Skip to content

Is £2.20 too much to pay for a cup of tea?

How much would you pay for a cup of tea?

How much is too much to pay for a cup of tea?

An anonymous customer wrote to the Toast Cafe and Deli in Wrexham on Monday after their "shock" about having to pay £2.20 for a cuppa.

But is this expensive? I called up cafes across the UK and discovered it could cost anywhere from £1 to £3.30 in Wales, about £2.80 in Manchester and £3 in London.

One cafe owner said customers can be "blind" to the "hidden costs" of running businesses.

Serena Hancock, 28, from Cardiff, said she had just been to a chain restaurant with her friends and paid £3.30 for a cup of tea.

Her sister Tianna Hancock, 28, added: "You've got to think about it, it's literally a tea bag."

Amaris Powell, 28, from Cardiff, said: "If you buy a whole pack of teabags and then break it down per tea bag it would cost you nothing."

Serena Hancock is stood to the left holding a takeaway hot drink cup, she is wearing a black and white sports jacket and has her hair styled in cornrows and a ponytail, Chloe Griffiths is wearing a brown and beige psychedelic jacket and a matching brown top. Her brown hair is pulled back in a ponytail, Tianna Hancock has her arm around Chloe and Amaris who is stood next to her. Tianna is wearing a black jacket and a white knitted jumper. Her brown curly hair is short and loose, and Amaris Powell is wearing a black rain jacket and a red 3/4 zip jumper. Her black hair is pulled into a bun
Serena Hancock, Chloe Griffiths, Tianna Hancock and Amaris Powell said they had just spent £3.30 each on a cup of tea at a national chain restaurant

Serena said elderly people should be given a free tea or one at a reduced rate as £2.20 is "expensive for them based on what they would have paid".

"And it gives them a reason to go out each day."

Amaris Powell said: "It's not going to dent us, they get free bus passes, free trains, I'm pretty sure you could allow them to have a free tea."

Tianna Hancock agreed and said it should cost everyone else £1.50.

David Mort sat on a bench in Working Steet in Cardiff. He is wearing a hat and a beige raincoat and a checked shirt.
David Mort said he does not often leave his home but his grandson had taken him on a day out

David Mort, 90, from Risca in Caerphilly said: "For old age pensioners it's getting worse."

"A cup of tea, 20p - that's plenty. £2.20 is not a fair price," he said. "If it were me I wouldn't go in there, it's as simple as that."

Fadhili Maghiya smiling at the camera on Cardiff Queen Street. He is wearing an orange, yellow and black patterned shirt
Fadhili Maghiya said 50 teabags cost the same as one cup of tea at cafes or restaurants

Fadhili Maghiya, 40, from Cardiff, said: "It depends on what kind of tea it is and where it's coming from - the cost of shipping and the producer being paid a fair wage."

"But then paying more than £1.50 maybe is a little bit too much," he said.

"Obviously when you go to buy tea in a coffee shop and it's more than the whole box of 50 teabags. That's mental.

"To be priced out is extortion really, and it's not just older people it's younger people as well."

He added it was different if it was an independent shop as opposed to a chain and would be willing to pay "a bit more" because "you want to support small businesses."

Leo Lee-Thomas on the left with ginger slightly spiked hair. They are wearing necklaces and a navy top that says 'hole' with a sun around it. They are wearing a brown leather coat. Next to them is Aiden Forrester who has long brown curly hair, with their headphones around their neck and a crochet jumper
Leo Lee-Thomas and Aiden Forrester said they rarely buy tea out as they can drink it so cheaply at home

Leo Lee-Thomas, 21, from Cardiff, said the maximum they would pay would be £2.50 but thought it should cost £2.20 to £2.30 for one cup of tea.

Aiden Forrester, 22, from Aberdare, said: "It's boiling water at the end of the day.

"They've got to make money so £2.20 is fair," they added.

Jane Hides, 49, from New Quay in Ceredigion said she would expect to pay £1.50 to £2.

"I think people do look at it and think it's just a tea bag and some water," she said. "However, it's still a product and everything comes at a cost."

She said paying £2.20 is fair because businesses have "bills to pay".

Jane Hides has her blond hair pulled into a ponytail and is wearing a matching circular set of earrings and necklace. She is wearing a white collared shirt
Jane Hides said she drinks a black tea but usually buys coffee when she is out

Gary Solomon, owner of The Crows Nest Cafe in Milford Haven said he had to put the price of his cups of tea up from £1.25 to £1.50 when the minimum wage increased in April.

He said he factors in the delivery from the warehouse, the electric, the staff and the clearing up as well as the teabag and the water.

The cafe owner added that: "If it's hot and it's inside, 20% of that goes straight to the government - so that's 30p already off the cost."

"The other part of the cost is holiday pay, PAYE contributions and national insurance."

He said when the menu's prices went up he put a sign out explaining the reason so has had no complaints.

Mr Solomon said a cup of tea is more than a teabag and people "can be a bit blind to understand exactly what happens behind the door if they just see one person making a cup."

"It's the hidden costs people don't see," he added.

Mr Solomon said £2.20 does "seem a bit expensive".

Jason Hughes, the general manager of Bwyd Da Bangor sells a pot of tea [which makes two cups] for £3 and said the price factors in the tea bag, the sweeteners, the milk, the hot water and the teapot - as well as the washing up of the mug and pot when the customer is finished.

"We pay a fair living wage of £12 per hour." He added that rent and ingredients were "expensive".

Mr Hughes said: "People don't mind paying £3 for a coffee for some reason.

"There seems to be a higher perceived value."