Making A Good Pot Of Tea

To make a good pot of tea, bring freshly-drawn water to a brisk boil.
Pour a little into a 2 pt/ 1 ltr/ 4 cup earthenware teapot to warm it, then empty the water out.
Using good quality tea, put 3-5 teaspoons, according to taste, into the warmed pot.
Bring the water back to the boil and pour on immediately.


Cover the pot with a tea-cosy and allow to brew for 5 minutes - any shorter and the flavour will not have developed, any longer and the tannin will start to come out, making the tea taste stewed. For the same reason, boiling water should be used to make the tea but the brew should not subsequently be boiled.


From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.