Chai. Tea.

I was about 15-16 years old when I started drinking tea.. once a day.. usually in the evenings.. and though I have switched to coffee..mainly because whatever I do it just doesn't taste the same, plus it reminds me too much of home, friends and family. So now we drink it only when in the company of freinds or family. Tea back home is called chai and it has nothing to do with chai tea (which actually doesn't make sense because chai and tea mean the same thing.. so you're just drinking tea tea.. or chai chai). Unlike tea, chai is made with a strong black tea that is cured in a special way creating tea granules instead of leaves. It is inexpensive. The method of preparation (this I did not know) is also different. In a kettle you take water, tea and sugar and simmer to a boil until a rich aroma engulfs the room and the water becomes dark. Then milk is added and the mixture is once again brought to a boil. It is then strained into cups. (methods may slightly vary)

Wikipedia

This Christmas a colleague gifted M Chinese teas.  And a few weeks ago I decided to make some tea..

I knew that the preparation of Chinese tea differed from Chai.. so I Googled it. There was mention of steeping (which I also had to Google) Times varied for different types of teas, the one I was experimenting with was Dahongpao.

So I placed some leaves in my cups, boiled water, poured water, covered with a plate and let steep. 

I scooped out the leaves and this is what remained.. weak, warm water. I tried a second time and steeped longer but it didn't make too much of a difference. Plus what was supposed to be a relaxing thing.. turned into so much work.

So to all the tea drinkers out there... what did I do wrong? How do I fix it? What is it supposed to taste like?  I have two tins full of tea and I don't know what to do with them. Suggestions?

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