How to Make a Great Cup of Tea

The health benefits of tea are well documented, and even though more and more people are drinking tea, few people know how to properly make a cup of tea. From oolong, black and white to green tea, the preparation is slightly different depending on the type of leaves you are using.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Quality tea leaves
• Good teapot
• Fresh water

1. To make a great cup of tea you need to start with great tea leaves, head over to your local merchant or find a quality online merchant like adagio.

2. Use one teaspoon of quality leaves for each cup of tea. For lighter, more 'fluffy' tea leaves you may need to use up to two teaspoons.

3. Heat fresh, clean water to about 180 degrees. Do NOT use boiling water, it is far hotter than that. A quality electric teapot is designed to hit this target temperature.

4. Steep the leaves for 3 - 7 minutes. The time depends on the type of leaves.
   
   3 minutes For light oolong and green teas
   5 minutes for Black tea
   7 minutes for dark oolong and white teas
   
   Do not over steep the tea or it will develop bitter flavors.

5. Once the tea has steeped for the proper amount of time pour a cup and enjoy.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy quality tea leaves you'll appreciate the difference.
• Don't over steep, the tea will get bitter
• Don't use boiling water, 180 degrees is the target temperature

Resources

• Adagio Teas
• ingenuiTEA by Adagio
• Wissotzky Magic Tea Chest, Assorted Tea Collection w/ 80 Assorted Teas
• 20,000 Secrets of Tea: The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature's Healing Herbs

[rickmac]

on 4/18/2009 I'm a tea addict for sure. Nice article.

[wordwhirler]

on 2/7/2009 Fluffy tea! Love it =)