Cost of tea soars due to poor weather conditions

“You would expect some impact on the retail level but the competition among all beverages at the retail level is pretty intensive,” he told the newspaper.

Tea drinkers in poorer countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, where retailers’ margins are lower, are expected to be hardest hit by the price rise.

Kenya, India and Sri Lanka are three of the world’s top five producers of tea, along with China and Indonesia.

Tea drinkers in the UK consume 165 million cups per day – or 62 billion per year - and over half of the country's tea comes from Kenya.

Earlier this year Stephen Twining, of tea company Twinings of London, said the price of tea was rising as demand was growing.