Follow the Big Man Tea guide below to make the perfect cup of tea.

Experiment and know your tastes: Dosing of tea is an individual preference. Although the average recommended amount is around a teaspoon per cup, this also depends on the length of your infusion.

Check the water: Though boiling water is generally used for tea, it is important to know that some teas will not develop their flavour properly if the water is too hot. Try to let the water stand for a couple of minutes before infusing red or black teas. For white, yellow and green teas, we recommend 1 part cold water to 3 parts boiling. If you are afraid it will not be hot enough for your taste, you could heat the cup before pouring.

Rinse the leaves: This is not strictly necessary, but is an element from the Gongfucha ceremony that can improve the flavour. Pour water on the leaves, rotate briefly and pour off again in quick succession.

Regulate your infusion: The most common mistake with tea is to over-infuse it. Though you may think you are creating a stronger brew, over-infusion merely makes the tea bitter and spoils the precious flavour. If you like your tea to be strong, increase the dosage of the leaves. White, yellow, green and blue teas should not be infused for longer than 2 minutes, red and blacks, no longer than 4, but again, we recommend that you experiment. It could be that you would prefer a much shorter time. Indeed, the Gongfucha ceremony acts on the principle of a significantly increased dose of leaves infused for a matter of seconds. Re-infuse.

Try to get the maximum use out of your leaves: Though this is more effective with darker teas, even whites and yellows will be good for several infusions.

Buy smaller quantities more often: The fresher your leaves the better the flavour. Tea fades with time so the less you store it the better.