If you are brewing loose tea leaves, a tea strainer allows you to steep the tea directly in the cup. When filling your kettle with water, use cold fresh water rather than hot tap water. Hot tap water has less oxygen when reheated, resulting in a flat flavor. Some tea aficionados recommend using filtered water when brewing tea.
Turn on your faucet and allow the cold water to run for a few seconds before filling your water kettle with fresh, cold water.
Put the kettle on the stove and bring to a high temperature. See Step 6 for guidance on how hot to make the water.
Preheat your teacup by running hot tap water over it.
Set the tea strainer on the top of your empty, preheated tea cup.
Add loose tea leaves to the strainer, approximately 1 tsp tea leaves per cup of water, depending on the brand of tea. Refer to the package instructions on the tea.
Pour the heated water into the top of the strainer. If brewing black tea, allow water to reach a rolling boil and seep for 3 to 5 minutes. If brewing green tea or white tea, heat the water to below the boiling point and seep for about three minutes.
Lift the strainer from the cup.