Good tea is inexpensive but not cheap. For what it offers, tea is an affordable luxury but choosing good tea needs some care.

Connoisseurs store their wines in climate-controlled cellars and cigars in humidors.

A cup of tea is 99% water and good water is as important for a good brew as the tea itself.

Reboiling water is not good at any time as it can deplete dissolved gases and concentrate nitrates, fluoride and other undesirable elements, and for tea that is especially bad.

Brewing is the extraction of the goodness nature has induced in the black, green or white tea leaves.

Green tea has a softer, generally more gentle personality than black tea and should be brewed in water that is cooled to around 75 degrees, black tea in water with temperature of 90-95 degrees.

Once the tea and freshly boiled water are combined, the leaves tend to settle at the bottom of the teapot, reducing the contact between tea leaves and water. That is way stirring is important.

Once brewing is complete, the tea should be poured into warm teacups and any tea remaining in the teapot decanted to avoid over-brewing. 

Milk should only be added to a strong brewed black tea. 

When mixing tea cocktails or cooking with tea, over brew the tea into an essence. Tea taste, texture or fragrance of the tea must be evident in the food or drink.