The humble cup of tea has a lot to answer for. Not only is it the pride of Britain, a social lubricant, and the best way to battle through a tough afternoon at the office, it’s also safeguarding your health in more ways than you may have imagined.

Black tea, oolong, and green tea all hail from the same plant, the Camellia sinensis, the difference being how much the tea leaves are fermented. Black tea is fully fermented, oolong partially, and green tea is unfermented. This means that green tea, in particular, packs in more wellness-enhancing benefits than other types. Having undergone less processing, it retains a higher level of protective polyphenols – powerful antioxidants known to protect against disease, improve your body’s everyday functions, and boost mental alertness.

Nearly all green tea hails from the mountains of East Asia, where it is grown at altitude and often picked by hand, which is believed to provide a sweeter, less bitter taste. In Japan, Sencha is the most popular type of green tea, producing a yellow/green tea with a sweet and grassy flavor. Matcha, on the other hand, is made from green tea leaves that grow in the shade, producing more chlorophyll. These leaves are then ground into a powder before being mixed with boiling water.

But, in the US or the UK, you’ll likely find your tea in the supermarket, either as fresh leaves or in tea bags. But don’t think you can just toss a bag into a mug and you’re good to go. No, to really gain the benefits of green tea, there are certain steps you must follow…

How To Drink It

First things first: if you do go the loose leaves route, avoid older leaves. Anything past four months old has exceeded its optimum freshness, and has no place in your cup. Otherwise, keep the leaves in an airtight container once opened in order to maintain the phytonutrient content for as long as possible.