In various cultures, there are very specific ways of making a cup of tea. In some cultures, there's a specific method for serving, and tea leaves must be added to water in a particular way. In other cultures, there's a debate over whether tea should be served with milk or lemon. Depending on where you live and the traditions and practices you follow, your cup of tea can be very different from your neighbor's. But if you're looking for the path to a divine, steaming cup of tea, you should take the time to do it right—or at least close enough.
 

Boil the Water

If you're not using an automatic kettle or a hot water dispenser to provide hot water, you'll want to put a kettle on to boil. Even if you have the option to get hot water more conventionally, there's still great satisfaction in boiling water in a kettle. It feels homey and warm—everything a great cup of tea should be.

Steep the Tea

When the water is hot enough, it's time to use your tea. Most likely, you have a collection of tea bags at your disposal. Now you need to make an important decision. First, what kind of tea would you like to drink? And second, how much tea do you want?
If you want to enjoy tea the old-fashioned way, use loose tea leaves in water rather than tea bags. You can pour hot water into a warm teapot and then add about half a teaspoon of tea leaves. Let the leaves steep for five to ten minutes, depending on the desired strength of the tea, before pouring. When pouring the tea, you'll need to use a strainer to prevent the leaves from falling into the cup.
If you prefer to prepare your tea with a little more convenience, you can pour hot water into a warm tea cup and steep a single tea bag by placing it in the water and pulling the string to the side. Leave the single bag in the cup for three to five minutes before removing it. If making a pot of tea, use two tea bags and steep for three to five minutes.

Serving the Tea

When serving or pouring tea, you can do this with a grand ceremony or keep it much simpler. If you prefer your tea without added flavors, you'll want to add either milk or lemon. In some cases, you might add honey instead. If adding milk, you should pour warm milk into the tea cup before adding the tea. Lemon can be added to the tea after pouring it.