Making tea is an easy process. It basically just involves pouring hot water over some loose tea leaves or a tea bag and allowing the infusion to sit for a few minutes before drinking the freshly brewed tea. However, we have a few additional suggestions to ensure that you make the best possible cup of tea for your guests.
Special equipment:
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Procedure:
- Fill a teakettle with freshly drawn cool water and bring the water to a brisk boil over medium high heat.
- Pour a little of the boiling water into a teapot to warm the pot; then empty the water out. Bring the water in the kettle back to a boil while you measure out the tea.
- Using good quality tea, add 1 teaspoon of loose tea per cup (4 teaspoons for a teapot that holds 4 cups of water.) Then add 1 more teaspoon of tea “for the pot.” Since most tea bags contain about 1 teaspoon of tea, you can use the same measurements if using tea bags rather than loose tea.
- Cover the teapot with a tea cozy and allow the tea to brew for 5 minutes. Any shorter and the tea will not have developed; any longer and the tannins will start to come out of the leaves, making the tea taste harsh.
- You can add more boiling water onto the damp tealeaves in a pot of tea that has been consumed, and the leaves will still produce tea, but only do so once. After that, if the guests want more tea, rinse out the pot, discarding the old leaves, and start over again with fresh tealeaves.