Perfect Freshly Brewed Tea
Makes 8 (3/4 cup each) servings

Prep Time: 15 min.

Ingredients

• Boiling water
• Loose tea or tea bag
• Sugar (if desired)
• Milk (if desired)

Directions

1. Whether you use loose tea or tea bags, the preparation method is the same. You want to start with a spotlessly clean teapot made of glass, china or earthenware.
2. Add rapidly boiling water, and allow to stand a few minutes to "heat the pot".
3. Pour out just before brewing the tea.
4. Heat cold water to a full rolling boil. (You want to use water from the cold-water tap because water from the hot-water tap may contain mineral deposits from water pipes that can affect the flavor of the tea.)
5. Add tea to the warm pot, allowing 1 teaspoon of loose tea or 1 tea bag for each cup tea.
6. Pour boiling water over tea (3/4 cup for each cup of tea) and let stand 3 to 5 minutes to bring out the full flavor.
7. Stir tea once to ensure uniform strength.
8. Do not judge the strength of tea by its color. (You must taste it.)
9. Strain the tea, or remove tea bags.
10. Serve with sugar and milk or lemon if desired.