Tips for Making the Perfect Cup of Tea

For those of us that love tea, drinking tea is as much an art and hobby as it is a daily part of life. It really is an art to steeping the perfect cup of tea, and everybody's taste is different. However, here are some tips to getting a fantastic cup for a morning lift or an afternoon relaxation.

First, use loose-leaf tea whenever possible. True tea aficionados scoff at tea bags, which contain a weak, bland pulp of powdery leaf. Good tea comes in loose leaf in air-tight bags or metal tins. It might cost you the extra buck for loose leaf tea, but the robust and delectable taste is definitely worth it.

The water you use also makes a difference. If you use water that is too harsh or minerally, the taste will be reflected in the tea. For the best taste, use filtered water or reverse osmosis water.

Bring the water to a rolling boil before you pour it into the tea leaves. One problem with tea-making is when the water used is not hot enough. Only boiling water can cause the tea leaves to fully steep and release their full flavor.

While the water is boiling, scoop some of the tea leaves into your favorite mug. You'll have to experiment with how many leaves to use-it really depends on your personal taste as to how strong you want the tea to be.

When the water is boiling, pour it onto the tea leaves. The leaves will immediately rise to the top. If the water is hot enough, the leaves will soon sink down to the bottom-that is when you know the tea is about done steeping. The saddest thing is when the water is not hot enough, and the half-seeping leaves bob in limbo on the surface. So make sure you use hot water.

Whether you add sugar or milk or anything else to your tea is another matter of personal preference. I personally prefer to drink pure tea without anything added, so I can savor the full flavor of it. However, a mug of warm, sweet chamomile can also be tasty on a cold winter night.

For true tea connoisseurs or fresh food fans, you might try making herbal tea with raw leaves, which adds another take to the beverage. You can try growing herbs such as mint in your garden. Peppermint is especially easy to grow and makes a delightful tea. Just take a couple large leaves of peppermint and rip them into smaller pieces and put them into a mug. Steep with boiling water. This tea is very soothing and caffeine-free, and delicious when you have a cold. You could also try growing your own chamomile or other herbs.

If you made a strong first cup of tea, you can also refill the cup with hot water, sometimes several more times. Each subsequent cup of tea will be weaker, but if you used a lot of leaves in the beginning, you can still have a very satisfying taste several cups down the road.