Make Чай Not War

It seems like a mixture of art, science and sorcery, however, there are some guidelines on how to make a cup of tea:
1. Start with cold, fresh, soft water
2. Warm your ceramic teapot
3. Use as hot water as possible to facilitate infusion
3. Brew your loose tea (1 teaspoon per cup) for at least but not more than 3-4 minutes (2 mins for tea-bags)

There is also an illuminating discussion going on: what to pour first, milk or tea. In fact, you should not use milk at all. If you do, then, according to George Orwell, always add milk to the tea. Doing so will make the brew taste stale discovered the Royal Society of Chemistry and hence, the process should be reversed. Physicists disagree and add: china would crack if hot tea is poured directly, so, historically, cold milk was poured first, simply to chill the brew and save cups from cracking (unless you're rich and can afford porcelain).

The picture is Gong's Flying Teapot by the way.