There are few housewives who will admit that they require directions for making tea, and it is indeed surprising that the few simple rules for ensuring a good cup of it are so frequently ignored or neglected. Everyone knows that in order to have tea properly made water must boil, but many persons are ignorant of the fact that water twice boiled, or allowed to continue boiling for several minutes, will not make good tea. The aroma which is so grateful and refreshing in well-made tea is lost when water is employed which, either from being in itself hard, possessing any peculiar property, from being below boiling point, from having been a considerable time on the fire, or having remained boiling for more than a minute, is unsuitable for making tea.

One other cause why tea which is made from good material often tastes flat is that the teapot is not kept clean. It is the practice with many servants from one year's end to another to rinse out the tea-pot after use in the water, often greasy, in which the crockery-ware has been washed, and to put it away without drying the inside. The effect of this practice is to cause a thick incrustation to gather inside the pot, which lovers of tea should know is nothing more nor less than dirty. After each use tea-pots should be rinsed with boiling water, and be thoroughly dried out, the inside being kept as bright as the outside. Earthenware tea-pots are preferable to metal, yet if strict cleanliness be observed there is no objection to the use of the latter. The rule of "a spoonful of tea for each person, and one for the pot," is a good one. Before putting in the tea rinse the pot with boiling water, then somewhat slowly pour on the whole quantity of water required, leaving a little room for the leaves to swell. If the water is poured slowly on the tea as directed, the leaves will not rise to the surface, but should this happen stir well together with a silver spoon. Let the tea stand for at least ten minutes, and, if it has not been previously done, stir once during this interval. Should the water be very hard, a small quantity of soda may be used - it should be added after the water is poured on the tea. Whilst the tea is infusing keep the pot covered with a cozy.