Water

The first thing you need is water - gorgeous, cold, tasty water. If what comes out your tap aint up to scratch, then grab a bottle off mineral water or filter it first. For nice hot tea, you obviously need nice hot water, so stick it on heat until it's at a rolling boil. Be careful you don't boil the water for too long as this will use up the water's oxygen. Now grab a cup and pre-heat it before putting in approximately 2 grams or 1 tsp of tea leave per 250mls of water. Pre-heating it will ensure the tea steeps at the correct temperature.

Water Temperature

Don't worry about the water temperature being exactly right. What is important is that you don't use boiling water for either green or white teas as this will burn them and make the tea taste bitter. A good way to do it is to boil the water then leave it to sit for 30 seconds if you're drinking white tea, or 60 seconds for green tea, before you pour the water in.

Brew Times

The strength of tea is determined by the time you leave it to brew. Some of you may enjoy drinking tea at different strengths, so it's important to know how to tell when you've got it to the way you like it. A good way of doing this is to check the tea every minute as it is steeping. Take a note of how long you left the tea before you got it tasting just right and then use this a marker for how long you brew the next time.