Can you give some tips on tea preparation?TOP Every tea and every person is unique. Except for starting with cold, fresh good quality water, there are really no hard and fast rules, just guidelines. You'll need to experiment a bit to see what you like best, but below are some basic instructions for you.
Black Teas
Hot Tea: Use about 1 gently rounded tsp. per cup, fresh boiling water, and steep for about 3 minutes. If you like a strong black tea, or drink it with milk, steep for an extra minute or two.
Iced Tea: Use about 1 1/2 rounded tsp. per cup. Put your tea leaves in infuser, or bags, or loose in heat safe pitcher. Cover tea with several inches of boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea or strain into another pitcher. Top off with cool water and refrigerate. This will make a strong enough infusion to handle your ice cubes! Each tea is a bit different so adjust to taste as you go. Please Note: Some high quality teas will cloud when they cool due to high polyphenol levels. This is perfectly safe.
Oolong Teas
Excellent hot or iced. Same directions as for Black Teas. Oolongs can also be reinfused several times.
Green Teas
Hot Tea: Allow a scant teaspoon per cup. Use water just before or after a boil. Let it calm for a moment. Steep Chinese Green Teas for about 3 minutes, Japanese for 1 to 2 minutes. Each tea is different and so are your taste buds. So adjust your steeping time as you get to know your teas. Many green teas can be very nicely resteeped. For the first steeping prepare just enough tea to fill the cups at hand. When you are ready for more, resteep with fresh hot water.
Iced Tea: Many green teas make lovely iced teas. Follow directions for black iced teas. To avoid bitterness, do not over steep.
Rooibos & Herbals
Rooibos should be prepared as you would black teas. For many herbals & botanicals you may find you need to use a greater quantity and a longer steeping time.
