Trouble is brewing for the traditional cup of tea as research shows sales have dropped by 6% in the last five years.

Tea sales by volume fell by 22 per cent between 2010 and 2015 to about 76 million kilos (about 170 million pounds) from 97 million kilos, according to market research firm Mintel.

“Standard black tea is struggling to maintain consumers’ interest amid growing competition from other drinks, held back by a rather uninspiring image”, said Mintel analyst Emma Clifford. Despite the strong historical and cultural association between Britain and black tea, consumers seem to be turning away from their traditional hot beverage preference, instead increasingly favouring high-quality coffee products or the variety in flavour provided by the green, fruit and herbal tea sectors. ALASTAIR GRANT/ASSOCIATED PRESS More than half of Brits- 54% – said they still enjoy their national beverage at least once a day.

“Consumers are becoming more adventurous in their choice of tea”, she said.

Ms Clifford warns sales could drop further because of the recent scares over sugar intake.

“Places like Teavana and David’s Tea are doing so well because people who don’t generally like straight-up tea will go for the fruit teas”, Londoner and tea enthusiast Kimberly Truong told the Daily News.

Mintel’s research suggested falling sales in biscuits might also be adding to the decline. Men aged between 16 and 44 were found to be the biggest drinkers, while the most popular period was the morning (75%), followed by the afternoon (66%).