How to brew a good cup of tea

FIRST, ditch the tea bags. Tea in bags tends to be the lowest grade of leaf, and the bags impede steeping. Buy loose-leaf tea and brew it in a pot or cup that allows for free circulation. That means no tea-ballers, either.

In China and Japan, tea drinkers use the smallest possible pot for the number of people to be served and keep a thermos of hot water handy for re-steeps. That's so they don't have to leave water standing on leaves. That can create bitterness.


For brewing greens and oolongs, I follow the example of my Japanese and Chinese tea mentors: Fill a thermos with just-boiled water. Get the teapot and cup ready. Pour some water from the thermos into the cup to warm it. Let it rest for a few seconds, then pour it over the leaves and steep according to the variety of tea and your taste preference.


From mercurynews.com by Chris Welsch

                                       
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