How to make the perfect cup of tea Leave a Reply Use Assam tea leaves (never a bag) Use a clean, warm china or glass pot (never a metal pot as it taints the tea) Add one teaspoonful of tea per cup plus one more teaspoon Use freshly drawn water, boiled once only to retain as much oxygen as possible to bind with tea polyphenols Avoid hard water (calcium ions) to prevent tea “scum” Best flavour is achieved using a high temperature, but short time infusion Stir the tea Leave to brew for 3.5 to 4 minutes Put a little cold milk (never hot milk or UHT Milk) into the cup Add the tea to the milk using a strainer (never pour the milk onto the tea) Add sugar if you like but only use white sugar and not too much Drink tea at 60-65°C. Thanks to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)