Tips for a happy cup of tea

Tea is the perfect way to find a moment of peace, relaxation and happiness in your day.

You want a great cup of tea. You're paying for loose leaf, you're sitting down to enjoy a nice cup either first thing in the morning or with a friend. You don't want spend the time prepping, steeping and waiting to end up with a flat or bitter cup. There's no happiness in that.

So to avoid unhappy cups, here's some tips on how to make yourself a cup of happiness:

1. Start with fresh loose tea. Tea is best preserved in a sealed container or package. Keep somewhere away from heat and moisture. A nice dry spot in your cabinet will be perfect.
   
2. Use good, clean water. Your common kitchen filter will work wonderfully to get out the icky things that can be put in your tap water. Bottled water works fantastically. What we don't recommend is distilled water. We think it just tastes flat.
   
3. Bring the water to a boil, then allow it to cool to a lower temperature as required for your tea. Many teas, such as greens, oolongs and whites, have suggested steeping temperatures below 212F. Many people find the water, and thus the tea, tastes better if brought all the way to a boil then allowed to cool to the correct temp.
   
4. Pour the water over the tea. This allows moves the tea leaves around and get wet, making sure they're all engaged in the steeping process. This make a bigger difference in taste then you might think.
5. Be careful not to over steep. Tea becomes bitter if left to steep too long. Even the best teas will end up unhappy if you leave them alone to long. Use a timer to remind you to check on your tea.

May every cup be a taste of happiness!