Time to turn over a new leaf

It's suddenly cool to be seen drinking the humble cuppa, even in the most fashionable places. So are the days of the designer coffee shop numbered? Charlotte Cripps on the rise and rise of tea

Forget skinny latte and hazelnut mocha, the drink that's hot this season is Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe. Tea, so long the embodiment of old England and Empire, is not only hot, it's cool. Celebrities drink it like champagne, starry tea parties are the place to be seen, and high tea is high fashion. With celebrity endorsements, the Tea Council has launched a new exhibition, My Cup Of Tea, at the Proud Gallery in London to raise funds for Cancer Research.

"There's been a massive re-emergence of interest in tea, and so many celebrities love it," says Lucy Whittle, the event's organiser. The exhibition features portraits of Liberty Ross, Claudia Schiffer, Minnie Driver, Jodie Kidd and Sadie Frost. Most of them are drinking tea although, says Whittle, "Liberty Ross is wearing teabag earrings". Kylie Minogue, Sadie Frost and Stella McCartney will also exhibit their own specially designed teacups.

Tea parties have become the trend of 2002, with Meg Mathews having afternoon tea on her birthday and Sadie Frost celebrating the new FrostFrench spring/ summer collection (inspired by tea parties) at a picnic in Regent's Park. "Tea can be considered a style icon, as it represents something very British, and brings with it a lot of history," says Frost.

Sara Cox, Radio 1's breakfast DJ, drinks afternoon tea at the Opium Room in Blakes Hotel, Kensington, with her mates Meg Mathews, Donna Air and Kate Moss. Madonna and Jade Jagger drink it at Spoon in the Sanderson Hotel. Moby has just opened his own tea shop in Manhattan – TeaNY – selling 80 different types of tea, and plans to market his own brand.

"Tea is starting to enjoy a more contemporary image, rather than being dull or old-fashioned," says Bill Gorman, the executive director of the Tea Council. "The tea industry has been modernising its advertising to promote tea as 'natural, authentic and good for you'."

Legend has it that tea was discovered in 2737BC by a Chinese emperor, when some tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water. It came to Britain between 1652 and 1654, coffee slightly earlier. Tea was very expensive, coffee the drink of the masses. But by the 1960s the image had been reversed. Tea was seen as more dowdy, its advertising old fashioned. Coffee, by contrast, was ultra hip.

In 2000, tea still just had the upper hand, accounting for 55 per cent of the 11 billion cups of hot beverages sold each year, but coffee was threatening to overtake it as our national drink. In the past five years, hundreds of coffee shops such as Starbucks, Coffee Republic and Caffè Nero have sprung up fighting for prime locations. We have been spending on average £2.35 on a large takeaway latte ever since.

But are we coming down from the coffee buzz? "The rapid increase in the number of outlets is creating an over-supply in the market," says Dr Euan Paul of the British Coffee Association. According to the Office of National Statistics, the average household now spends 50p on tea and 50p on coffee a week. Both coffee and tea sales have been steadily declining over the past two decades, losing out to cold drinks. "However, we do not see any decline in figures for coffee sold in coffee shops," says Dr Paul. "There is a substantial increase in consumption of about 3 per cent per annum."

"Coffee is just a passing fad," counters the Tea Council's Bill Gorman. "It has never really been a threat. Tea's image was a bit dusty – in the past 30 years consumption has fallen, but today it accounts for 40 per cent of the national fluid intake. It still outsells coffee two to one. We drink 165 million cups of the stuff a day, and only about 65 million cups of coffee."

On tea's side in the battle for supremacy is a much-publicised health advantage: rehydration, less caffeine, and powerful antioxidants called flavonoids that may help prevent heart disease, strokes and cancer. One study concluded that at the typical UK daily consumption of three cups, tea has around the same antioxidant power as eating six apples. A 190ml cup of tea contains 50mg of caffeine, one third less than the same amount of a cup of instant coffee.

But where to take your tea? "Traditional hotels such as the Ritz, the Savoy and the Dorchester have always given high-standard tea," says Whittle. "St Martins Lane and the Sanderson are really trendy and realised the cool value of afternoon tea a few years ago." At the Ritz tea for two costs £54.

St Martins Lane is leading the way in "power tea" – London business people opting to take afternoon tea with clients rather than boozy business lunches. It includes a selection of infusions served with bruschetta, pastries and scones on a three-tiered tray (£16.50 per person). Other new tea houses include Mumbo in Manchester, Ch'a with branches in Kingston and Bristol, and Candy in Kensington High Street.

Fortnum & Mason has expanded into rare teas from Japan, China and Nepal. "We have seen a 40 per cent increase in sales of rare teas over the past year," says Jim Corfield, the general manager of Fortnum & Mason's food halls. "Why drink Asti Spumanti, instead of Dom Perignon?" Indeed, Fairy Lady's Golden Rings (from the Fujian Province) costs £70 for 125g. "It is hand picked and hand rolled, with a clean, delicate flavour," says Corfield.

What's the future for tea? "Many of the big coffee shops will start selling quality teas," says Gorman. "They are already experimenting with ways to brew it quickly. More of the people who pass Starbucks's front door drink tea than coffee. The company hasignored Britain's single largest selling beverage."

The battle of the beverage may not yet be won, but it seems that a cup of tea is now becoming everyone's cup of tea.

My Cup of Tea is at the Proud Gallery, London WC2 to 7 November, then tours – see www.mycupoftea.co.uk for details

Special brew: the world's second-favourite drink

* All that glisters is not gold: "tea money" – blocks of tea that are as hard as granite – is still used as currency in parts of Tibet and China.

* Legend has it that the Buddhist saint Bodhidharma fell asleep during his devotions. He cut off his eyelids and threw them to the ground. They took root, became a bush, and grew tea – which keeps sleep at bay.

* There are more than 2,000 types of tea, all of which come from the leaves of one plant – Camellia sinensis.

* Hong Kong holds the world record for the largest tea break: 4,950 people took part.

* Tea (the world's second favourite drink after water) is a natural source of fluoride, which can help to prevent tooth decay. Green tea contains twice as much fluoride as black tea.

* The average tea-drinker has about three cups a day: that makes for 1,095 cups of tea per person every year.