A scientist at the University of Newcastle has suggested tea-drinkers heat their cup of tea in a microwave - and the reap the health benefits.

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According to The Cut, Dr. Quan Voung – an Australian who specialises in exploring ways to 'add value' to natural products – has found that microwaving tea activates 80 per cent of the caffeine, theanine, and polyphenol in the drink and actually improves taste.

Theanine is an amino acid that encourages stress relief, while polyphenols are antioxidants which reduce inflammation, prevent degenerative diseases, and support healthy blood-sugar and blood-pressure levels.

This is Dr Vuong's suggested method for making a cup of tea:

  1. Put hot water in the cup with your teabag.
  2. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds on half power.
  3. Let it sit for a minute.

The scientist claims microwaved tea – as opposed to stove-heated or boiled from the kettle – provides health benefits equivalent to drinking more than three cups of tea.

It should be said that this Vuong bloke has somewhat of an obsession with microwaving food. Last year, he reportedly microwaved lemon particles and found that they released additional antioxidants and microwaved macadamia skin enhanced the availability of the nut's phenolic compounds.

Unsurprisingly, Vuong's brewing methods have caused outrage across the United Kingdom.

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And, according to the Independent, the subject of microwaved tea continues to cause outrage after David Tennant's character microwaved a cuppa in an episode of Broadchurch last month.

We don't know if this is tea-blasphemy or genius.

From: ELLE UK