Brewing up a tea and coffee office battle

Staff at Blackpool solicitors Blackhurst Budd pose for a picture to illustrate the findings of a recent survey, which concludes that tea drinkers are happier in the office than those that drink coffee. Cheerful tea drinker Carrie Ball and a rather more dour caffeine addict Dominic Haley.

So sang Sting on his 1987 single Englishman In New York, and new research has found that those who take after the rainforest-loving singer are more likely to be friendlier in the office than their coffee-drinking co-workers.

But in one town centre office, those who prefer the bean to the bag say they’re not the grouches which the findings make them seem.

When asked if there is a distinctive divide between coffee and tea drinkers, stalwart arabica bean lover Dominic Haley, head cashier at Blackhurst Budd solicitors, on Church Street, Blackpool, said: “I wouldn’t say there’s ever an uproar or fighting in the kitchen.

“There’s me and two girls here who have a bit of a coffee club and we’re quite harmonious in our little group.

“I think we’re being hard done by.”

The study, conducted by boiling systems company Zip Heaters UK, showed 84 per cent of tea drinkers claim to be a team player in their job compared to just 74 per cent of coffee fans.

However, it is claimed tea drinkers are also more likely to row with colleagues about whose turn it is to make a round of drinks.

Anna Mumby, practice manager at the firm, said: “It’s a fairly even split in our office though, the kettle’s always boiling.”