main infusion of choice, with one in six (16%) more likely to opt for herbal infusion, and one in eight (13%) predominantly choosing green tea, according to the UKTIA Tea Census real-world data."

However, interestingly, the split between our preferred infusion changes with age, according to the UKTIA Tea Census Study.

"We found some noteworthy differences between the older and younger generations," says Dr Sharon Hall, adding, "For example, among the 18-24 age group, two thirds (63%) said they mainly drink black tea, while around a fifth (20%) are experimenting with a range of herbal infusions or drinking green tea."

She continues, "That's compared with the 65+ age group, among whom over four fifths (86%) mainly drink black tea, but fewer than one in 10 choosing herbal or green tea."

Additionally, more women than men were likely to deviate from tradition when it comes to their main brew of choice, with one in five women (19%) opting for herbal infusions compared to just one in eight (12%) men.

"Something that unites us all, however," says Dr Sharon Hall, "…is the vast majority across all the age groups (93% overall) prefer the convenience of making their brew with a tea bag rather than preparing a loose-leaf infusion."

Perhaps this tendency to prefer tea bags reflects our need for convenience in our ever faster paced modern world, with the UKTIA Tea Census Study data also suggesting that perhaps many of us are prone to making our tea in too much of a rush.