The art of tea

The tea ritual "Cha Shu" is a tea manual that precisely describes the way that tea should be prepared. This takes a little time, as there are five steps. . First of all, place your teapot in a "tea boat" (or soup plate) then fill it with water.... 
          Next, replace the cover on the teapot, and empty it by pouring the water into a second pot. Then fill the first teapot about halfway full with leaves, add a little water and empty it into the second pot again. Then pour the second pot into the tea boat under the first teapot and place two cups to heat in the water as well.
          Fill the teapot until it brims over to remove any froth. Then replace the lid and pour boiling water over the teapot, still placed in its tea boat. Watch the spout carefully, when the last drop falls your tea is ready. The two cups are then placed on their saucers. The first cup is larger and is used for smelling the tea, which is then poured into the smaller cup to be drunk.
          The art then lies in first smelling, then drinking the tea, in very slow, small sips. The procedure is then repeated three times using the same leaves. The tea boat's water is emptied and replaced each time so that it stays hot. Of course, all this takes time and requires infinite respect for the magical leaves we call tea. Modern society does not exactly provided optimum conditions for this method, which is more an art form than a simple recipe. 
          Practically speaking however, there are a few golden rules that the tea enthusiast must respect. First, you must use a well-preserved tea - even the best teas go stale if they're left in the open air. You must never freeze or even refrigerate your tea! Always use fresh cold water that you bring to a boil. To avoid depleting the water of its oxygen, fill the teapot as soon as the water starts to boil to warm it, then pour the water out. Add one teaspoon of leaves to the teapot per cup, plus one for the pot. Fill the teaspoon carefully if the leaves are big. When the remaining water begins to boil, pour it into a teapot filled with black or semi-fermented tea. For green or white tea, wait till the water cools to around 75 to 90 กใ C before pouring it in. Then let the tea steep for three to four minutes. For light or tightly rolled teas, it may take up to seven minutes, but be careful not to let the tea steep for too long as it will become bitter. When the tea is ready, serve it immediately.