Making good tea takes time, says Michelle Casson, director of Queenstown's Tea Global, which supplies a wide range specialist teas under the brand Stir Tea.

"We have become a nation of [tea-bag] jigglers. We see the colour and say it's ready, but the flavour and body have not developed - the challenge is to give it time," she says.

"Good tea takes three to five minutes to brew, and you can't hurry it."

More people are enjoying the ritual of making tea, and sitting down and relaxing with a cup of tea, especially younger people who may not have seen their mothers making leaf tea in a pot, she says.

She likes to use a glass teapot so you can see the leaves dance and unfold as you pour in the water. Different types of tea need different temperatures of water, and she includes instructions on the front of her packs.

She's noticed a trend towards using different teas at different times of the day. People start the day with a heavier tea like Assam or English breakfast, and during the day reduce the caffeine intake with lighter teas, finishing with a herbal infusion after dinner.

Many people are exploring green, white and oolong teas, not only for health - tea has always been a medicine as well as a beverage - but also for the wide variety of flavours and styles. You can steep oolong and green and white leaves again, she says.

She also supplies a range of black teas from China, India and Sri Lanka, as well as teas and herbal infusions flavoured with essential oils and essences.

She has recently been to China for the spring harvest and her seasonal release of the premier 2009 teas has arrived, she says.

Tea is close to her heart -she always loved it, but one day, while running a slow marathon, the former chartered accountant decided to start her own specialty tea business, she said.

She studied with the Specialty Tea Institute of America and sells her range of teas online and at farmers markets in Queenstown and Cromwell.

She also takes tea classes. It's easy to present teas to people as they can see, smell and taste the quality, she says.

- www.teaglobal.co.nz