Use good tea. As with all food and drink, the end product can only be as
good as the ingredients that go into it. There are good quality teas
sold in bags, and they’re certainly convenient, but serious tea drinkers
know that the best tea can only be made with loose tea. Use one
teaspoon per cup.
Use good water. If your tap water is hard (has
many minerals) or has chemical flavors such as chlorine, use bottled
spring water or distilled water.
Bring the water to a full boil.
While the water heats, warm the teapot with hot tap water or
hot water from the kettle. Pour the water out of the teapot and put the
tea in it.
As soon as the water comes to a full boil, pour it
into the pot. Tea connoisseurs usually insist on bringing the teapot to
the kettle: releasing the full flavor of the tea depends on the water
hitting the leaves at exactly the boiling point.
Let the tea
steep at least 3 minutes. Five minutes is considered ideal. After that
point it may begin to get bitter.
Strain the spent tea leaves
from the brewed tea and serve immediately.
This article appears in Mar 18-24, 2010.
