For black teas, bring the water to a full rolling boil, but do not over-boil the water.

For green teas, bring the water just to the boiling point (steaming.) 

Warm your teapot  with a little hot water and decant before adding the leaves and hot water to the pot  (optional.)

Add one level teaspoon of tea leaves for every cup of water. Tea strainers and infusing baskets may be used, or the leaves may be added directly to the pot.

Steep full black leaves four to five minutes. 

Steep delicate green teas and smaller leaf teas for three minutes. 

Avoid overbrewing the leaves by removing or straining  the leaves from the liquid  at the proper times. 

Some fine teas may be infused several times.

Experiment with brewing times and  the amount of teas leaves used to adjust to your own taste.