The UKs favourite amateur baking competition The Great British Bake Off returned to television screens last week, just ahead of this weeks Afternoon Tea Week (10-16 August), which celebrates the great heritage of afternoon tea in the UK.
With so much talk of Britains much loved tea and cake combo, it may come as a surprise that Brits appear to be losing their thirst for the great British tea time. According to new research from Mintel, the traditional cup of tea is losing steam, with sales of ordinary teabags falling by 13 per cent – from £491 million in 2012 to £425 million in 2014.
In comparison, sales of alternative teas have been going from strength to strength. Between 2012 and 2014, sales of fruit and herbal teabags rose by 31 per cent – from £58 million to £76 million – whilst sales of speciality teabags rose by 15 per cent to £63 million and sales of green teabags increased by 50 per cent to £36 million.
Emma Clifford, senior food and drink analyst at Mintel, says, "Standard black tea is struggling to maintain consumers interest amid growing competition from other drinks.
"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. Reflecting a growing foodie culture in the UK, people are branching away from standard teabags and towards these more interesting alternatives."
Personally, theres room for both traditional and alternative teas in my life. The recent launch of Twinings Cherry Bakewell Green Tea was music to my ears/taste buds, however, when it comes to biscuit dunking, only a traditional cuppa is fit for the job.