How to get the most nutrients out of tea?: Brewing for better health

October 21, 2025 •

4 min read

With tea being one of the world's most popular beverages, many people are turning to it for its health benefits. But did you know that the way you prepare it can drastically alter its nutritional profile? Learn how to get the most nutrients out of tea with these simple yet effective techniques.

Quick Summary

This guide provides scientific strategies for maximizing tea's health compounds, including optimal brewing temperatures, steeping durations, and beneficial additives to increase antioxidant absorption.

Key Points

Choose Matcha for Maximum Nutrients: Since you consume the entire powdered leaf, matcha provides a highly concentrated dose of antioxidants and L-theanine compared to steeped tea.
Add Lemon, Not Milk: Squeezing fresh lemon juice into your tea can boost antioxidant absorption by stabilizing compounds like catechins, while milk may inhibit their uptake.
Master Temperature and Time: Brewing with the correct water temperature and steeping duration for each tea type prevents nutrient degradation and bitterness, with specific guidelines for green, black, and white teas.
Prioritize Proper Storage: Store tea in opaque, airtight containers in a cool, dark place to protect sensitive nutrients from light, air, and moisture.
Mind Iron Absorption: Avoid drinking tea with iron-rich meals, especially if you are at risk for iron deficiency, as tannins can interfere with absorption.
Consider Cold Brewing for Smoothness: Cold brewing can yield a smoother, less bitter-tasting iced tea while preserving a good portion of its antioxidants, making it a flavorful alternative to hot brewing.

The Science Behind Your Cup

True teas, including green, black, white, and oolong, come from the Camellia sinensis plant, and their nutritional profiles depend on processing and preparation. The key to their health benefits lies in bioactive compounds such as catechins (a type of polyphenol), L-theanine, and caffeine. Catechins, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), are powerful antioxidants that fight cell damage caused by free radicals. However, the amount of these beneficial compounds that actually make it into your cup depends entirely on your brewing technique.

Factors Influencing Nutrient Extraction

Several factors play a crucial role in extracting nutrients from tea leaves. Optimizing these conditions can turn a good cup of tea into a potent health tonic.

Brewing Temperature: The temperature of your water significantly impacts which compounds are extracted and how quickly. For delicate green and white teas, using water that is too hot can destroy catechins and release excessive tannins, leading to a bitter taste. Conversely, some studies suggest that hotter temperatures can maximize the extraction of certain compounds.
Steeping Time: The duration of steeping directly correlates with the concentration of extracted nutrients. Longer steeping generally extracts more bioactive compounds, but for green tea, prolonged steeping can cause antioxidant levels to decrease after a certain point as catechins undergo epimerization. The sweet spot is often a balance between maximum extraction and palatable flavor.
Water Quality: Using fresh, filtered water with a neutral pH is best. Tap water with a high pH (basic) may hinder the extraction of bioactive compounds compared to more acidic water.
Leaf Size and Form: Loose-leaf teas often use higher-quality, whole leaves, but the smaller surface area of tea bags can sometimes lead to faster extraction. Matcha, which involves consuming the entire ground tea leaf, offers a significantly higher concentration of nutrients and antioxidants than brewed tea.

Brewing Guide for Maximum Nutrient Absorption

To get the most out of each type of tea, follow these specific brewing recommendations based on scientific findings.


Tea Type	Optimal Brewing Temp	Recommended Steeping Time	Key Nutrients Extracted
Green Tea	175–180°F (80–85°C)	2–3 minutes	Catechins (EGCG), L-theanine
Black Tea	203–212°F (95–100°C)	3–5 minutes	Theaflavins, L-theanine, Caffeine
White Tea	175–180°F (80–85°C)	1–2 minutes	Catechins, Polyphenols
Oolong Tea	195°F (90–95°C)	2–3 minutes	Both Catechins and Theaflavins
Matcha	175°F (80°C)	Consumed (no steeping)	Very high EGCG, L-theanine, Chlorophyll

For a smoother, less bitter taste in iced green tea while preserving nutrients, consider cold brewing. This method extracts fewer tannins but preserves delicate catechins over a longer steeping time (8-12 hours in the refrigerator).

The Role of Additives: Boosters vs. Blockers

What you add to your tea can either help or hinder nutrient absorption. Making mindful choices is key to maximizing health benefits.

Add Lemon, Not Milk: Adding a slice of lemon or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice is one of the best ways to boost antioxidant absorption, especially for green tea. The vitamin C in lemon helps stabilize the catechins in your digestive system, preventing their degradation before they can be absorbed. Conversely, adding milk has been shown to potentially interfere with the cardiovascular benefits and antioxidant capacity of tea.
Watch Iron Absorption: The tannins in tea can interfere with your body's absorption of non-heme iron (iron from plant sources). If you are at risk for iron deficiency, it is best to drink your tea between meals, waiting at least an hour after eating, rather than with them.
Spices and Herbs: Incorporating antioxidant-rich spices like cinnamon, turmeric, and clove, or herbs like mint and rosemary, can further enhance the nutrient profile of your brew.

Loose Leaf vs. Matcha: The Whole-Leaf Advantage

When considering how to get the most nutrients out of tea, the form of the tea itself is a major factor. While loose-leaf green tea is a great source of antioxidants, matcha offers a significantly more concentrated dose because you consume the entire ground leaf.

Matcha is grown under shade to boost chlorophyll and L-theanine levels. The leaves are then deveined, destemmed, and ground into a fine powder. This process ensures you ingest the full spectrum of beneficial compounds rather than just those that can be steeped out. Research shows that matcha can have multiple times the antioxidant content of standard green tea. For those seeking a powerful nutrient boost, matcha is the clear winner.

Proper Storage to Preserve Potency

Even the best brewing methods can't save stale, improperly stored tea. To maintain the integrity of the leaves and their nutrients, follow these guidelines for storage:

Airtight Containers: Use opaque, airtight tins or canisters to protect tea leaves from air, moisture, and odors. Avoid clear glass containers unless stored in a dark cupboard, as light can degrade nutrients.
Cool and Dark Location: Store your tea away from heat sources like stoves or sunny windows. A cool, dark pantry or cabinet is ideal.
Avoid the Fridge: For most teas, the humidity inside a refrigerator can cause condensation, leading to moisture exposure and spoilage. Matcha, however, can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container to preserve freshness.

For more in-depth information on the compounds in tea and their health effects, refer to studies like the ones published by the National Institutes of Health. A review of studies on human consumption of tea highlights its benefits for cardiovascular and metabolic health(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4055352/).

Conclusion: Your Healthier Brew Awaits

To maximize the nutritional value of your tea, focus on three key areas: selecting the right tea type (like matcha for a potent boost), mastering the specific brewing parameters (temperature and time), and choosing smart additives (like lemon) while avoiding others (like milk) when possible. Storing your tea correctly will ensure its potency for longer. By making these small but impactful adjustments to your routine, you can get the most nutrients out of tea and fully enjoy its extensive health benefits in every cup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, adding lemon juice to green tea can help increase and preserve the tea's natural polyphenols, including catechins like EGCG, during the digestive process, leading to better absorption by your body.

Matcha is made from the entire tea leaf, which is ground into a fine powder and consumed whole. This results in a significantly higher concentration of antioxidants, L-theanine, and other nutrients compared to brewed green tea, where the leaves are discarded.

Water temperature determines which compounds are extracted. For delicate teas like green or white, excessively hot water can damage some nutrients, while for black tea, near-boiling water is needed to fully release its compounds.

If you are at risk for iron deficiency, it is best to drink tea between meals rather than during them. The tannins in tea can bind to non-heme iron from plant-based foods and inhibit absorption, so it is recommended to wait at least an hour after eating.

Cold brewing is an excellent method for preserving antioxidants and other heat-sensitive compounds. It also produces a smoother, less bitter taste by extracting fewer bitter tannins than hot brewing.

Store tea in an opaque, airtight container away from light, heat, and moisture. This prevents the degradation of nutrients and preserves the tea's flavor and aroma.

If you are using loose-leaf tea, consider using a high-quality product and adjusting your steeping time to be a bit longer. Studies suggest longer steeping (up to a point) can increase bioactive extraction, though it may also make the tea more bitter.