British tea sales dip 6% as coffee craze continues

Sales of traditional tea have fallen by 6% from £699m ($1,093m) in 2010 to an estimated £654m in 2015 as Britons lose their thirst for the beverage, a new report has found.

Research from Mintel also shows that the volume of tea drunk plummeted from 97 million kg to an estimated 76 million kg. Teabag sales have also dipped, falling by 13% from £491m in 2012 to £425m in 2014.

In the meantime, the rise in the popularity of coffee has led to the market now being worth more than £1bn.

But Mintel said that Brits have also developed a thirst for alternative teas, a sector in which sales have boomed.

Emma Clifford, senior food and drink analyst at Mintel, said: "Standard black tea is struggling to maintain consumers' interest amid growing competition from other drinks – held back by a rather uninspiring image.

"This has translated into the downfall of the tea category overall. Signalling that consumers are becoming more adventurous in their choice of tea is that sales of fruit or herbal teas, speciality teas and green tea continue to post impressive performances."

Clifford added that a growing "foodie" culture in the UK has aided the rise of alternative teas.

However, Mintel's research also showed that three quarters (76%) of Brits drank standard tea in the month to April 2015 and more than half (54%) said they drank it at least once a day.

Men aged 16-44 are Britain's biggest tea drinkers, with 80% drinking tea in the same period, while women aged over 65 are the least likely to consume the beverage.