Most of us Brits love a good cup of tea. Whether it be a Tetley with two sugars, or a PG Tips with no sugar and lots of milk – we all have our preferred brew. The same goes for the tradespeople who work hard every day and look forward to their tea breaks when they can rest and enjoy a brew.

So, how do the people of the UK like their tea? We have dived into this everlasting debate amongst Brits to confirm once and for all – what makes the perfect brew? Surveying both tradespeople and the general population, we’ve been able to get an idea for how diverse our brews can be.

The results show how us Brits like our tea – with 20% of Brits preferring Yorkshire Tea, making it the UK’s favourite brand.

Much of the UK are in unison on their favourite shades of tea. 66% of tradespeople and 53% of the general population have set their preferences within the third row range, making it by far the most popular range for shades of tea. Within this, 3B is the most popular shade from both sets of results. The second most popular row for tradespeople is row 2 with 16% of our respondents choosing a colour from this range. However, the general population prefer a milkier tea as their second most popular range is revealed to be row 4 with 24% picking a cup within this range.

The image below details the UK’s favourite tea shades and biscuits from 17 major cities.

Chocolate digestives are by far the most popular biscuit to accompany a brew in the UK, with 13 of the 17 cities having chocolate digestives as their go-to.

3B takes first place for favourite shade, with 10 of the cities choosing this as their ideal colour of brew. A few cities prefer a milkier brew, with 4A being picked over the rest by Cardiff, Southampton, and Birmingham. Cardiff also set themselves apart with their choice of biscuit, being the only city to not go for a chocolate or regular digestive, instead opting for some shortbread to accompany their brew.

Brewing time is an important factor when it comes to a tea. The longer you leave the bag to brew the stronger your tea will be, and just like everything else- we all have our preferences when it comes to brewing time.

Engineers like their brews the strongest, with a brewing time of 3-4 minutes. They also picked a chocolate digestive as the perfect tea accompaniment.

Builders and decorators are not too fussy with the strength of their brews, only allowing 10-30 seconds for brewing time. Bathroom & kitchen fitters aren’t far behind them, with a brew time of 30-45 seconds.

The rest of our tradespeople are in agreement on their brew times, as they are all happy with a 1-2 minute brewing time.

Chocolate digestives and hobnobs are tied for the top spot in our biscuit poll, with both earning four of the coveted top spots in our results. Builders, carpenters, electricians, and multi-tradespeople went for hobnobs, whereas engineers, bathroom & kitchen fitters, handymen and decorators sided with the chocolate digestive.

Whether you’re in the kitchen making the brews or you’re a tradesperson taking your well-deserved teabreak, it’s important to get the teabag, brewing time and milk ratio just right for the perfect cuppa. In a rush to make your tea? With a boiling water tap you can streamline your brew-making process meaning you’ll never have to wait for the kettle to boil again.