LONDON (AFP) ― Britons drink 166 million cups of tea every day, with a cuppa still comfortably holding off the challenge of coffee, according to a survey published on Tuesday.

A new census of Britain’s tea-drinking habits shows that 11 million gallons are drunk every day, and almost a quarter of people have five cups or more.

In comparison, only 70 million cups of coffee are consumed daily despite the rapid expansion of the coffee shop sector in Britain.

One in five admit they need their morning brew before they can even think about starting their day.

Most are creatures of habit with a third always using the same cup or mug, and more than half saying the way they take their tea has not changed in years.

Most like it darker and stronger rather than weaker and milkier.

The teapot, though, is increasingly losing out to the teabag with just one in five Britons making tea the traditional way.

The survey of 2,000 adults was carried out by the ICM pollsters for WRVS, a charity representing older people, to highlight the role that sharing a cup of tea and a chat can play in easing loneliness.

William Gorman, chairman of the UK Tea Council, said tea’s benefits for health would guarantee it remained Britain’s most popular drink.

“When you look at what constitutes a healthy lifestyle, tea is right up there.

”It calms the muscle system, is a fantastic source of hydration being 99 percent water, and has a fraction of the caffeine that is contained in coffee,“ he told The Times newspaper.