Days of the cuppa may be numbered

The great British tradition of brewing a cuppa could become a thing of the past, as a new survery reveals just 4 per cent of UK tea drinkers are under 25.

A survey conducted by Typhoo found that 80 per cent of the UK’s population relied on a cup of tea to get them through the day. But more than half of tea drinkers surveyed were over the age of 45 and only 4 per cent were under 25.

The findings also revealed that the under-25s drank just one variety of tea, despite previous research which had indicated a rise in popularity of the healthier array of herbal infusions.

Typhoo said estimates were that a staggering 3.5 billion cups of tea were disposed of annually within offices, having been brewed but never drunk.

The decline of tea-time etiquette was further illustrated by the fact 20 per cent of tea drinkers opted to brew their tea in a mug, rather than the traditional teapot.