Don’t be shy.

Lots of people enjoy tea, and many different cultures all over the globe frankly prefer it to any other beverage for its warm taste and intriguing complexity. However, not too many people understand how much flavor there is to be had in a properly prepared cup of tea and that is what we are here to talk about today. So pay attention – finish up that television program, finish that research you were doing on Home Security systems or what have you and get ready to learn something new.

The first thing you are going to want to do is invest in an electric kettle. If you don’t have one then a regular kettle works just as well (just not as fast). The secret early on is boiling the water first and then pouring it over the tea. This frees up all that extra flavor packed into those tiny leaves and reduces the brew time. You don’t want to use a microwave to heat the water; it will only produce inferior tea.

Teabags should be avoided in the teapot in favor of loose leaves, and a strainer can be employed to avoid getting any leaves in your cup.

Sure, it might seem a little cumbersome but there is no skimping when it comes to quality flavor and that is what you’ll get if you follow these instructions.

Technically, every type of tea is an infusion. With tea bags, the tea is infused through the bag and into the hot water. Infusion tea in the tea world is often a term used to describe tea that is made with loose-leaf tea and a tea infuser, or tea ball. Loose-leaf tea can be bought at many specialty tea shops, and over the Internet from various websites. Same goes for the tea infuser. A tea infuser is simply a type of device that holds the loose tea leaves in it, while letting the leaves have contact with the hot water through its screens. A pinch of loose-leaf tea is placed into this infuser and the infuser is then plunged into the cup full of hot water. It is allowed to steep for several minutes, much like a typical tea bag, and the infuser is removed from the water, still containing the tea leaves. The infuser can then be cleaned out and reused almost indefinitely, as it is typically made from metal. The result is a delicious cup of tea, no bag needed.

Real men understand the myriad benefits tea can give them, including, but not limited to, weight loss, decreased blood pressure, decreased cardiovascular risks, and increased immune system functions. Plus, tea contains powerful antioxidants whose anti-carcinogenic effects are widely acknowledged.

Real men understand that drinking tea bears no real social stigma, and they scoff at men who think it is a feminine drink. Is it feminine to be trim, healthy and full of vigor? Is it feminine to do something fantastic for one’s body?

The answer is no, as any real man would tell you.

They would also tell you that tea is not only a great health choice, it is also easily affordable and easily purchased at any grocery or drugstore. There is a huge variety of tea to choose from, in any flavor and strength you could possibly dream of.

Real men do drink tea, and like it too!

The first thing you’ll need in order to package your tea is a piece of cheese cloth. The cheese cloth will allow the tea to breath, and will also hold up to steeping in hot water. Wrap a bit of the tea leaves with the cloth, and then twist and tie off with string. The fun part of this exercise is the decoration. Please note that you should not decorate the tea bag itself, as it may add unwanted flavors or colors into the tea. The rest of the look is up to you. Personally, I like to customize the string and holder depending on the flavor of the tea. Rather than deal with labels, I can just grab the color that I know works best with the mood that I’m in. Red for angry, blue for sad, and so on. It might be a bit unusual, but it works great for me.

Wednesday and the weather and mood is better. One of my friends is having her first baby and she’d be honored if I’d be godmother. Picked out a Blueberry White tea to celebrate; sweet and ethereal, I can picture me, dancing through a meadow, perhaps picking daisies in lush Spring.

It’s Friday and Thursday night was not good. Stomach’s upset and not entirely sure what’s to blame: leftover chinese food or an impending cold. Brew for a scant two minutes fresh Green Tea, imported straight from Japan. The flavor is full, and herbacious, and the antioxidants seem to work wonders to detox my body.

Saturday morning and everything aches. Impending cold has decided to take residence in me for an unknown duration. Brewing a floral Chamomile Tea, for eight minutes, that will help me climb right back into bed for the weekend.