It is quite easy to make a mediocre cup of tea. Thankfully, it is not at all difficult to make a good one. Keep in mind that you will need two "pots" - a kettle in which to boil water and a teapot in which to brew the tea and from which it will be poured into individual cups. Although purists have always frowned on the use of tea bags, nearly 75% of the tea now used in the western world comes in bags, so the practice cannot be ignored. The following rules apply whether using loose tea or tea-bags.

1. Start with cold water that has just been drawn from the tap or from a filter. Make sure that the kettle in which the water will be boiled is clean.
   
   
2. The ideal teapots are made of plain glazed earthenware or porcelain. Never used teapots made of aluminum of enamel that is chipped as this will harm the taste of the tea.
   
   
3. Always use a clean teapot. When washing teapots do not use soap or detergent. Instead, put two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda into the teapot, fill the pot with hot water and let stand for three hours before rinsing well with plenty of cold water.
   
   
4. Before you make tea pour a little hot water into the teapot to warm it and then pour this water out.
   
   
5. To make the tea, use one teaspoon of tea (or one tea-bag) per person and add one extra "for the pot".
   
   
6. Pour the water into the teapot as soon as it boils. Do not let the water boil for too long as this removes the oxygen from the water and the tea will taste flat.
   
   
7. Let the tea stand and steep, stir once and serve. As a rule most of the teas available locally will need between 4 - 7 minutes to steep but you should experiment as necessary to find the ideal steeping time for each tea you serve.

© Daniel Rogov