Brewing The Perfect Cup of Tea

A perfect cup of tea starts with a great tea maker. This could be your favorite mug or a top of the line professional tea maker. Tea cups and mugs come in glass, ceramic, even cast iron.

There are the oriental style cups with no handle. Travel tea cups are handy and are welcome in tea lover gift baskets.

There are many ways to brew the perfect cup of tea, the easiest being to boil some water and pour it over a tea bag in a cup and allow it to steep for a few minutes. Some feel using loose tea produces the best brew. There are teapots, brewers, infusers, electric kettles and more. Using the microwave to heat tea water could be dangerous, because the water, for perfect tea, should be a rolling boil or it won't steep properly.

Other methods for brewing tea: Loose tea in a teapot...This makes a stronger brew and the tea must be strained into the cup. This can be done with a stainless steel strainer or a bamboo strainer. A tea ball...tea balls are usually aluminum mesh or stainless steel with holes in the sides. Always use enough water to allow circulation between the leaves, 1-2 teaspoons of tea per 8 ounces of water will allow this.

If you are making just a 'cuppa' or using your favorite china tea pot, remember to fill it with hot water to preheat it. This keeps the tea from cooling too fast and also will make your tea pot safe from cracking when you pour boiling water into it.

Let your tea to steep until it has reached the strength that you prefer. Remove the tea bags or the infuser, if you have used loose tea. Steeping it too long will release tannins causing it to become bitter.

A tea cozy will keep the rest of the tea nice and warm. A tea cozy is a lttle 'hat' with a ring sewn onto the top for lifting. This is placed over the teapot to insulate it. In the late 1800's they were hand made of fabric and decorated with lace, embroidery and whatever else occurred to the creator. Some were knitted or crocheted or quilted. Today they can still be found in tea boutiques.

Tradition gives credit to the Duchess of Bedford in England, around 1840, for having originated the afternoon tea. Dinner was served at 8 or 9 in the evening and she became hungry before that. She began inviting her lady friends to join her for an early cup of tea and sandwiches. In the course of their afternoon chatting, the tea became cold, hence some enterprising lady could have devised a cover for the teapots.

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