How to Make the Perfect Cup of Tea (2024)

A cup of tea is part of many morning and daily rituals. It is estimated that the number of cups of tea drunk daily in Britain is around 165 million.

Tea is a core part of our daily lives, and no matter what you drink or when you drink it, we believe that everyone should have that perfect cup of tea. Every. Single. Day.

There are many rules and ideas behind making the perfect tea, and everyone has their own unique way, their favourite way, right down to their favourite mug.

Here’s our perfect method to make that special cup of tea.

The best place to start is to find a tea blend to suit your mood.

If you're tired, a good cup of black tea could give you an energising boost. If you're a bit full up from that delicious meal you have just eaten, a soothing cup of peppermint or Digest is said to aid digestion. And if you're wide awake but want to go to bed, a calming cup of camomile or Sleep tea could help you relax into that deep, peaceful sleep.

Whatever your mood, there is a brew to lift it.

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Once you've matched a tea to your mood, you now need to choose the perfect cup to drink it.

We personally believe that the teacup is one of the most vital ingredients to the ultimate cup of tea. If you love the cup you're drinking out of, the tea will instantly taste better.

With over 100 mugs, cups and teapots to choose from, there’s something for every occasion, including our KeepCups for when you’re on the go!

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The rule of thumb is one tea bag per person. And, it is just as easy for loose tea.

We would recommend 1 tea spoon (2g) orTwinings scoop of loose leaf tea per person.

If your choice is a milder white or green tea you can add in another spoonful per person for good measure.

We recommend warming your cup or pot by swirling a small amount of hot water in it before adding either the leaves or the tea bags.

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Always use freshly drawn (filtered if possible) cold water in the kettle. Tea loves oxygen as it helps the flavour develop. If you boil the kettle with fresh water, you’ll have a delicious cup of oxygenated tea that tastes divine.

If you keep re-boiling the water in the kettle, it loses all of its oxygen and you’ll be left with a really flat cup of tea.

Also, only boil the water you need. You will use up much more energy if you’re boiling a whole kettle for just one or two cups of tea.

Once your kettle has boiled with fresh water, leave it for a few minutes to cool down.

Our top tip is never to pour boiling water over a tea bag or loose tea. The reason for this is that the boiling water will burn the tea and scald it; therefore, the tea doesn't release all of its maximum flavours.

Tea is a delicate plant and needs to be cared for carefully to receive the full benefits. So once your water has rested for about 2-3 minutes, it's ready to be poured onto your tea.

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Now you have poured your water onto your tea; you need to let it brew for the recommended time.

Our professional tea tasters have travelled the world finding and tasting every tea you could imagine, and you’ll find their recommendation for the perfect time to brew any blend on the box or pouch.

Obviously, if you like your tea stronger or weaker, that is a personal taste. However, the optimal brewing time will produce a beautiful, smooth cup that will leave you wanting more.

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This has long been a controversial topic. Do you put the milk in first? Or splash it in after the tea has steeped?

This comes down to personal choice, of course, but the milk-in-first approach refers to the early days of tea-drinking. Lower quality china would sometimes crack when the hot water was poured onto the tea leaves. Adding the milk first, resolved the issue. All modern day teaware is made to cope with boiling water which means it is no longer necessary to add the milk first.

When using tea bags, let the tea fully infuse the water first before adding your milk. On the other hand if you’re using loose leaf tea, the tea will already have brewed in the pot and so adding a dash of milk to your tea cup first won’t impact the infusion and “steeping time”.

Milk goes well with the stronger black teas – but we would suggest avoid adding it to green, herbal and fruit teas.

It's personal preference all the way, but, here's what you could drink and when.

For the early risers, a Strong English Breakfast will get the day off to a great start!

Whether you prefer loose leaf tea or tea bags, using an airtight container or tea caddy helps to keep your tea dry, fresh and also stops any strongly scented teas from passing their flavour onto more delicate varieties in your cupboard.

If you are using loose tea leaves instead of a teabag, make sure to use a good quality strainer. We recommend an open top strainer you place into the cup. This way the tea leaves have a lot of freedom to move around in the cup, if you use a small strainer ball the tea doesn't have a lot of room to infuse.

Another a good tip for loose tea is, don't use so much. Many people pack their strainers full because they feel that the more tea they have, the more intense the flavour will be. As we said, that is not the case; tea needs movement and freedom and even a pinch of loose tea will give you that fantastic flavour you deserve.

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