how to make a cup of tea

               How to Make the Perfect Cup of Tea

I love my cups of tea, and I suppose it stems from my childhood and the lovely cups of tea my grandmother used to make, she seemed to get it perfect every time, with me it is a hit and miss affair. She always insisted that only Indian teas made the best tea, though her favourite was Orange Pekoe, which I think comes from Sri Lanka. if we didn't have Orange Pekoe she would use Darjeeling or Assam depending on what was available. It also had to be  made with tea leaves and not tea bags, she didn't approve of the new fangled tea bags that were just becoming popular before she died, she claimed they restricted the tea from moving about and developing the flavour, and her recipe for the perfect cup of tea was-

•  Fill the teapot half full of boiling water and leave for a few minutes to warm the pot, then empty the pot.
• Put 3 heaped teaspoons of loose tea into the teapot and pour the boiling water on, the water should always be on a rolling boil when poured into the teapot.
• Stir then place the lid on the teapot and leave it brew for 5 minutes, at this point she always placed it under a tea cosy.
• After five minutes stir the tea in the pot again and then pour into the cups.
• Add just enough milk so that the tea is a rich golden colour
• Enjoy.

She always insisted that the correct way was for the tea to be poured into the cup before the milk because it made it easier to control the strength.

I have tried it both ways, but still find it hard to gauge the 'right' amount of milk. One day I might learn the secret of how to make a good cup of tea.