Tea

Unless the water boiling be,
vain the attempt to make the tea.
-unknown

Good tea. Nice house.
-Worf, trying to be diplomatic in a Star Trek episode

Every morning I make tea. Sometimes I make a cup of tea and other times I make a pot of tea. This morning as I was drinking my tea I thought about tea-well, more about what I've been told about tea.


What I've Been Told About Tea

1. It comes from China or India.
2. The patriots dumped it into Boston harbor before the American Revolution.
3. The English drink more of it than we do.
4. Tea bags are supposedly bad.
5. You should not heat tea water in the microwave.
6. If you put milk in your tea, you should pour it into the cup before you pour in the tea.
7. Over boiling the water causes it to lose oxygen.
8. You should not re-boil the water left in the tea kettle and use it to make another cup of tea.
9. You should bring the teapot to the teakettle and not the other way around.
10. You should heat the teapot before you pour the water in it.


What I Don't Understand About What I've Been Told About Tea

1. Do the English really drink more tea than Americans?
2. Why are teabags supposedly bad?
3. Why shouldn't you heat the water in the microwave?
4. Why should you pour the milk in the cup first?
5. How does water "lose" oxygen and still remain water?
6. Why shouldn't you re-boil the water? Is it because the water has "lost" its oxygen?
7. What difference does it make if you bring the teakettle to the teapot and not the other way around?

Any tea drinkers out there who could answer any of these questions? Non-tea drinkers with answers are welcome too.