Microwaving Tea? Good or Bad?

by Steve
(Michigan)

Do I lose any positive tea benefits, ie antioxidants etc. if I reheat a cup of tea in the microwave?

Hi Steve, thanks for the question about microwaving tea for reheating. Microwaving is considered a safe thing to do by safety boards globally. Microwaving does change the taste in my opinion and I am with you on thinking that it could affect the benefits of the tea.

I use a tea warmer to keep my tea warm - this is a small raised decorative holder that you sit your tea pot on. It uses a tea light candle to produce enough heat to keep your tea warm. The other thing that i have done is to use an electric mug warmer - this keeps my mug warm and my tea a nice temperature, though I do find that this can cook my tea over time, producing a poor tasting cup of tea as I near the bottom of the cup.

So, really for the best quality tea, I would not reheat my tea in the microwave or with an electric tea warmer - but accept the fact that I need to drink my tea while fresh brewed and hot - taking those few extra minutes to enjoy the tea and get all those amazing health benefits.