The perfect morning tea, minute by minute

Morning tea is unforgiving: you want it invigorating, rounded, never bitter – and you don't have ten minutes. Here is the method, minute by minute.

Minute 0: heat soft, low-limescale water. For a breakfast black tea – an Assam, a Ceylon, our Matin d'Afrique – aim for 90 to 95 °C: the water should shiver, not reach a rolling boil.

Minute 1: measure out 2 g per cup (a heaped teaspoon) directly into the filter. Be generous: an under-dosed tea infused too long is bitter; a well-dosed tea infused briefly is strong and smooth.

Minutes 2 to 5: infuse for 3 to 4 minutes, no more. It is the caffeine of the first two minutes that wakes you up; the tannins of the following minutes only add astringency.

Minute 5: remove the filter and, if you like milk, pour it in after the tea. Your cup is ready – and the day can begin.

Eliane