How To Prepare A Healthier Cup Of Tea

Often when we make a tea, we don’t pay much attention to the challenge that we leave it in the water or the temperature it is at. On the other hand, true tea lovers pay close attention to the appropriate times and temperatures for each type of tea or infusion.

To enjoy all the antioxidant and anticancer properties of tea we must take care of all the details. It is very important that we take into account the minutes that we let the tea rest in the water. The temperature of the water at which we make the tea is also one of the keys to obtaining all the benefits of our infusion.

Different studies show that tea prevents diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, Alzheimer’s or cancer, among other diseases. And is that tea is full of substances beneficial to our health such as the catakins of green tea or the theaflavins and terubigins of black tea.

Researchers from the University of Malaya (Malaysia) have studied which is the most suitable preparation to extract the greatest amount of antioxidant and anticancer substances from three types of tea, subjecting them to different temperatures and infusion times.

They have found that the determining factor is the type of tea, so the optimal preparation of each one can be very different: in some cases cold water is better and in others very hot, sometimes a short infusion is convenient and sometimes, long.

How long should you let the tea steep?

1. Green tea

Green tea has an extraordinary antioxidant capacity thanks to its high catechin content. To preserve all its antioxidants, we must let it rest in water at room temperature for two hours.

If, like most mortals, you don’t have two hours to make a cup of tea, you can do it in hot water at around 90ºC for no more than 5 minutes.

2. White tea

White tea is, along with green tea, one of those with the most antioxidant properties, which increase with the time of infusion.

To obtain all its benefits, let it rest for a minimum of 2 hours in warm water.

3. Black tea

To obtain all the properties of a cup of black tea, we must prepare it in very hot water for a short time. About 5 minutes maximum.