Reply #24: It's Easy To Lose Your Amateur Status

[Paladin]

First, buy good quality LOOSE tea, not teabags. Make sure you have a tea cozy and a tea strainer. After you put your water on to boil, fill your tea pot with hot water and put the tea cozy over it, allowing the pot to get warmed up. When the water boils, put the tea in the pot (1 generous tsp. per cup, plus "one for the pot"), pour in the boiling water, give the tea a quick stir, put the cozy back on and let the tea steep for 4-5 minutes. Pour the tea into your cup, using the strainer to catch the leaves. I like mine English style, with a little sugar and milk, but that's a personal preference; drinking it straight or with a lemon slice are perfectly acceptable alternatives....