After years of uncertainty, we finally know how the Irish public takes their tea for once and for all.
Lyons Tea have conducted research whereby each person surveyed was asjed to describe their perfect cuppa, based on three tea taking pillars; brew time, sugar and milk.
According to the Lyons Tea study, Sligo likes to engage in the dark arts of tea making and takes the strongest cuppa in Ireland, ranking 7.5 for strength on a scale of 10, while Carlow makes their tea pure weak, ranking at 3.6.
Longford leads the way for taking the milkiest tea and at a whopping 10 teaspoons, are perhaps fans of tea flavoured hot milk, rather than a milky brew.
While as for Offaly, the people there are tea sweetness personified, taking the most sugar in their tea. The Lily Whites in Kildare appear to steep their teabag between each sup, given that they like to keep their teabag in a cuppa for 3.5 minutes!
The findings have revealed that the people of Ireland, depending on where they are from, have different personali-teas.
Here are some of the key findings:
- Sligo likes the strongest tea in Ireland, whereas Carlow make their tea the weakest
- The people of Longford like the milkiest tea and take 10 tea spoons on average
- Offaly has the sweetest tooth, taking the most sugar in their tea
- The population of Kildare steep their teabag in their cuppa the longest, at 3.5 minutes
- Ireland’s favourite tea time is at breakfast, however Westmeath, Wicklow, Clare and Roscommon go against the trend and enjoy some night time intensi-tea
Leinster – ‘The Average Joes’
Residents of Leinster are perhaps the least fussy about how they take their tea. Across Leinster’s counties, tea lovers like their brew without much milk, except for Longford, who are the milkiest of the lot. Leinster suppers don’t like their tea too sweet either, except for Laois and Offaly, who both love their cuppas to be sweet at over a teaspoon each. As for the tea bag, they do like to let it steep for a while, with Dublin just one example of this, favouring a strong brew time of 180 seconds. That’s long when you go beyond the Pale and compare it to the Rebel County, with the people of Cork opting for a tea bag steep of only 132 seconds.
When respondents were asked what time they take their tea, most people said with breakfast. However, there were several counties who are the opposite, and prefer a cuppa right before bed. Westmeath and Wicklow were two counties who enjoy a delicious brew before going to sleep.
While there are exceptions, generally if you’re particular about how you take your tea, perhaps it would be best to make it yourself when offered a tea on the east coast.
Munster – ‘The Sweet Talkers’
Respondents down south admit that when it comes to their tea preference, no cup is complete without lots of sugar. The province has a huge sweet tooth, taking the most sugar in their tea than any other, with each county favouring a full teaspoon. They’re prone to a milky tea too, opting for 5 teaspoons in their cuppa.
With regards to count-tea time, it appears those living in southern Ireland adhere to the strictest tea routine. Respondents from Clare admitted to enjoying their sugar filled tea for a night cap and if you make the trip to Tipp, don’t be surprised to find people sipping on a delicious cup of tea mid-morning.
For anyone making a cuppa for a person that hails for Munster, understanding the tea-conomics of a perfect cup means knowing that it needs to taste sugary sweet.
Connacht – ‘The Dark & Stormy’
If you like your tea how you like the dark and stormy weather that the ‘wesht’ can often be known for, then you’ll like Connacht’s personali-tea. For this lot, milk and sugar are for the weak, with Sligo taking not just the strongest tea in Ireland, but also the least sugar and they like to brew their tea for over 3 minutes as well.
Many people in the west of Ireland like their tea strong enough to stand a spoon in. Outside of Sligo, the rest of Connacht appear to be reluctant to take the tea bag out of their cuppa. Particularly in Leitrim, as respondents from there ranked 5.7 out of a scale of 10 for strength and also cited that they take the least amount of milk in their tea. Those researched from counties in Connacht, all showed a preference for brewing their tea longer than a minute and taking just a drop of milk.
Ulster – ‘The Milky Waheys’
The further north you go in Ireland, the milkier the tea preference get. Of those surveyed in Ulster, the amount of milk they put into their tea averages at seven teaspoons! The people of Donegal make an especially milky cup of tea, second only to Longford.
Donegal tea aficionados are always prepared to top up a cuppa with more milk, even after just taking one sup. Perhaps no more so than the people of Monaghan, who according to the research, is the county with the shortest brew time of only 39 seconds. Brewing the perfect cuppa for Monaghan folk means barely touching the water with the tea bag.
While this personali-tea certainly prefers a pure weak rather than strong tae, their brew is not as sweet, averaging at less than a teaspoon for sugar across the board.
