What are you Drinking right now?

[WildSimba]

Ginger ale, just gonna stop the water chain before it starts

[Marizzle]

#GoTeamWater

Water, obviously.

[Si-Amber]

Coffee

[Carl]

Mello Yello Zero

[Sarger]

A well-made cup of hot tea can warm the heart and soul of any tea lover, but it can be unpleasantly bitter or disappointingly tasteless when improperly steeped. A conscientious approach to tea preparation can maximize the flavor and health benefits provided by the tea bush, Camellia sinensis. To make tea just right, follow these steps.

Note that these instructions do not apply to making herbal tea.
Method 1
Making a Cup of Tea

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1
Boil the water. Pour more than enough water for a cup of tea into a regular pot, and bring it to a boil.
The better tasting your water, the better tasting your tea. The best water is filtered or bottled (but not distilled). If using tap water, let it run cold for 10 seconds before using it for tea.
Make sure you only boil the water one time. If you boil the water more than once, the oxygen levels in the water will be reduced and make the tea taste flat.
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2
Preheat your teacup. This will prevent the steeping water from dropping in temperature as soon as it is poured in. Add a little boiling water to the individual cups (ceramic and porcelain cups retain heat well). Let the water stand until the cup is warm, then pour out the water and proceed immediately to the next step.
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3
Put the tea in the bottom of the cup. You can use a tea bag or 1-2 teaspoons of your desired flavor .
When using tea bags, the measuring has already been done for you - generally it's one tea bag per cup. However, make sure that the bags are fresh, since most commercially produced bags consist of small pieces of leaves that are susceptible to becoming stale faster than the loose leaf variety.
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4
Add hot water. Pour it over the tea. Use an amount in proportion to the quantity of tea you've added (e g. 5 cups of water for 5 teaspoons of tea). The ideal water temperature varies based on the type of tea being steeped. The more oxidized (fermented) the tea (e.g. black tea) the hotter the water should be, whereas less oxidized teas (white, green) should be steeped in water that isn't as hot.[1]
White or green teas (full leaf): Well below boiling (170-185 F or 76-85 C).[2] When the water boils, turn off the heat and let the water cool for 30 seconds for white tea and 60 seconds for green tea before pouring it over the leaves.
Oblongs (full leaf): 185-210 F or 85-98 C[2]
Black teas (full leaf): Water must be at a rolling boil (212 F or 100 C).[2] The most common mistake is to steep black tea with water that is not hot enough, which can prevent the active substances in black tea from developing.[1]
Pursuer: Full rolling boil (212 F or 100 C).[2]
Tea bags: Never let the water boil. Since tea bags often include tea dust and fanning (the smallest tea particle grades) and so have more surface area, use slightly less hot water.
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5
Let the tea steep. Cover with the cozy to retain warmth. Different teas require different steeping times. In general, whole-leaf tea should be steeped longer than broken-leaf tea.[3] Check the box for guidance. If there are no instructions, steep for a minute or two, then taste frequently until it's flavorful but not bitter. If practicing gong-fu brewing to make multiple infusions, use shorter infusion times, typically 30 seconds to 1 minute.[4] For normal (Western) brewing, the steeping times are longer. The following recommendations are guidelines:
Oblong teas: 4-7 minutes
Black teas: 3-5 minutes
Green teas: 2-3 minutes
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6
Serve. Depending on your taste, you may want to serve black tea tea with milk, sugar, lemon or honey. Do not serve the tea with lemon and milk or the milk will curdle. If you use milk, add the milk to the cup first and then add the tea; this prevents the hot tea from scalding the milk by heating it gradually.

[Mikokat]

[FlipMode]

Blood

[Panda-chan]

Salty tears

[WildSimba]

Fountains of delicious salty juice

[MalibuTrashDog]

Mud