Tea drinkers in Bristol apparently make the weakest brew of anyone in the entire country.
A new survey suggests that Bristolians dunk their tea bag for just 47 seconds, which is one fifth of the brewing time recommended by experts.
The results are bound to stir controversy given how much most Brits value their teatime - and, in defence of our great city, it should be noted that only 2,000 adults nationwide were polled.
Experts at Yorkshire Tea advise that a tea bag should be left to brew in a mug for between four and five minutes, to allow the flavour to fully develop.
However, the new survey found that the national average brewing time is far less, at just one minute and 10 seconds.
Manchester was named as the UK city with the strongest tea-making skills, brewing on average for one minute and 26 seconds.
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Whether through preference or just impatience, Bristol had the quickest brewing time of any other city polled, at just 47 seconds.
The survey was commissioned this month by an unlikely source, watch and sunglasses retailer Tic Watches, and involved 2,000 adults nationwide.
It found that the UK cities with the strongest tea were:
- Manchester – 1 minute, 26 seconds
- Southampton – 1 minute, 20 seconds
- Nottingham – 1 minute, 14 seconds
- London – 1 minute, 14 seconds
- Norwich – 1 minute, 10 seconds
Meanwhile the UK cities with the weakest tea were named as:
- Bristol – 47 seconds
- Birmingham – 56 seconds
- Newcastle – 59 seconds
- Glasgow – 59 seconds
- Leeds – 1 minute, 2 seconds
Addressing the key question of whether or not milk should be added first or last, just one in four people favoured the former.
Danny Richmond, managing director at Tic Watches, said: "The length of time that someone brews their tea for is an incredibly personal thing and everyone is different, but our research showed a few patterns.
"Our study showed that many people are not following the expert suggestions for brewing, but as long as it tastes good to you, that’s the only thing that matters."
