Since 99% of tea is water, the quality of the water is just as important as the quality of the tea leaves. The best water for delicious tasting tea is fresh cold water that is low in mineral content, free of contamination and additives, and high in oxygen content which helps to release the best flavors in the tea. A simple test is that if the water tastes good by itself, the resulting brewed tea will also have a good flavor. You should always run the tap water until it is cold and has a chance to aerate and maximize the oxygen content. Once the water has come to a boil, or has boiled for a prolonged period of time, most of the oxygen has been evaporated. If you do not use all the water the first time, discard it and start with fresh cold water, do not re-boil the water, otherwise the crisp taste in the infusion will be lost. Chlorinated tap water will destroy the flavor of the tea, no matter how skillful the preparer is. In this case, use bottled or filtered water that is free of contaminants.

The quality of a particular tea, the tea type, the size of the leaf, and the preferred strength once brewed all need to be considered when preparing tea. Each tea has an optimal water temperature and length of steeping time to obtain the best flavor and to optimize the health benefits. Please use the recommended guidelines in the chart below to properly brew the perfect cup of tea.