Whether you're planning a special Afternoon Tea Party and want to impress your friends, or you simply love a good cup of tea yourself, here's the proper way to brew and serve a pot of tea.

Difficulty Level: Easy      Time Required: 10 minutes

1. Fill tea pot with hot tap water to warm it up prior to adding tea leaves and boiling water.
2. Fill tea kettle with fresh, cold, non-distilled water.
3. Place kettle on stove and bring to boil.
4. Just before kettle begins to boil, pour water from tea pot and add one teaspoon tea leaves per cup to pot, plus an additional teaspoon 'for the pot'.
5. Remove kettle from heat right after it comes to a boil, and pour 6 ounces per cup into tea pot.
6. Let tea steep 3 - 7 minutes depending on desired strength.
7. While tea steeps, ask a close friend to "do the honors" by serving the tea to your other guests.
8. Add cold, whole milk, or lemon to tea cups depending on preference of guests.
9. Pour tea into cups using a strainer to catch loose leaves.
10. Enjoy!
    

1. For easy entertaining, host a Tea Party with assorted tea sandwiches and other goodies.
2. Use a ceramic tea pot rather than metal. Metal can affect the taste of the tea, and will cool the water more quickly.
3. Keep boiling water available for second cups, to dilute tea that becomes strong while sitting in tea pot.
   

Related Features:

• Hosting an Afternoon Tea Party
• Recipes for Tea Time Sandwiches and Sweets
• Tea Quotations and Reading the Leaves
• Links to Online Tea and Accessory Sources
• Brewing Tea for a Crowd