Guilt-tea: Australians love a hot cuppa
Half the country can't get enough.
Black, white, green, chai, herbal, oolong...
With over 3,000 varieties, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after water.
One in two Aussies enjoy a cuppa at least once a week, according to the latest stats by Roy Morgan Research.
In the 12 months to June 2016, 9.8 million Australians (50%) drank at least one cup of tea in any given week. This figure is slightly higher than the same period last year (49%).
Australian women love their tea a little more than men, with 55% of female respondents saying they drink at least one cup in an average week, compared with 45% of men.
Aussies seem to gradually develop their passion for tea over the course of a lifetime, with proportions and consumption levels growing steadily with age.
25% of teens aged 14-17 enjoy a tea in an average week, while 50% of adults aged 35-49 consume a cup a week. Levels peak at 64% of people aged 65 and over.
The elderly (65+) also consume the most cups, averaging 11 per week, with almost a third of these drinkers knocking back 15 or more each week.
Tea's dark roasted enemy, coffee, is less popular amongst young people but beyond the age of 18, filtered beans become everyone's beverage of choice.
However, simply adding a few teaspoons of freeze dried coffee to a mug of boiling water doesn't seem to be cutting it anymore. When it comes to caffeine, Australians are saying fresh is best.
And while coffee won't give you cancer, drinking any extremely hot beverage might.
If you can't resist, be sure to check out our specialty guide to the best tea rooms, tea houses and cafes in Sydney with the most stellar collection of loose leaf tisanes and pages upon pages dedicated to specialty teas.
We've also listed 10 great ways to save some extra cash without skipping your morning tea or coffee.
Picture: Shutterstock
