I'm a little embarassed to admit that I've never had a loose leaf tea that really motivated me to brew my own tea at home - hence, my ignorance. Now that I have a big bag of tea leaves, what is your failproof way to brew your tea? I read somewhere that boiling water in an electric kettle was preferable to using a kettle over the stove, is this true? Do you prefer to put your leaves loose into the teapot or do you like to use a tea press? Should I get the Bodum Assam tea press? Also, if I keep my tea leaves in an airtight container away from the light, what kind of shelf life can I expect? Thanks