Brewing the Perfect Pot of Tea

To brew the perfect pot of tea, follow these steps:

1. In a tea kettle, bring fresh, cold water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, warm your teapot by rinsing it with hot water. Use 1 teaspoon of tea or 1 tea bag per person, plus 1 extra for the pot. (You can also place loose tea leaves in the pot or in a tea ball, or you can just use the regular tea bags.)
3. Bring your teapot near your tea kettle. As soon as the water comes to a boil, pour it over the tea in your teapot and let it steep for about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the strength you prefer. If the water boils for too long, it can oxidize, leaving a bitter and muddy-looking cup of tea behind.
4. If you've used the loose tea leaves, be sure to strain them out of the tea using a tea strainer or small sieve before pouring the tea into teacups. Remove the tea bags or the tea ball right after brewing; the longer you leave the bags or the ball in the tea, the more bitter tasting it will become.

To keep tea leaves fresh, store them out of direct light in an airtight container. It's also a good idea to replace old tea leaves with fresh ones if you haven't used your tea leaves in a while.