United in a love of tea
NORTHERN Ireland, together with the Republic, downs more cups of tea per capita per day than the rest of Europe.
Sales of tea in the Province outsell coffee by around two to one, according to statistics from the Tea Council UK.
"Northern Ireland may be divided politically and religiously, but you are united on your love of tea," said William Gorman, chair of the Tea Council UK.
"Ulster is just ahead of mainland Britain in its consumption of tea.
"Coffee is an honourable competitor but tea is still the favoured British - and Irish - beverage.
"Across the UK, 165 million cups of tea are polished off each day, compared with just 70 million cups of coffee.
"And 98 per cent of people drink ordinary 'builders brew' with milk."
Sales of tea are growing by around 20 per cent per annum and the Tea Council said this figure had not been dented by the recession.
In line with recent news that coffee shops have actually seen a rise in business since the economic downturn, sales of tea are also as healthy as ever. Caffine-based drinks appear to be a luxury we simply cannot do without, and tea tops the poll.
Oscar Woolley, owner of Suki Tea in Belfast, confirmed that the tea business was bucking the recession trends by enjoying healthier sales.
"Northern Ireland loves black tea and our best-selling brand is Belfast Brew, which is based on an old ship-building tea or Irish breakfast tea from way back," he said.
"It's strong to suit the Northern Irish palette. We do love our tea strong here.
"I myself drink a lot of black tea and I think the market for quality loose-leaf tea is growing in Ulster.
"We're also seeing a slight rise in sales of fancier fruit and herbal teas."
The Tea Council also said there was a huge amount of research confirming that tea is an "extremely healthy" drink.
Doctor Carrie Ruxton of the Tea Advisory Panel said the humble teabag can help ward-off certain illnesses and has a positive effect on mood and cognition.
"All teas are very rich in antioxidants and natural chemicals called polyphenols which have so many health benefits," she said.
"Clinical studies show that tea-drinking can reduce your chances of developing diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's disease and even some kinds of cancer.
"Coffee is not as high in antioxidants and the other downside with coffee, unless you buy decaf, is that it has more caffeine.
"Too much caffeine can, of course, be bad for your health, but the right amount enhances cognition and can lift your mood, making you feel more alert and chirpy."
All the more reason, as if we needed any, for Ulster to keep religiously drinking tea.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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