People in Britain are turning to coffee as their brew of choice.
Sales of tea dropped by 6% this year, after having fallen by 3% last year.
Perhaps the lure of rapidly growing coffee outlets on the high street is tempting taste buds.
According to The Grocer magazine, Tetley Round tea bag sales sank by 17% this year, while PG Tips Pyramid sales were 6% down. Although Typhoo sales rose, it was only by 1%.
Costa Coffee, on the other hand, said sales were up by 20% in just the last three months when compared to last year. The company has an ambitious programme of opening further espresso bars across the UK.
Mintel, the market research agency, added that coffee sales in high street stores hit the £1 billion mark in 2013, more than twice the level of tea bags, £480 million.
Adam Leyland, editor at the Grocer, said: "This year's tea sales mark a significant acceleration in the long-term decline of tea. There have been some gains for Yorkshire Gold, but we are now a nation of coffee drinkers."
