Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world after water. Researchers in Malaysia examined how steeping time and water temperature affected the antioxidant levels in tea. Antioxidants are potent chemicals found in food that provide protection in the body against harmful compounds. Tea is rich in antioxidants.
What did the researchers discover?
White tea – was affected more by the time the tea and water were in contact. The longer the hot steeping time the greater the antioxidant amount.
Green tea – was sensitive to temperature. Long cold steeping time produced the most antioxidants.
Black tea – benefited from a short, hot infusion to get the most antioxidant activity.
The results of this study also showed that white and green teas had greater antioxidant capacity than black tea.
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Years ago, I decided to use tea for my breaks at work. I was tired of drinking 2 32oz. bottles of plain water so I decided to use tea. I use one green tea bag, one black tea (red rose) and one herbal tea Bengal tea. I steep half an hour and add to the two 32oz. glass jugs. This way my break and lunch at work has more zip to the drink plus the many health benefits of tea!