2) MEASURE the tea leaves with a measuring-type teaspoon, using one level teaspoon per 6 ounces of water.
3) LET your faucet run briefly to flush any stale water from your pipes. Place fresh, cold tap water over high heat and bring the water to a full, furious, rolling boil.
4) IMMEDIATELY pour the water into your teapot-only boiling water
can extract the full flavor and benefit from the leaves, but letting water
boil too long causes it to de-aerate, producing tea that is flat and dead
tasting.
5) BE PATIENT- Let the tea brew four to five minutes for black tea, three minutes for green tea. It takes time for the leaves to unfold and release their flavor. Remove the infuser or pour the tea off of the tea leaves at this point to prevent overbrewing.
6) DON'T JUDGE the strength of the tea by its color-taste and try it. If you like your tea less strong, add boiling water after brewing. Be sure to adjust the quantity of your tea the next time you brew it.
7) REMEMBER, these are only suggestions. One of the joys of tea drinking is expermenting with different water temperatures, amounts of tea, or brewing times to try to coax the maximum flavor from the tea leaves.