Steeping Tea

                    
Preparing (steeping) tea is less a recipe than an art.  The nice thing about art is everyone has his or her own taste and unique style.  There are as many ways to steep tea, and devices to steep with, as there are artists in the world.
Don't let that intimidate you .  Making a good cup of tea can be as simple as putting 2 or 3 scoops of tea in your coffeemaker and hitting the on button.  Below are several methods and ideas on ways to prepare our tea.  Feel free to adjust according to what suits your taste.

EASY WAYS TO PREPARE TEA
As stated above tea can be prepared in your coffeemaker.  The amount of tea you use will depend on the amount of water you use, how strong you like your tea and the type of tea you are using. Usually darker teas will need less tea then lighter teas.  This is a favorite method in our family.  We put any leftover tea in a pitcher of ice and drink it later in the day.

Loose leaf tea can also be spooned directly into a pot or cup and then poured through a strainer when ready to drink.

TRADITIONAL WAYS OF PREPARING TEA include putting a small amount in a tea ball, tea bag or infuser, then covering with hot water until it reaches the desired strength.  In general BLACK TEAS steep for about 3 to 4 minutes, GREEN TEAS steep for about 1 to 6 minutes, RED TEAS 3 to 10 minutes, and HERBAL TEAS from1 to 15 minutes! Keep in mind, herbal teas will give you more of the herbs benefits if you steep for at least 5 to 20 minutes.

A note about steeping green and white tea.
Always let boiling water cool for 1 or 2 minutes before adding to tea.  This will help keep the tea from becoming bitter.