Introduction. Dietary flavonoids, such as those present in black tea, are associated with reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Tea ingestion is linked to reduced blood pressure(1) and improved nitric oxide-mediated, endothelium-dependent dilation of conduit arteries.(2) The potential impact of tea ingestion on microvascular function has not been explored. The aim of this study, therefore, was to examine the effect of acute black tea ingestion on cutaneous microvascular function. Methods. Twenty healthy participants (58±5 yr, BMI 26±4, 9 men) attended two experimental trials (tea and placebo), 7-days apart in a randomised, controlled, double-blind, cross-over design. Participants ingested 200ml black tea or placebo, followed by assessment of forearm cutaneous perfusion using laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and 3 distinct local heating protocols: 1. rapid 42°C,(3) 2. rapid 39°C(4) and 3. gradual 42°C.(5) On the contralateral arm, full-field laser perfusion imaging (FLPI) was used to assess forearm perfusion during gradual 42°C.(5) Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was measured at 5-min intervals. Data are presented as cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC; flux/MAP) and CVC expressed as a percentage of maximal CVC (%CVCmax). For all protocols, linear mixed models (main effects of intervention and time) were used to examine the impact of acute tea ingestion on forearm skin perfusion. Results. Baseline MAP was not different between interventions (P>0.05) and showed no change across time (P>0.05). Rapid local heating demonstrated no effect of tea for flux, CVC or %CVCmax (all P>0.05), either for rapid 39°C or rapid 42°C. Gradual local heating to 42°C produced a higher skin blood perfusion following black tea ingestion for absolute CVC (P=0.04) when measured by LDF, and higher absolute flux (P<0.001) and CVC (P<0.001) measured with FLPI. No effect of tea was found for %CVCmax when assessed by either LDF or FLPI. Conclusion. Acute tea ingestion enhanced cutaneous vascular responses to gradual local heating to 42°C in healthy, middle-aged subjects, possibly through a mechanism related to activation of endothelium-derived chemical mediators, such as nitric oxide. These improvements may contribute to the cardiovascular health benefits of regular tea ingestion.