During the 1990s Britain became a paid-up member of the Cappuccino Club. City slickers went through a phase of standing on street corners slurping their latte with a hint of mocha, and many a business deal was signed over a cup of Colombian, writes Zahra Borno.

Coffee became a part of British culture and its influence even permeated the language. 'Would you like to come in for coffee?' became a catchy euphemism used by dating couples. You didn't hear many prospective lovers asking each other in for a cup of tea.

But Stephen Twining, the tenth generation of Twinings tea firm who visited Oxford last week, said tea was starting to regain its national drink status. If you went out to dinner five years ago it would have been practically automatic to order a cup of coffee to round off the meal. But a recent survey shows that nearly 60 per cent of people said they would prefer a cup of tea after dinner rather than coffee.

Coffee addict Ally McBeal, the dizzy lawyer in the hit TV show, certainly would not approve, but it's not as if tea ever really went out of fashion. It has provided a prop for people's lives for generations. People have turned to tea in times of distress or crisis for centuries. Not only is the ritual of brewing a pot of tea extremely comforting, but a cup of it has a calming effect. It takes time to make a cup of tea, even if you take a short-cut by dunking a bag in a mug of hot water.

But it's not that people are suddenly flocking to the shops to snap up boxes of mass-produced brands.

Research shows it is the speciality market that is attracting a new generation of tea drinkers. Where they used to experiment with different coffee styles - sales of cappuccino and expresso machines went through the roof during the 1990s - people are now testing different sorts of tea.

Stephen Twining says he drinks around 15 cups a day, but only about five cups of coffee a week. He clearly has an adventurous palate and drinks about five different blends, including Assam, Ceylon and Lady Grey. "I find that tea suits my moods far better than coffee. I wouldn't drink the same tea throughout the day though, because I prefer to drink a tea that suits the moment.

"I think a lot of people have become very staid in their tea choices. They tend to drink what they are used to, but more people are beginning to experiment.

"But there are now so many different teas, far more than different coffees. We are encouraging people to become more promiscuous in their tea tastes."

It's not only a question of taste that is drawing people away from coffee and back to tea. Health issues are becoming more important, and people are careful about what they eat and drink. The health benefits of coffee have been under some doubt for more than a decade.

It's all to easy to get hooked on the high levels of caffeine, and too much can lead to interrupted sleep patterns and withdrawal symptoms. Yet many of the lighter blends of tea, which have a far more subtle flavour, have lower caffeine levels and are believed to be less harsh on the body than coffee.

The lighter teas are blended from green, rather than black, tea. Jasmine tea, pure green and lotus tea have a flavour that lacks the heaviness of a rich dark coffee.

Tea is a good natural source of antioxidants - which help protect the body from damage caused by toxins - and light teas can help digestion, particularly at the end of a heavy meal. Stephen Twining says: "Tea has important health benefits. In Italy it is kept in the cupboard just in case someone is ill, which shows it is believed to be good for the health.

"If tea is drunk with milk it's a good source of calcium. It is low in calories and contains fluoride which is good for the teeth."

Tea has had a chequered history. We may now take it for granted, but when it was first introduced in England it was seen as a luxury. Brewers feared tea might replace ale as the national drink at breakfast and in the early 18th century lobbied the government until it imposed a tax of 119 per cent. If the same rate of tax applied today tea would cost around £800 a pound.

Fortunately, tea is now a luxury we can all afford. There will always be some who prefer coffee - but there's no accounting for taste.

Story date: Monday 21 February

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