What are the best ways to brew various types of tea? Most particularly green tea and white tea?

brewing tea can be an extremely delicate process. some teas have a window of just a few degrees and seconds. others can sit for a long time without too much depreciation. the basic rule is that the higher the quality of the tea, the more attention you have to pay to brewing it correctly. i buy most of my teas from boutiques or specialty tea houses. i always ask one of the herbalists for the correct brewing temperature and time. i bought a hot water dispenser that has digital temperature control. it was expensive but it takes the hassle out of correct brewing.

white teas are young and delicate. use temperatures between 180 and 200 degrees. they do not need to steep for very long. try 1 to 2 minutes on the first flush then 30 seconds longer each additional flush. you can usually get 4 to 5 good flushes out of white tea. the difference in taste between a properly brewed white tea and an oversteeped cup is immense. white tea should be very subtle and not at all bitter.

green tea is a sturdier tea and much broader in range. steeping temperatures can range from 160 to 215 degrees and steeping times can range from 2 to 5 minutes. you can flush green tea until the tea becomes light in color.

if you are paying for quality teas, you should definitely find out the correct brewing temperature and time. brewing tea is an art that takes time to master, but is worth researching and practicing. you might also look into some oolong and pu-ehr varieties as well.

you're gonna drink tea try chinese style. You need to find actual tea leaves, not that processed stuff. Take some whole tea leaves and maybe some other plant stuff that is proper to use. Just put it in the bottom of a ceramic teapot container thing. Pour in some water and your done. It can sit for minute but doesn't have to be long and should be drank fresher. That's it, no cream, no sugar. That's what they been doin or thousands of years.

don't use much leaves and there's no filter so you get little bits of leaf in your drink but you slurp/sip it and the leaf bits stay at the bottom and you can dump it out towards the bottom if the cup gets cold and refresh it.

mushroom tea is my personal favorite