1 cup loose black tea or 12 regular-size tea bags
1 gallon water

Place tea in a non-reactive container. Bring 1 quart of water to a full boil at 212 degrees F. Pour over tea, cover, and steep 7 minutes. Strain tea and add 3 quarts of water brought to 190 degrees F.

Yields: 25 cups, 4 ounces each

Note: You can make your own tea bag using cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Tie the top with a string, allowing room for the tea to expand. You can retrieve your tea bag if you use a long string and attach it to the side of your brewing container. Or you can use a t-sac to contain the loose tea while brewing, which are now available in 1-gallon sizes.

Find more recipes for tea punches as well as delicious accompaniments for teatime in Dolores Snyder's book, Tea Time Entertaining, available through her Web site: http://www.doloreswsnyder.com