TEA has sunk to a shock defeat in the cup — beaten by coffee as our favourite hot drink.
The classic leafy brew, beloved by generations, was picked by less than a quarter of Brits (22 per cent).
GettyBrits now prefer coffee to tea, according to a new poll[/caption]
That compares to 59 per cent who opted for a latte, cappuccino, flat white, mocha or espresso.
In another surprise, most tea lovers are in the South East (32 per cent).
They are twice as likely to favour it than those in the traditional heartlands of the North East (17 per cent) or Yorkshire and Humber (16 per cent).
Tea-makers in the North East also liked the weakest brew, with the strongest is in Northern Ireland.
The poll of 2,000 Brits revealed a latte (20 per cent) is only fractionally less popular than tea — and has overtaken a brew in Wales.
Cappuccinos and black Americanos (both ten per cent) are also breathing down tea’s neck.
Meanwhile, Glasgow is the UK’s flat white capital, where it is now level with tea (16 per cent).
Instant coffee has fallen out of favour — chosen by just three per cent — while green tea and herbal tea got just one per cent each in telecom firm Openreach’s survey.
Chief engineer Sam Blakley, 33, from Hants, told how his team go to the cafe on Fridays, but tea is rarely drunk.
He said: “It’s flat whites all round.
“Times have definitely changed.”
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