How to Make a Good Cup of Tea

1. Fill the kettle with cool, fresh water. If you have a filter, use water from there.

2. Turn the kettle on to boil the water.

3. Place a tea-bag in each cup or two in a teapot

4. Pour the boiling water from the kettle into the cups or teapot.

5. If desired, add a sweetener and/or flavoring to the cup or teapot. You can use sugar, honey, and lemon, among many other variations.

6. Wait for 2-3 minutes or maybe even 3-4 for the tea to brew. Try and keep it hot for this time by keeping the lid on or using a little plate on top of a cup.

7. Now pour the tea from the kettle into a cup (using a strainer to filter out tea-leaves). If you brewed your tea in the cup, simply drink and enjoy!

8. Add milk or half-and-half if you so desire. Adding it before the tea is done brewing will cause it to cool prematurely.

Tips

1. Try varying the time that you allow the tea to steep, before you add the milk.

2.  If you're making green tea, don't steep it for more than a minute or two. After a while it ferments and begins to get bitter.

3.  If you don't have an electric kettle and are using a microwave to boil water, it should take about 1-2 minutes on full power to reach boiling point.

4.  You can also heat water on the hob using a pan or a old-fashioned tea kettle on the hob, it should make a high pitched squealing noise when the water is boiling.

5.  By pouring the tea on top of the teabags fairly slowing, most of the water will run though the bag, reducing the time needed to brew.

6.  If you prefer tea warm rather then hot, make the tea using boiling water and let it cool. Using warm water will make a very weak tea.

7.  Putting the tea in the water before you boil it will produce stewed tea. It's a very strong tea usually drunk with a lot of sugar. It's not to everyone's taste.