Bitterness - how to stop it?

[teachat]

I just treated myself to an Ingenuitea and about 15 samples. My cinnamon and vanilla samples were great, but all the other flavors I have tried (black teas, fruit flavored, steeped for 5 mins w/boiling spring water) taste horribly bitter. I hate adding milk and sugar to tea, so I don't really want to go that route. Is there something I can do to stop this? I thought of reducing the steeping time, but am worried I'll just end up with weaker bitter tea! Any help would be very appreciated!

[teachat]

Thanks for the note.

There are two factors that may be involved: time and volume. You may be putting too much tea in or steeping too long. Each tea is a little different, so experimenting with these factors is really the only way the get rid of the bitterness. Don't worry about getting weaker bitter tea -- there is really no tea out there that is supposed to be horribly bitter!

Hope this helps,

Chris
Adagio Maestro

PS... thanks for not adding milk or sugar -- that makes US bitter!

[teachat]

was very happy to read this, since I've had the same problem at times. I've found that the black teas can be a bit bitter, but taste great after an initial infusion. So, sometimes I just do a quick "wash" (let my leaves steep for 2 minutes or so - dump it - and reinfuse the suggested 5 minutes), or I use less leaves. I guess this is what Chris meant by bitterness being an issue of both "time and volume." Tihs doesn't seem to the be case with herbals and white teas (actually, that's not true - the Silver Needle is susceptible to bitterness), but oolongs, greens, and blacks can indeed become bitter.

I hope this info helps some with a similar problem.

Lori M

[teachat]

ya wont lose any flavor by steeping for less time. if the tea is bitter it is definately a sign of being oversteeped. i'd reduce the time so you can taste the tea instead of tannin

john