Black Tea for Someone Who Hates Black Tea

[MagicMirror4]

I've never liked black tea. It's bitter and the taste sits on the back of my tongue. Earl Grey and English Breakfast particularly. The issue is, the blends that I would like to get often have black tea. Is there something that I'm doing wrong, or is there a specific type that I should try?

Also any recommendations for jasmine and chai (I actually dislike sweet teas, is there a way for it to not be so sweet)?

[himitsu~]

to reduce bitterness, you can try shorter brews. or adding a bit of milk which reacts with tannins.

you could also try venturing into unflavored teas. try some high quality black teas. like a good yunnan gold (dianhong) perhaps. i drink those plain with no sugar or anything else added. delicious.

[chapka]

First of all, if you don't like it, you don't like it, and that's fine. Don't let anyone tell you you have to like something just because they think it's the best. Different people have different tastes, and if black tea isn't your bag, there are a lot of great green teas, white teas, wulongs/oolongs, and yellow teas out there.

That said...

I don't want to put words in your mouth, but flavor is notoriously hard to describe. What's bothering you might be the bitterness, but it sounds more like astringency. One of my favorite online tea vendors, Red Blossom, has an explainer on the difference here:

https://redblossomtea.com/blogs/red-blo ... stringency

Everyone's palate is sensitive to different things; if yours is sensitive to harsh astringency, you'll need to pick teas with that in mind. In general, you can reduce bitterness and harsh astringent finishes by using high-quality tea and not brewing too long.

I find Chinese-style brewing (often called "gongfu") also reduces harsh aftertastes. Basically this means using more tea but for less time, as little as thirty seconds. You can then add more water and brew again. You can adjust the amount of leaves and the brewing time to get the taste profile that suits you.

As for specific black teas, I would try some Taiwanese black and wulong teas (sometimes marketed in the West as "Formosa," an old name for Taiwan), and Yunnan black teas. They are grown for Chinese-style brewing, and respond well to it. Also consider shou (or "ripe") pu'er tea; it has a strong, rich flavor that can come through in a very short steep, and balances out the bitterness.

[MagicMirror4]

Awesome! Thanks guys!!

[WeBJammin']

You may be steeping them too long... That will bring out a more bitter flavor. Try steeping only 30 seconds and with water less than boiling. My guess is you'll get the malty flavors without the bite. Good luck!

I've never liked black tea. It's bitter and the taste sits on the back of my tongue. Earl Grey and English Breakfast particularly. The issue is, the blends that I would like to get often have black tea. Is there something that I'm doing wrong, or is there a specific type that I should try?

Also any recommendations for jasmine and chai (I actually dislike sweet teas, is there a way for it to not be so sweet)?

[Teasenz]

If you hate the bitterness, go for some more delicate black teas. Yunnan Gold and Jin Jun Mei are good ones to start with. Brew them at 80ºC (175ºF) to make them taste more sweet (and less bitter).

[TeaManDan]

I've never liked black tea. It's bitter and the taste sits on the back of my tongue. Earl Grey and English Breakfast particularly. The issue is, the blends that I would like to get often have black tea. Is there something that I'm doing wrong, or is there a specific type that I should try?

Also any recommendations for jasmine and chai (I actually dislike sweet teas, is there a way for it to not be so sweet)?

Brew your loose leaf tea just below boiling for about 3 mins.

Try a premium or high graded / high quality black tea and read the descriptions from a reputable tea source. Look for tea sourced directly.

I recommend a teaspoon or so of good raw honey for a person who dislikes black tea but likes sweet drinks. Some milk or ice can also be a pleasant twist if you are dipping your toes in to the black tea drinking

[trziste]

I suggest you stay away from Assam teas, English breakfast and others teas that produce a very dark liquid. First flush darjeelings are often partly green and make a light colored tea. But more generally, don't steep the tea for a long time. Ignore instructions that say to steep you tea 3 to 5 minutes. That will often produce a bitter brew. Try 30 seconds. Work up from there if it's too light for you.