“Three to five cups a day reduce blood pressure, diabetes and stroke risks, so this comes as one of our 16 guidelines,” he says.

Tim Bond, from the Tea Advisory Panel says that the guidelines are the same as what he would recommend: “A number of recent studies looking at long term drinking habits have indicated that 3-5 cups of tea are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.”

“Other studies in the short term looking at risk factors also agree that daily tea consumption in this range are likely to have a positive impact on heart health,” he tells The Telegraph.

We already knew that green tea was a powerful antioxidant and could help fight several forms of cancer, and protect against dementia, but we hadn’t realised that our taste for Twinings and penchant for PG tips was also providing us with hidden healthy benefits.

Great news all round.

*Pops the kettle on*

Good news for tea drinkers. Officials say five cups a day have unexpected health benefits