Brewing Your Perfect Cup of Tea

MISSION, KS--(Marketwire - Jan 24, 2012) - (Family Features) Hot or iced, decaf or caffeinated, with milk or with sugar, there are a lot of ways to enjoy drinking one of the world's most popular beverages -- tea. In addition to knowing your preferred way of enjoying tea, it is important to know the right way to brew it. Below are some simple tips to ensure a flawless cup.

• The perfect cup of tea starts with fresh water. If tap water is being used, let the water run for a few minutes so it's as fresh as can be.
• If you plan on serving your tea in a teapot, preheat the pot. This prevents cracking that could occur when boiling water is placed in a pot that is room temperature.
• Brewing time depends on the type of tea you are preparing and how strong you'd like it to be. Green tea only needs about 1 to 4 minutes. Black tea generally steeps for about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Be sure to use a tea cozy if you are keeping tea in a teapot for a while. Reheating the tea will cause the tea to have less flavor.

Going Green
Growing in popularity, and with good reason, green tea is a consumer favorite and provides a number of benefits. Research suggests that drinking 2 to 3 cups per day of green (or black) tea may help support normal, healthy vascular function. Those looking for the benefits of green tea along with the refreshing taste of superfruits can enjoy both with Lipton's Green Tea with Superfruit flavors. This includes flavors such as Red Goji and Raspberry, White Peach and Mangosteen, and Purple Acai and Blueberry.

Here are two delicious recipes using perfectly brewed green tea. Find more recipes at www.lipton.com.

Warm Cinnamon-Spiked Red Goji Tea
Makes: 2 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Brew Time: 3 minutes

2 1/4	cups water
2	tablespoons granulated sugar or firmly packed brown sugar
2	cinnamon sticks
3	Lipton Red Goji with Raspberry Green Tea Bags

Bring water and sugar to a boil in 1-quart saucepan. Add cinnamon sticks and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and then add tea bags. Cover and brew 3 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks, then tea bags and squeeze. Pour into mugs.

Ginger-Honey Mangosteen Warmer
Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Brew Time: 3 minutes

4	cups boiling water
1	piece fresh ginger (about 3-inches), sliced
6	Lipton White Mangosteen and Peach Green Tea Bags
3	tablespoons honey or agave nectar

Bring water and ginger to a boil in 2 1/2-quart saucepan. Remove from heat and then add tea bags. Cover and brew 3 minutes. Remove ginger, then tea bags and squeeze. Stir in honey.

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