LITITZ, Pa. (WHTM) — Jan. 12 is National Hot Tea Day, and brewing the perfect cup of tea entails more than one may think.

If you think tea isn’t…well…your cup of tea, Alice Pepper, owner of A Tea Affair, says you might just be making some brewing faux pas. “A lot of people say they don’t like loose leaf tea, but it’s usually because it’s bitter because they’ve over-steeped, or they’ve burnt the tea leaves,” says Pepper.

Pepper explains that the water should be boiling when making black, oolong, red and herbal teas, but for white and green tea, it should be just shy of boiling. If the water is too hot, it will scorch the tea leaves.

Then the steeping time matters, too. Pepper says tea should steep for the following amounts of time:

Black tea: 3-5 minutes
Oolong tea: 5-7 minutes
Red tea: 5-7 minutes
White tea: 2-3 minutes
Green tea: 2-4 minutes

“There’s just something about holding that cup of tea that totally relaxes you, which is what we all need right now” says Pepper.

A Tea Affair has been in business for 10 years, and they sell over 450 different varieties of loose leaf tea.

“If people come in here and can’t find tea in here, they’re not going to find tea,” says Sandy, manager of A Tea Affair. The shop has tea to help you sleep, tea with coffee beans to help you stay awake, and even tea with brandy, rum and bourbon, Sandy explains.

A Tea Affair sells their tea at a shop on East Main Street in Lititz. And if you’re nervous about making the perfect cup of tea yourself, they also have a tea room a few steps away on Sturgis Lane. The tea room is currently by reservation only. More information is available on A Tea Affair’s website.