The GOLDEN RULES

 Tea is nothing but this:

First you boil the water.
The you infuse the tea.

Finally you drink the tea.

That is all you need to know.

-Rikyu, One of the most renowed tea masters-

 

5 Golden Rules of Tea Brewing

1. Warm the teapot. It is enough to fill the teapot with hot water. Allowing the teapot to warm up before introducing the tea leaves. The cups also be warmed up as well.
   This step is de rigueur, since it allows the leaves to be reheated, releasing their aroma completely.
2. Use one teaspoon of tea per cup plus one for the teapot, or one teabags per cups plus one for the teapot 
3. Pour the water into the teapot before it boils  or if it has already boiled, wait for the bubbles to disappear before pouring the water into the teapot. In fact, purist maintain that one should never uses water that has already reached boiling point. 95'C is the exact point for brewing tea
4. Allow the tea to infuse for 2-5 Minuets. Five minuets is the longest period that tea leaves should be left in contact with water, if a bitter and dry infusion is desired. If the tea is allowed to rest for just 2 minuets, the infusion will be more stimulating, lighter in taste and more aromatic
5. Fill the cups in two rounds, After warming the cups if necessary, pour a little bit of tea in each cup, then proceed to fill them to brim the second time around. This way the tea in the cups will be of uniform  quality and taste

All You Need for a heavenly TEA~

Always remember the mas who boils tea:

he always has water up to his neck, 

and yet, he whistles!

-Anonymous -

Tea Conservation
Since aroma of tea tends to be fragile and can be lost easily if it left exposed, tea leaves should be stored in airtight containers made of metal and porcelain .

The Teapot 

Tea Experts insist that the inside of teapot should never be washed. At the most it should only be rinsed and dried. The reason is that soap washes away the thin layer of film that form inside the teapot after brewing tea (one of the secrets of a good teapot) It may also leave a chemical residue which may spoil the taste of future infusion. 
Experts says its better to keep three different teapots at home  One for classic tea, another for smoky teas and third for flavoured teas

The Cups

Porcelain cups that are  white or off white in colour or cups made of transparent glass is the best for tea :) but in east asian  culture they also use cups made from clay.

Water
Another Secret to preparing tea is using good quality water. Mineral water is a goo choice to prepare the infusion in order for the aroma of the tea to develop fully.