The method people acquire their tea says a lot concerning their individual taste, but nowadays a latest study implies that the quantity of sugar a person puts in their brew belies their social and economic status.

People in the lowest proceeds range are twice more likely to take two or more sugars in their tea than those on highest incomes.

Information collected by The Grocer recommends that the more sugar a person puts in their tea, the lower their income.

The study found that citizens in the 'DE' socio-economic bracket, which is classed as "semi-skilled and unskilled manual occupations,and lowest grade occupations," are twice as likely to put two or more sugars in their tea than those in the 'AB' category, which is classed as those in "higher and intermediate managerial, administrative, professional occupations".

More than a third of people in the DE bracket take sugar in their tea overall, while only 26 per cent of people on the highest incomes have sugar in their brew, the Grocer found.

Yorkshire is the area of the UK with the highest amount of tea drinkers who take milk but shun sugar with 42 per cent, while the north east was found to be the hotbed of sugar-takers with 21 per cent of people admitting to putting milk with two or more sugars in their tea.

But regardless of the changeable tea preferences across the country, tea is still the most popular hot drink in the UK, with 44 per cent of people admitting to drinking it more than any other. 

Science has muscled tea drinking habits and started to unravel what makes people love tea. A large group of bioactive components in tea called polyphenols, which include catechins and tannins. Concentrations of these compounds vary depending on how a person makes the tea, including the amount of tea leaves per cup, water temperature and brewing time.