Research Says This Simple Trick Will Make Your Tea Even Healthier

Fancy a cuppa? Make sure you pop it in the microwave while it’s steeping.
That’s right, The Cut recently wrote an article about a study that claims microwaving tea unleashes additional health benefits.

Here’s what you need to know

The research was conducted by Dr. Quan Voung, a scientist at the University of Newcastle. Dr. Vuong and his team specialise in exploring ways to “add value” to natural products. They compared different methods of steeping green tea and found that microwaving tea activated 80 percent of the caffeine, theanine, and polyphenol compounds. This is higher than heating tea up on the stove, suggesting that its a more effective way to brew a cuppa. Dr. Voung goes as far to claim that this method delivers the equivalent of drinking more than three cups of tea.

But, what exactly are these compounds responsible for?

Theanine is an amino acid that promotes relaxation, and polyphenols are antioxidants that have been linked to reducing inflammation, fighting signs of aging, and supporting healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels, reports ABC Radio Sydney.

Try it for yourself

As tea lovers, we’re not exactly sold on this non-traditional technique, but we’ll leave it up to you to decide.

If you’re curious to see what the hype is about, simply combine hot water with a tea bag in a cup, and then put the cup (with the tea bag) in the microwave for one minute at half power.