Have you ever experienced dryness in the mouth when you drink tea?
Most people attribute this feeling to tannins, an astringent polyphenol that binds to the proteins in your mouth as we sip.
However, these are not really tannins like the tannins from drinking wine. This dryness, while still accepted as the "tannic feeling", is more accurately attributed to catechins, another kind of polyphenol that is responsible for helping protect cell-damage, and reduce the formation of free radicals in the body. These free radicals play a role in aging and other diseases.
So, what are you waiting for? Put the kettle on.
We might have just found the fountain of youth!