Enjoy your special brew

Pour yourself a well-earned cuppa, relax and read on as some interesting findings have come to light for those who love a decent brew.

Last week in Dubai, the Lipton Institute of Tea held its first Tea Symposium in the Middle East.

The tea company revealed some compelling scientific research - based on tests and questionnaires - that will make your brew taste all the better.

Dr Jane Rycroft, from the Lipton Institute of Tea, and co-host Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman of Unilever, North Africa and Middle East, presented a range of findings from leading academics on the effects of black tea and people’s attention span.

The tests showed that participants improved their performance across all attention tasks and an increased sense of alertness, after drinking two to three cups of tea.

The ingredients of caffeine and theanine are thought to be responsible for the mental benefits behind two or three cups, while tea has also been found to be a great source of hydration - essential for wellbeing and mental performance. That’s good news for a region that has one of the world’s highest rates of tea consumption tea per capita - roughly 3kgs of tea per person annually.

Dr Rycroft said: “As pioneers in the area of the effects of tea and tea ingredients on attention, we strongly believe that key ingredients found in tea, which includes theanine, caffeine and flavanoids, help improve the ability to focus attention.”

TAKE A LEAF OUT OF OUR BOOK - Fast tea facts

>> Tea comes from a tree called camellia sinensis.

>> Green teas and black teas come from the same tree.

>> Black tea retains its flavour for several years and for this reason has long been an article of trade.

>> Compressed bricks of black tea were served as a form of de facto currency in Mongolia, Tibet and Siberia into the 19th century.

>> Iced tea was first created one hot day at the 1904 World Fair, when overheated attendees added ice to their cuppa.