Tea or Coffee? Milk First or Second? There are many great debates in the workplace kitchen. Regardless of the answers, the fact remains that tea is incredibly popular in Britain. Here are 8 facts you probably didn’t think you needed to know.
The Key Facts about Tea
🍵 1. People in the UK drink an enormous amount of tea
People in the UK drink around 100 million cups of tea every day — that’s nearly 1,600 cups every second!
🕰️ 2. Tea arrived in Britain in the 1600s
Tea was brought to Britain in the 17th century, first enjoyed by the rich. It then went on to became popular after King Charles II married Catherine of Braganza, who personally loved tea.
🫖 3. Afternoon tea was invented to stop hunger
Afternoon tea began in the 1840s when Anna, Duchess of Bedford, got hungry between lunch and dinner. She started having tea, cake and sandwiches — and a tradition was born.
☕ 4. Britain prefers tea over coffee
The UK drinks more tea than coffee, even today in 2025.
Tea is seen as comforting, especially when things go wrong.
🥛 5. Milk in first or last?
Guaranteed to cause a heated discussion, this is one of the UK’s biggest debates:
Milk first or tea first?
There is technically no right answer, but it’s a very British argument 😄 A lot of it is down to personal taste, same as the strength of brew.
🇬🇧 6. “A cuppa” means tea
In the UK, if someone offers you a “cuppa” or a “brew”, they mean a cup of tea — not coffee.
🚑 7. Tea can apparently solve everything
In Britain, tea is offered:
- When you’re happy
- When you’re sad
- When someone visits
- And, after bad news, it is seen as the ultimate comfort drink.
🫖 8. Teabags were an accident
Teabags were invented by accident in the early 1900s when tea samples were sent in little silk bags — people brewed them without opening them!
