Hi,

Despite being English, I have just after 27 years started to drink tea.
I never liked the English brew (PG Tips, milk and sugar) and I spent
some time in HK and China and never went for the tea they give you at
the table, although at an opera performance in beijing, the tea served
was something else entirely.

Recently though, after regular Dim Sum sunday sessions here in
Amsterdam, I tried the green tea they serve at the tables, which I
found to be quite delicious, and have since acquired the taste of tea
(Cha No Aji??? :-)).

I wasn't surprised to find an enthusiastic ng devoted to teas! I need
some pointers, I have browsed through the group, but there's lots to
take in, so forgive me if I cover oft-covered ground, and allow me to
pose a few questions, as I have no idea where to begin!

Firstly, I read here a lot about strainers. I can pretty much guess
what these are and what they do. However, this suggests that there are
no loose leaves in the pot glass, which seems contrary to the way it is
served by the Chinese (think of the scene in Zhang Yuan's 2003 film
GREEN TEA, where Zhao Wei meets Jiang Wen for the first time, the hot
water being poured into Zhao's glass, distrubing the leaves that sat at
the bottom, but which now swirl around in the hot water. So, is this a
matter of preference?

Ok, here's a real drongo question: How much loose tea roughly (I
suppose it depends on taste), does one use when filling a teapot? How
should a pot of tea be prepared?

Seriously, I had lived in my current place for a good few months when a
friend came round, and, knowing I do not drink tea or coffee, she
brought round her own bags. She asked if I had a kettle, and I had to
tell her I had no idea. She went to the kitchen and the kettle was
sitting on the kitchen top next to the toaster. I hadn't even noticed
it before, so please don't think I am trolling with the above question!

My brother for christmas bought our parents a beautifu tes set and he
advised my mum not to wash the teapot after use, as it adds to the
flavour after time - is this a good tip?

Lastly, and I will do some research on this - with so many varieties of
tea, how does one gauge quality, freshness, etc.? What is "white tea"?

Any good websites to recommend?

Cheers,
Alex...