LONDON: It is, according to George Orwell, one of the mainstays of civilisation, while William Gladstone intoned, "If you are depressed, it will cheer you." Its milky charms, the first response in a crisis for many a stout Briton, did indeed provide constant "cheer and vigour" to Edmund Hillary during his ascent of Everest in 1953.

Yet in 21st century Britain, it seems the traditional British cup of tea is in decline — pushed increasingly to the side of the refreshment trolley by its herbal, fruit and "speciality" upstart cousins.

According to the market analysts Mintel, sales in the U.K. of standard tea bags has plummeted by 16 per cent and loose tea by 9 per cent over the past two years, while sales of herbal and fruit teas rose by 30 per cent between 2002 and 2004. Speciality varieties such as green tea, promoted for its health benefits, sold 50 per cent more over the same period.

While tea overall remains easily Britain's drink of choice, the research suggests traditional varieties are facing tough competition not only from coffee but also from soft drinks, bottled water and fruit juice.

The main culprits appear to be younger drinkers.

Ellen Shiels, senior market analyst at Mintel, said young people were attracted by the proclaimed health and well-being benefits of fruit teas and, in particular, green tea, promoted as containing high levels of antioxidants and beneficial in cutting the risk of heart attacks. Even this could be elbowed aside by its newer rival, white tea, which claims to contain three times the number of antioxidants.

She added: "Basically, tea drinking is a ritual and people have it for their comfort, but younger people are not buying into the ritual any more."

At the Tea Council, which represents tea producers and packers executive director Bill Gorman offered an alternative theory.

Women, he suggested, were attempting to follow health advice recommending they drink two litres of water a day, which did not leave room for other drinks.

But some young women substituted some of their water quota with herbal or speciality teas, Mr Gorman said. Women were also attracted by the fact that black tea contained no calories and white tea 13 calories a cup, he added. Mr. Gorman insisted his own reading of the tealeaves did not forecast doom for the tea industry. He said the growth in speciality teas was making up for any decline in the traditional brew. Tea continued to hold its own admirably against rival beverages, he said.

"Forty years ago half of the daily fluid intake of Britons was tea, and now that is just under 40 per cent."

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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