Is African dating your cup of tea?

Meeting over a cup of tea might not be as unusual in African dating as it might seem.

While British people have the reputation of being a nation of tea-drinkers, they are not the only country to enjoy the beverage, meaning it would not look out of place on the menu for couples of different nationalities meeting for a date.

At a consumption rate of 13.8 per cent of all tea produced globally, the market in Africa and the Middle East is the world's second-largest, meaning taking African dates for a cup might not be an unusual option.

The scale of Africa's tea consumption was revealed in Dubai recently at the third Global Dubai Tea Forum, a two-day event staged every two years.

"We are convinced that the outlook for the global tea trade has never been brighter," said the Dubai Tea Trading Centre's director Sanjay Sethi.

Tea could be particularly relevant to African dating, in light of the significant proportion of the UK's supply of tea that derives from the continent.

Figures from the UK Tea Council show that 32 per cent of world exports in the tea market are from Africa, with British blends particularly using Kenyan and Malawian leaves.