Pick your tea. This is by far the most important step to making perfect British tea. You don't want to use a cheap brand from your neighborhood supermarket. Go to a tea store and buy a good quality brand of tea. British tea is made with black tea leaves, so look for that when buying your tea. Earl Grey is a tried and true classic. For the pot method, you'll need it in leaves, but for the cup method, you'll need it in bags or you'll have to use an infuser.