Making a perfect pot of tea

always start with fresh water in the kettle
bring the water to a full boil - my Scottish Gramma used to say that the steam had to hit the ceiling or the water wasn't boiling

scald the tea pot by pouring about 1/2 a cup of the boiling water and swirl around to heat the tea pot - check the sides with your hand to be sure that it is hot enough before you pour out that water and then place the tea pot onto a trivet

measure in the loose tea - 1 tsp for every 2 cups
1 teabag for every 2 cups

fill the tea pot with the boiling water

cover the tea pot with a cozy or place it in a snug to keep it warm while the tea steeps

While the tea steeps - put out the cups or mugs and prewarm them with a bit ot the boiling water

Serve with milk and sugar or lemon slices and sugar or honey instead of sugar

white sugar is the prefered type in Canada and the US but Demerera sugar has become available and is gaining in popularity - we have the coffee drinkers to thank for the growing use of raw or Demerara sugar - it works very well in strong coffee as well as strong tea

PLEASE NOTE - honey or raw sugars taste much better if used in strong or dark teas such as spiced chai tea they have a strong taste of their own and can overpower delicate teas

pour the tea as is into cups if you are also going to read the tea leaves
use a tea strainer to catch the loose leaves if prefered

you can also use a tea ball to hold the loose tea - and to avoid messy cleanups

used tea leaves can be added to the compost heap

used tea bags can also be used as a compress for tired or irritated eyes