Tea, Part 1 - Classic

Within these categories, there are numerous teas. Some are named for their geographic origin, others for how they are blended. I've listed at the bottom at this article the most popular types. However, there is one term for tea that is very common here in the U.S., thanks to Lipton's, but not used widely elsewhere and that is "pekoe" or "orange pekoe." This term refers to the size of the leaf used in the final product - orange pekoe is the smallest, then pekoe.

Regardless of type, prepare all tea in the same manner, whether using loose tea leaves or tea bags. In order to extract all the flavor possible, start with cold water and bring it to a full boil, preferably in a kettle.

Microwaving water can be tricky. The outside of the water, i.e. the part near the cup will come to a boil before the middle, so if you see the water boiling and use it, you do not actually have fully boiling water. Wait at least 20 seconds after you first see the bubbles before you take out the container. This problem does not happen to water heated on a stove.

Use some of the hot water to prewarm the teapot by pouring some in the pot, swirling, and then discarding it. Now add six ounces of water for each cup, and 1 teabag or 1 teaspoon of loose leaves for each cup. Add one extra bag or teaspoon for the pot. Steep 4-6 minutes, depending on how strong you like your tea. If this isn't strong enough, next time add more tea. If you steep tea longer than 6 minutes, it can turn bitter.

For iced tea, double the amount of tea. Iced tea can often turn cloudy. If you don't like cloudy tea, or can't stand to turn on the stove, do one of two things. Make "sun" tea, i.e. put the bags in cold water, and let the container sit outside, covered, for four hours. Or, add the bags directly to cold water, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

One other note about tea - there is a lot of confusion about the level of caffeine in tea. One pound of black tea has twice as much caffeine as coffee. However, one pound of tea makes 160 cups, whereas one pound of coffee makes 40 cups. Therefore, a cup of black tea has half as much caffeine as a cup

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