In news that is likely to appall any self-respecting Brit to their very core, scientists are recommending we microwave our tea.

And no, Northerners, they do not mean your evening meal, but rather your daily brew, your mid-afternoon pick-me-up, your morning awakener and your ever-present comforter.

The research was carried out by Dr Quan Vuong, from the University of Newcastle on the New South Wales Central Coast of Australia, who specialises in finding ways to add value to to natural products “by extracting bioactive compounds with antioxidant capacities,” ABC reports.

This is his recommended method for making a brew:

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

Dr Vuong concluded that the above technique activated 80 per cent of the caffeine, theanine and polyphenol compounds in black and green teas, whether loose leaf or tea bags.

Theanine is an amino acid that encourages relaxation and polyphenols are antioxidants which help prevent degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Dr Vuong also said the method resulted in the best taste.

It’s not clear, however, whether he was adding milk to his cuppas, as we Brits are wont to do.

Forget the debate about whether to put milk in first, this is one of the most controversial claims the tea world has ever seen. And people have reacted in a big way:

It’s a subject about which the people of Britain feel strongly, which became clear in the outcry that followed David Tennant’s character microwaving a cup of tea in an episode of Broadchurch last month.