Anonymous wrote:First thing, stop shopping at white people's stores where they charge you $16 for a two-ounce bag of herbal bullshit.
Go to a Middle Eastern, Persian or Russian store, and get a box or tin of of leaf tea. Ahmad is a good brand and they carry many others. You can get a respectable-size tin for $10. It should last you for a couple of months. Teabags are for poor people.
Boil water. Get a teapot ready. When water boils, rinse the teapot to warm it. Put in one spoon of leaf tea per intended up. Add any of your preferred flavorings (sage, mint, cardamom etc). Add water at the point of roiling boil. Steep for 10 minutes. Toss after an hour or two. Never add water directly to the teapot after the initial fill. If you must, add water directly to your cup. That's how tea is meant to be drunk.
+1 I like Ahmad's Imperial Blend tea, which is absolutely delightful. You can get it from a Persian food store, and I think Amazon even carries it. It doesn't come in teabags, but if you're willing, you can buy your own empty teabags and make your own with the loose leaf, or invest in some diffusers.