Weak tea, tips to improve?

[ACardAttack]

Okay, I brewed some of the Raspberry Black tea like the package said, 1 teaspoon in 1 cup (8 ounces) of water at 212 degrees for 3 minutes, I also put in a 1/2 teapsoon of sugar..for the most part it was pretty weak, I got a decent after taste of raspberries, but not what I would like.

I gave it a second brew, but used 6 ounces and steeped for 6 minutes, came out a little better..this was also with the same leaves from the first steeping.

My question is what should I increase/decrease to get the most bang for my buck and keep up the potential of more brews? Should I use a little less water, like 6 ounces per teaspoon, should I brew it longer or should I use a little more teaspoons per 8 ounces? Or a combo of both?

Also I poured the water on the tea leaves, does that make a difference?

[debunix]

what should I increase/decrease to get the most bang for my buck and keep up the potential of more brews?

More tea per unit water. For me, the easiest way to do that is to increase the quantity of tea, because I generally pour in as much water as the brewing vessel will hold and forget I intended to stop at half or three-quarters full.

[AlexZorach]

When tea is bland or not as strong as I like, usually I first ask the question of whether the cup has any unpleasant qualities (like too much bitterness or astringency). If the answer is no, then I usually up the steeping time, unless it's already long (6 minutes is pretty long for a black tea), and then I would use more leaf.

If the answer is yes (unpleasant characteristics, but also bland), then I shorten the steeping time but add more leaf.

If it still comes out bland after fidgeting, or if I can't get it strong enough for my tastes without introducing unpleasant qualities, then I assume the problem is the tea, and I go get some higher-quality tea.

I hope you find this helpful!