To follow up on Brandice's lovely Intro to Loose Leaf, I thought I'd start out my posts here on SteaP with a little explanation of why you prepare loose leaf teas the way you do, because if you're anything like me, the "why" of something is as important, or more so, then the "how."

To start, the tea should be placed in a strainer that allows the tea leaves room to expand during steeping. Many loose leaf teas are curled or balled up during processing and when you add the hot water they need room to unfurl so that the final cup gets all the flavor that can be extracted from the leaf. If you use a strainer that is too small, you may not get the full flavor of the tea because the leaf remains constricted.

Water matters for a number of reasons. First of all, tea is mostly water. So the flavor of the water will effect the flavor of your cup. Some people use spring water, some people use tap water, some people filter their water - whatever tastes best to you.

After water source, the preparation method is important. Heating your water by boiling is generally seen as a better option then microwaving. Because of the way that microwaves heat the water, it effects the amount of air that moves through the water during the heating process and this can cause a "flat" taste from water that is microwaved. Boiling moves the water around more and is believed to create a better tasting tea. The water that comes from your tea kettle - or even the hot water spigot on your office water cooler - will likely create a tastier tea then one made with microwaved water.

Water temperature matters because tea can be a delicate plant. If you scald a delicate tea leaf by using water that is too hot, the leaf is shocked into releasing more tannins - which leads to bitterness. Using water that is too hot is what I believe leads to many people who say 'I don't like green tea." I don't like bitter green tea either. An easy way to measure water temperature is with a instant-read thermometer, I use a meat thermometer at home. They also make fancy electronic ones, with digital read outs and lasers. Use whatever works for you. (There are other ways to guesstimate water temp. That's another post.)

Always pour the water over the tea leaves, this allows the water to move through the leaves and prevents clumping of damp or dry leaves in the center. Dunking the leaves into the water may lead to clumping, which prevents you from getting the full flavor. A little agitation is good for the leaves as it helps move the water around - feel free to bounce your filter of choice around in your cup or pot a little bit to get every last yummy .

The amount of time you steep your leaves for is important because of the tannins in the leaf. The longer the leaves are in the water the more tannins are extracted into the water. The amount of tannin in relation to the amount of water effects the bitterness of the tea. So the more tannins in a single serving, the more bitter it will be. If you over steep, aka leave the tea in the water too long, your cup will extract more tannins from the tea then may be desired and you will likely end up with a bitter cuppa.

I always recommend starting with the manufacturer's or retailer's suggested preparation directions. After that play with it some and see what you prefer. Some teas work best with lower temperature waters and longer steeps, some with hotter water and shorter steeps.

I hope this has helped you better understand why you prepare loose leaf tea the way you do. If you have any questions, or I've missed something, or you'd like more detail on any of the above items, leave a comment here or over at the forums, and I'll be happy to answer your questions.