Key to the perfect cup of tea? Just let it brew for 5 minutes

...oh, and it tastes better from a red cup, says top cuppa expert

IRISH people are notoriously particular about how we like our cuppa, and our chosen brand.

But whether we choose Lyons or Barry’s many of us aren’t making our tea properly – and are missing out on the perfect cup as a result, according to a scientist.

Dr Stuart Farrimond, a health science writer and TV presenter, says teabags should be brewed for five minutes.

While this might sound like a long time to wait, he says this is the optimum amount of time to release the flavour, reach the perfect temperature and achieve the best caffeine hit. It also allows you to get the most of the health benefits tea can offer.

Leaving it for five minutes rather than one minute also more than doubles the healthy antioxidants released by the leaves and draws out more flavour.

Dr Farrimond said: ‘Caffeine seeps out of the tea leaves quite quickly, but the tasty flavour molecules and health-giving antioxidants take longer to diffuse into the water.

‘Allowing the tea to steep lets the water cool, which gives a further flavour boost. It is only when the water cools to less than 45C that we begin to appreciate flavours properly. At around body temperature, approximately 37C, our tastebuds are working at their best.’

Tea has been part of Irish life since the early 1800s although it was expensive having come all the way from India. And on average we drink between four and six cups a day, mostly from tea bags.

In a study, Dr Farrimond found that a teabag brewed for only 30 seconds contains 35 milligrams of caffeine, but this rises to 50mg after five minutes. A 240ml cup of tea, brewed for one minute, contained 15.9mg of polyphenols – a type of antioxidant found to ward off cancer and dementia. Brewed for five minutes, this increased to 32.1mg.

However your cup of tea can be ruined if you live in a hard water area. The scum which can form on the top of your cuppa comes from calcium and minerals from the hard water binding to the flavour compounds, which makes the tea taste worse. Dr Farrimond suggests filtering your water before you boil it.

He also said what you serve your tea in is important: ‘Synthetic materials, such as plastic and styrofoam steal precious flavour molecules from the tea… so use fine bone china or a favourite mug.’

And if you like your tea sweet, a red mug is best because psychological cues mean our brains associate the colour with sweet tastes, even without sugar.