How to Brew a Pot Of Tea

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Drink tea. You'll be a few millennia too late to be a trend-setter, but it's delicious, globally loved, and a hell of a lot healthier than soda.

Step 1: Fill kettle w/ water
Fill the kettle with fresh, cold water.

Step 2: Heat kettle on stove
Set the kettle on the stove-top and turn the burner to high.

Tip
While you're waiting for the water to boil, warm your teapot by filling it with hot tap water. Let it sit a few minutes before emptying.

Step 3: Measure tea
Measure the amount of tea you will need. You can generally plan for 1 teaspoon per cup if brewing loose-leaf, or 1 tea bag per cup, using more for a stronger brew or less for a milder brew.

Step 4: Spoon tea or drop teabag
Spoon the loose-leaf tea into the teapot or the infuser or inset basket. If you're using teabags, drop them into the teapot.

Step 5: Pour water from kettle to teapot
When your water reaches a boil, slowly pour it from the kettle into the teapot.

Tip
Consult your individual tea for its optimum infusing temperature, since some are ideally steeped in water that is slightly cooler. Either way, don't overboil the water, since this removes oxygen and flattens the taste.

Step 6: Steep tea
Steep darker teas, like black and oolong teas, for four to five minutes. Lighter or finely cut teas, like green tea or a teabag, need to steep for only two or three minutes. Don't rely on the color as your guide.

Tip
If you'd like to add milk to your tea, pour it into your teacup, just before the tea is ready. Add sugar, honey, or lemon later, but never all together—lemon will curdle milk.

Step 7: Remove tea & serve
When steeping is complete, remove the infuser basket or teabags from the pot and serve. If you used loose leaf tea, place a strainer over your teacup before pouring, then decant any leftover tea into a second teapot to avoid oversteeping.

Did You Know?
Black tea leaves are fermented, green teas aren't, oolong teas are partially, and herb teas, well, aren't tea at all, but fragrant blends of herbs, spices, and flowers.