With 60.2 billion cups of tea drunk in the UK every year, ‘Keep calm and have a cup of tea’ is a saying as quintessentially British as Shakespeare, scones and cucumber sandwiches! But it appears our taste in tea is changing. With so many options, there is now a tea to help wake you up in the morning, to give you a boost throughout the day and to unwind in the evening.
But as our taste buds develop and we become more health conscious, are we seeing a shift in the type of tea Britons drink? Research by Taylors of Harrogate has found that 15% of UK households are now drinking fruit tea and 21% are drinking herbal. The fruit and herbal tea market is now worth £68.7 million and is growing fast at a rate of 8.7% year-on-year.
But why are we seeing this shift in taste when it comes to our tea choices? With ‘well-being’ the buzz word of choice these days, it could be the health benefits that come with drinking fruit and herbal teas that has us reaching for our peppermint to aid digestion after a meal, chamomile for relaxation and restful sleep and lemongrass and ginger to calm our tummies and help immunity.
Below you will find a link to a video showcasing the launch of Taylors of Harrogate’s collaborative range with Kew Gardens. The video features interviews with Kate Roch, Senior Tea Buyer at Taylors and Professor Monique S.J. Simmonds OBE from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, talking about the collaboration between these two quintessentially British brands, the nation’s obsession with tea, how our tea drinking habits have changed over the years and the health benefits of the different types of herbal teas on offer.
There is also an exclusive performance of dancers from Northern Ballet performing on the Palm House Pond at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew – to find out how, take a look at the video below: