Decaffeinated, bottled ready-to-drink & instant teas have less of the healthy compounds (catechins). The best way is to drink tea freshly brewed.

Drinking a freshly brewed tea is the best way to get the catechins and other flavonoids in tea. These compounds in tea are largely responsible for many health benefits of tea. Catechins, a group of antioxidants, are more powerful than vitamins C and E in halting oxidative damage to cells and appear to have other disease-fighting properties. The best food source for catechins is green tea.