Making the perfect tea
If you want to make the best of a cup of tea you have to pay attention to a lot of details. Let's see how to make a perfect cup of tea!
Choosing the right kind of tea is only the first step. It is easy to spoil even the finest tea if you do not consider a few important golden rules and let the leaves soak in boiling water for too long, use tap water containing chlorine for infusion, boil water in a long unused kettle or serve in plastic or paper cup… The same way, forget about metal "tea eggs" and teaspoons with a hole in the center. A major charm of tea lies in the odor of the tiny leaves - however, that may evaporate quickly, so be careful.
Water is the word
Let's begin with tea water. Tap water is only suitable in few cases, in fortunate neighborhoods where no chlorine (or just an insignificant amount) is added. Built-in water filtering machine is a good start (ideally a two- or three-step system), but if you have neither of these conditions, get filtered, neutral water that is rich in trace elements but low in lime and devoid of sodium-chloride (salt). It may seem a little over the top at first, but it is worth trying and finding the right kind of water, for the difference will be unmistakable. Neutral water (pH 7) brings out the harmonious taste and odor of tea.
Do some like it boiled?
Golden rule #1: the water used for tea should not be overboiled, i.e., do not pour too hot water onto the tea leaves. This is very detrimental for the tea's smell and flavor. The safest thing to do is to use water that is between 85 and 95 degrees. However, as no one except hardcore tea fans uses a thermometer to measure the optimal water temperature just observe the water surface: pour the water onto the leaves when it's not bubbling yet but already trembling.
Soaking: just nicely and gently
A major moment of preparing tea is the soaking of tea leaves. Whether you put the tea leaves into water or pour water onto them, does not matter in this respect - each method has fans. The first thing is that the tea leaves have to open up, and they need space for that - another reason not to use the teaspoon or tea egg mentioned earlier, since they push the leaves tightly together and do not allow them open up.
The duration of soaking has the same importance, since even the finest tea can lose its flavour when left to soak for too long. Tea is prone to bitter when this happens. If you are worried about the invigorating effect of the theine in the tea, you can shorten the duration of soaking to one minute, for theine needs two minutes to fully absorb in water.
The optimal soaking time differs with each kind of tea, so it is a good idea to follow the instructions on the cover or box. Black teas (Darjeeling, Ceylon, and black teas from around Assam) have an optimal soaking time of 3-4 minutes, Chinese teas should be soaked for 4-6 minutes, Japanese green teas for 1-3 minutes, half-fermented green teas for 1-7 minutes. 
In general, it is safe to say that the smaller the tealeaves, the shorter the soaking time should be - the most commonly consumed, filtered teas, in which tea leaves are nearly chopped into powder, should not soak in water for longer than 1-2 minutes.
Take your time
These were the most important technical instructions concerning making tea. Only serving and consumption are left - all you have to remember is never to use paper or plastic cups in order to avoid spoiling the tea's flavor and smell. You get the finest result, however, if you take a few minutes off and serve tea in an elegant, china teakettle and cup.