To brew a proper cup of tea From Tea with Jane Austen by Kim Wilson...

As in all cooking, success in making tea lies in the quality of the ingredients used....Always use freshly drawn water. Water that is boiled more than once has less oxygen, reducing the flavor and aroma of your tea. Most supermarket tea bags contain a decent quality of leaves and produce an acceptable cup of tea, but tea experts say that for a really good cup you need loose tea.

The amount of tea to use per cup has been the subject of great debate, but most authorities suggest one teaspoonful of leaves for each cup of water. Some teas are lighter in character, and you may need to try different quantities until you find just the right amount for your taste.

Tea steeps best when it is kept warm during the process. Some people claim earthenware teapots are better than china ones, on the grounds that they retain heat better. Whichever type of teapot you choose, warm it by rinsing it with boiling water right before you make the tea. Using a tea cozy also helps keep in the heat during steeping.

Some tea lovers prefer to let the tea leaves float freely in the teapot, but using a tea ball permits you to remove the leaves to prevent over-steeping. (You can use a variety of methods to strain your tea. Visit our Tea Accessories page for our options or to order.)

For dark oolong, black, and herbal teas, use water that is at a full boil (212° F/100°C) as it hits the tea leaves. How long you steep it is a matter of personal preference, but five minutes for black teas and herbal teas and seven minutes for dark oolongs usually give very nice results.

Light oolong, white, and green teas are made with cooler water, about 180° F/82°C.

Judging when the water has reached this temperature can prove difficult, but when your tea kettle begins to make a rumbling noise is often about right. White should be steeped about seven minutes, but light oolongs and green teas for only about three minutes to avoid bitterness.

Regardless of the type of tea, remove the leaves from the teapot when the tea is done steeping. If you leave them in, the tea will over-steep and taste bitter.

Homemade iced tea is easy to prepare and tasty to drink. Just make the tea with double the amount of tea leaves you would ordinarily use. When the tea is ready, pour it into ice-filled glasses, sweeten to your taste, and garnish the glasses with slices of lemon.

Hot tea supposedly tastes the same whether served in a simple stoneware mug or in the finest of china, but let’s be honest: drinking your tea out of a beautifully flowered china cup makes the experience a special one. Get out your best teapot, and the prettiest cup and saucer you own. Sit down with your favorite Jane Austen book and enjoy.