Tea breaks turn into coffee stops for British builders

Published on Monday 17 November 2008 21:40

BUILDERS' brew is being replaced by labourer's latte as Britain's workmen switch from tea to coffee for a breaktime beverage.

In a move which will have traditionalists spluttering into their milk and three sugars, six in ten tradesmen now down tools for the more modern drink, says a poll.

They are even choosing a cappuccino over a cuppa thanks to a younger generation of handyman and the influx of coffee-drinking workers from abroad.

In a further blow for workplace traditions, they are also twice as likely to add semi-skimmed than full fat milk.

The poll of tradesmen by a DIY store chain found 62 per cent now drink coffee rather than tea all the time, rising to more than three in four of those aged 20 to 25.

Those aged 40 and over are keeping the tea-drinking tradition alive, but a growing number of those aged 25 to 30 are gradually switching to coffee, the research among 500 builders found.

Among those who drink coffee, it seems a simple mug of instant is not enough for their delicate taste buds.

Seven in ten workmen now opt for ground coffee and often pricey brews such as latte or cappuccino.

Some things do not change, however, with two sugars still favoured, whether in a mug of breakfast tea or a skinny latte.

Matthew Critchely, a spokesman for Wickes, which commissioned the survey, said: "The building trade is moving with the times and workmen have embraced the European style of drinking coffee."