Alternative Cures

Teapots are not used nearly as often as they were a few decades ago thanks to the popularity of teabags which can easily be popped into a cup for a single cup brew.

But they may be in for a come-back amongst alternative cures and health conscious tea drinkers.

Researchers at the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland have found that polyphenols, which are the chemicals found in black tea that fight cancer, peak in strength after tea is brewed for a minimum of five minutes. The findings show that 60% more polyphenols in their test subjects’ blood after drinking black tea that had been brewed for five minutes, compared to only 30% more after drinking tea that had only been brewed for three minutes.

So why are teapots important?

You are more likely to brew tea for longer in a teapot than you would with a teabag in a cup.

In fact it was a part of the tea-making ritual when I was a child in my household. Because tea was not to be wasted, we used less tea to make a pot for the family than would be used to make individual cups, which meant the tea had to brew for several minutes to get the best flavour.

Little did we know back then that we were also doing our health a good turn by extending the brewing time for our tea!

Terry Didcott
Alternative Cures