With today, April 21, marking National Tea Today, we’ve spoken to some self-proclaimed tea-aholics about their love of the quintessentially British beverage.
Who doesn’t love a good cuppa? Sad? Cup of tea. Happy? Cup of tea. There’s never a bad time for a good brew.
Whether you drink it while catching up with a mate or to wake you up in the morning, you can’t deny its greatness. I mean, apparently we drink around 165 million cups of tea each day (that’s enough to fill 20 Olympic size swimming pools), so evidently I’m not alone in my love of it.
One person who takes his love of tea to new levels is Louis from Lancashire, who often has around 15 to 20 cups of the stuff a day, which must give the Queen a run for her money.
Speaking to UNILAD, Louis blames his mum for his love of tea:
My mum drinks a lot of tea. When I was younger it’s all I’d see her drink so I think it stems from that – my addiction is worse though. In my teen years, when my life was just Xbox or PlayStation and computer or whatever with no worries in the world, we used to have an office next to the kitchen and that’s where I’d be for the majority of the day.
With a kettle being so close by, I’d literally just go make one after another, after another. In that sort of mindset you actually lose track of what you’re consuming, but it was at least between 15- 20 cups a day.
While the caffeine used to help a teenage Louis stay up late, he now feels that at the age of 25 caffeine doesn’t really affect him like it would most people, and that his body has become used to having so much of it in his system.
Louis explained:
I always say that caffeine doesn’t affect me now, and it’s probably down to my tea-drinking habits when I was younger. I feel like I’ve almost become immune to it because, strangely, coffee makes me tired and I find having a cup of tea before bed actually helps me settle.
Another tea-aholic is Gabrielle from Cardiff, who loves tea so much that she created her own tea brand.
When Gabrielle switched to drinking loose leaf teas, she would often make herself three or four big pots of it a day, equating to at least 12 cups. She has since gone on to create lots of quirky flavours of tea for her brand, Rose & Dragon.
Gabrielle told UNILAD:
I’ve been obsessed with tea for years and years – it’s pretty much the only thing I drink to be honest. Every time I used to go abroad on holiday I used to bring those big bags of 100s of Twinings tea just in case they didn’t have tea where I was going!
Gabrielle decided to start drinking loose leaf teas instead when she heard about the microplastic in teabags, and in doing so discovered lots of new flavours.
When I used to drink tea bags, I’d only ever have Earl Grey tea and was never a fan of other flavours of tea bags – I thought the flavours were really weak, or that they’d smell good but not taste of anything. But with loose leaf it’s completely different – they smell amazing and taste incredible too.
Nowadays I make a huge pot of tea and that will last for like 3 or 4 cups, and I’ll make at least 3 or 4 pots a day with different flavours throughout the day. It doesn’t feel guilty either because it’s healthy and has antioxidants in.
Some of the quirky new flavours Gabrielle has created include Mint Choc Chip, Cherry Blossom and Millionaire’s Shortbread, along with teas specifically for things like studying and for helping people sleep. Rose & Dragon has recently started taking preorders for its products, which you can find out more about here.
Gabrielle and Louis aren’t alone in their excessive tea drinking habits. In a study conducted by The Grocer last year, it was revealed 13% of Brits often have more than six cups a day. 45% of UK consumers, on the other hand, had a more reasonable two to five cups a day.
The study also found the most self-proclaimed tea addicts were in the capital, with 23% of London’s tea consumers saying they considered themselves tea addicts. This was followed by the West Midlands’ tea drinkers, with 12% of its consumers saying they heavily relied on a good brew too.
Basically, we’re a nation of tea drinkers – whether that be two cups or 20 cups a day. From breakfast tea and Earl Grey, to fruit teas and green teas, whatever your favourite is, I’ll be with you in raising a mug today on National Tea Day.