What are the instructions for making a cup of tea?

Answer 1

Ask a dozen tea drinkers how to make the perfect cup of tea and you will get a dozen different variations. However they will all agree on the basics.

1) Start with fresh, aerated (freshly drawn), cold water - the purer the better - and bring it to a rolling boil (for green teas the water should be at 180 degrees F or 80 degrees C).

2) Warm the teapot by filling with hot (from the tap) water and allowing it to sit while you choose and measure your tea.

3) Pour out the "warming water."

4) Measure your tea -for black or oolong teas use 1 teaspoon per cup of water. For green tea use 1 -1 ½ teaspoons tea per cup of water. For herbal teas follow individual instructions. If you insist on using tea bags please read the supplier's instructions.

5) Place the loose-leaf tea into a tea-ball (if you are using one) or into the warmed teapot and pour in the boiling water ( my grandmother always said, "bring the teapot to the boiling water, not the water to the pot." As she believed the water will cool if you remove it from the flame and carry it to the teapot.

6) Cover the teapot with a tea cosy and steep the allotted time. Black teas 2-7 minutes; Oolong teas 2 minutes and Green teas 1 -3 minutes.

7) Strain your tea into a cup, add your personal choice of additives (milk, sugar, lemon, honey, etc)

8) Sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy.