I'm a fiend of all teas.

I live in the South, so I grew up on cold sweet tea, but I adore hot tea. It really depends on the tea though as to how strong I make it, but I usually blend my own loose leaf, and use a French press if I'm making a lot or an infuser if I'm making a little.

Regardless, I always add the tea leaves/infuser/bag first and then pour the water, allow it to sit/steep/what-have-you, then remove. I've always found that dipping the bag NEVER gets tea the way I like it; it just seems a bit futile if you give the bag a chance to float to the top at all.

Cream/milk never tastes good for me (much better suited for coffee in my opinion), usually a bit of sugar or honey. :]

@ jila - Yeah, I'm going with the freak theory, too. : It wasn't potent tea - it was the same stuff I use (and I need two bags). It really was bland water. She got me to taste it, and it tasted like hot water with cream and sugar added. It was gross. She SWEARS she can taste the tea. It barely changed the color of the water.

- do you drink hot tea from a pitcher? Again, this is a new one for me....

4 bags of Earl Grey teabags, 4 of Constant Comment bring a pot of water to a boil, remove from heat and add teabags. steep for 7-8 minutes remove teabags and pour tea into gallon pitcher add sugar (we like it sweet, so about a cup and a half) fill the rest of the pitcher with cold water so the temperature is cool enough to handle but warm enough for happiness

serve in tall glasses and purr contentedly if there's any left, refrigerate it and drink it ice cold

i make hot tea by the cupfull and cold tea by the pitcher. it doesnt really matter which one i'm drinking really but most time it's cold tea i drink because i have no patience :P

I prefer my tea strong as well... in situations like this I just find it pretty ridiculous that people think there is one way of making tea written into the stars and sands of time, and that the rest are just bogus.

I personally take a large mug with a bag or two and I poach it in the microwave for about 88 seconds. The only rule of thumb I use for making tea is that if you boil it it tends to be bitter by scalding the leaves themselves and releasing a bit of the unwanted oils from the tea itself. Some people like their tea bitter though... and some people like their tea weak. I personally like mine strong but non-bitter, and I usually put in atleast 3 tablespoons of sugar LOL

I do enjoy my tea strong, but it doesn't matter to me if it is strong or weak.

I take the first mug I can find, put a tea bag in (mmm. Chai Spice c: ), and put about 6 packets of equal. (A little too much?). I boil the water in the microwave within a measuring cup, then pour it in the cup and add whole milk, and sometimes, I add honey. Also, it will sit on the counter for a few minutes until I drink it. I also keep the tea bags in while drinking, unless I got a tea from Dunkin' Donuts.

LOL what is dipping it in a few times going to do, really? My boyfriend and I drink loose tea. Which you can brew multiple times. :O I don't like it too strong, but regardless of the flavor or anything I still add a ridiculous amount of sugar. But uhh yeah, I can't really remember the last time I had tea in teabags. o_o

I second that lol! I'm asian too but I just drink my tea strong, with nothing added. I like adding honey if it's lemon tea though. And my family drinks tea like water so my mom usually has a pot already made to drink cold depending on the tea. What's weird is usually asian people drink hot tea with their hot meals (goes both for spicy and the temp. :P) But I can't stand it and I have to reach for the ice water LOL.