The second most consumed beverage in the world is tea. This fact didn’t surprise me. I am from a family of serious tea drinkers. A phrase I often heard growing up was "there’s nothing that can’t be fixed without a good cup of tea."

Recently, however, I have become quite the tea connoisseur and I've realised that once you experience an excellent cup of tea, you will never go back. On that note I have compiled a list of the essentials needed to make the perfect cup of tea.

Use High Quality Loose Tea

The taste of loose teas are more complex than the average tea bags. Loose tea is not contaminated by industrial processes thus allowing all the natural flavours to be expressed.

Use a good teapot

A teapot that has either a mesh or a plate behind the spout to capture the leaves from being poured out is essential. A clear teapot that allows you to see the infusion is also helpful, but not essential.

Brew Tea Correctly

It is best to make just enough tea for one cup at a time. Drop a pinch of loose tea into a teapot, pour the hot water on top, but ensure that the water has not boiled as it decreases the flavour. Pour the tea into a tea cup. If your tea pot doesn’t have a built in strainer then pour the tea through a separate strainer. All the water must be removed from the tea pot. This allows the leaves to be re-infused several times.

 Steep times and Temperatures

High quality tea requires more time than tea bags do to steep. Black and oolong teas need high temperatures (176°F to 195°F) to dissolve. White and green teas need lower temperature waters (158°F and 175°F). Tea can take anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes to steep. It all depends on how subtle or flavorful you prefer your tea. You must be sure not to break the leaf when steeping as it would expose the oils in the leaf and therefore change the flavour.

Just a brief synopsis on how to perfect your cup of tea. It doesn't take much and depending on whether you are a big tea drinker or not, following these steps could be life changing.

First seen on http://gearpatrol.com/2015/05/18/how-to-make-a-cup-of-tea/