International Tea Day: Tea expert explains how to make the perfect cup of tea in video

International Tea Day is observed annually on May 21.

Tea is the most popular drink consumed in the UK today. The nearly 5000-year-old beverage has its roots in China and the Far East and played a vital role in the economic and social development of Britain.

What does the annual tea census tell us?

Milk is always a controversial one and whether people put it in first or last. A quarter of people now say they drink black tea, without any milk at all. For those who do put milk in, only 8% of people put it in first and the rest put it in last or after the sugar. There's also a growing trend of younger people opting for tea over alcohol.

How to make a perfect cup of tea?

Tea expert Dr Sharon Hall’s number one tip for making the perfect cup of tea is to ‘smart boil’. Every time the water is re-boiled, the oxygen comes out. The oxygen is really important to getting all the flavour out of the tea leaves so it’s best to measure out just the amount of water that is needed when making one bag of tea.