Write an article based on this "Start with whole, loose leaf tea (recommended). Choose your water. Heat water in a glass or stainless steel kettle. Brew in a basket or other large container. Taste your tea as it steeps. Steep repeatedly or squeeze the teabag. Add flavoring if necessary."
The broken up leaves found in teabags may over-steep and turn bitter faster than loose leaf tea. Loose leaf tea tends to create more complex flavors. That said it might be a myth that all tea bags contain low-quality tea. As long as you don't let the teabags grow stale, some of them can deliver a tasty cup. Most black teabags contain finely crushed tea processed with the "CTC" method (crush, tear, curl). Many tea aficionados prefer "orthodox" tea processing, which has whole leaves or large pieces. When sold in teabags, orthodox tea may also be labeled "full leaf," "pure leaf," or "long leaf". The type of water you use can have a major effect on taste. If you dislike the taste of your tap water, filter it before heating it for tea. If the tea still tastes funky, try bottled water. Water labeled "alkaline" may be a good choice, but with so many brands of water and types of tea you may need to experiment on your own. Distilled water tends to make your tea taste flat and dull. Plastic kettles may leech undesirable flavors into your tea. Most quality teas should recommend an ideal water temperature, but you can use these simple rules in most cases (assuming you are near sea level): Black teas are almost always brewed at near-boiling temperatures. Bring to a boil, then let stand for thirty seconds or so before pouring. Most green teas brew best at 160170F (7076C), or when a column of steam starts rising from the water. Many Japanese green teas and some early spring Chinese green teas are extra delicate and should not be brewed above 160F (70C). Anything hotter can make these teas very bitter. Tea leaves develop more complex flavors when they can expand in the water, sometimes as much as five times their original size. If you're using loose leaf tea, don't confine it to a "tea ball" or another small container. Go for stainless steel, cup-shaped brew basket or brew in a teapot with a filtered spout to block the leaves. As a rule of thumb, put in 1 tsp (5 mL) tea leaves (or one teabag) for every 6 oz (175 mL) water. Feel free to add more if you're looking for a stronger taste. (Alternatively, try the Eastern style brewing method described below, which uses a higher concentration of leaves.) If you dislike the flavor of your tea, you may need to give it more time to steep or you may need to take the leaves out early before they release bitter tannins. Tasting your tea every 30 seconds or so is an easy way to figure out what you prefer. You'll usually end up with good flavors if you follow the guide on the tea label, or use these rules of thumb: 35 minutes for black tea or oolong 3 minutes for Chinese green tea About 2 minutes for Japanese green tea 13 minutes for white tea Note water at a higher temperature extracts flavors much faster. You may need to rely on taste tests if you're eyeballing the temperature. Most loose leaf teas can stand up to a second or third steep in the same sitting. Pay attention to the flavors, which change subtly on each brew. Teabags lose flavor much faster; just squeeze them into the tea to get the flavors out before drinking your first cup. If you're trying to maximize the flavor of the tea itself, listen to the tea snobs: try to enjoy the tea plain, or add at most a splash of dairy and a small spoonful of sweetener to black tea. That said, if you're just trying to enjoy yourself, add as much as you like. Chai tea has a particularly intense flavor, and you can make it yourself by adding cloves, cardamom, and other spices. You can also buy tea that comes pre-flavored. The highest quality teas are rarely sold this way, but that doesn't mean you can't find something you enjoy.