You prepare your tea with care, wait a few minutes, and taste it…

And yet, the cup is too bitter.

Before blaming the tea, you should know that a bitter infusion often stems from the preparation itself: water that is too hot, steeping for too long, too much tea, or unsuitable water.

Good news: a few adjustments are often enough to restore a more balanced cup.

Here are the 7 most common mistakes when your tea becomes too bitter.

1. Your water is too hot

This is one of the most common causes.

Very hot water promotes the extraction of many compounds present in the leaves, particularly caffeine and certain catechins. The latter play an important role in the bitterness and astringency of tea.

This does not mean you should always use lukewarm water.

Black tea generally handles very hot water better than delicate green tea.

But if your green tea consistently becomes harsh, simply try reducing the temperature by a few degrees.

What to do?

Start by lowering the water temperature by 5 to 10°C for your next infusion.

Taste it.

Then adjust gradually.

2. You let your tea steep for too long

The longer the leaves remain in the water, the longer the extraction continues.

Studies show that the amount of caffeine and catechins extracted can increase with steeping time.

And when certain compounds become too prominent, the balance of the cup can tip toward greater bitterness or astringency.

What to do?

Reduce the steeping time by 30 seconds, then taste it.

For some delicate teas, this small difference is enough to transform the cup.

3. You use too many leaves

You might think that adding more tea simply gives it more flavor.

In reality, you are also increasing the amount of material available for extraction.

The possible result:

a very concentrated, powerful infusion… and sometimes one that is too bitter.

What to do?

First, follow the recommended dosage for your tea.

Then adjust to taste.

And above all:

do not change the amount of leaves, the temperature, and the time all at once.

Otherwise, you won't know which adjustment actually improved your infusion.

4. Your water is not suited to your tea

We often forget it.

And yet, your cup is composed almost entirely of water.

Very mineralized water can alter the perception of aromas and the way certain compounds from the tea end up in the infusion.

This is precisely the topic we explored in Tsuru No. 005, dedicated to tea water.

For a balanced cup, generally choose water that is pleasant to drink, low in chlorine, and free from off-flavors.

What to do?

Try a simple experiment:

prepare the same tea with your usual water, then with lightly mineralized water.

You might be surprised by the difference.

5. Your leaves are very small or highly fragmented

Not all tea leaves are presented in the same way.

A whole leaf, a broken leaf, and a fine powder do not offer the same surface area for contact with the water.

When the leaves are highly fragmented, extraction can become particularly rapid.

This is one of the reasons why some tea bags can become very strong very quickly.

What to do?

With tea made from very fine or broken leaves:

monitor the steeping time more closely.

Sometimes, a few dozen seconds make all the difference.

6. You leave the leaves in the cup after steeping

Your timer goes off.

But the leaves remain in the water while you start drinking.

The infusion, however, does not know that the allotted time is up.

It keeps steeping.

And your first sip may be pleasant, while the last becomes much more intense.

What to do?

Once the desired time has passed:

completely separate the leaves from the water.

With a teapot equipped with a filter, remove the filter.

With a gaiwan or a small teapot, pour out all the tea.

Simple, but very effective.

7. You confuse bitterness and astringency

This is probably the most interesting mistake.

A cup can be bitter.

It can also be astringent.

And they are not exactly the same sensation.

Bitterness

It is a flavor.

Caffeine and certain catechins can contribute to it.

Astringency

It is more of a dry or puckering sensation in the mouth.

Catechins play an important role in this sensation.

A little bitterness or astringency can also be part of a tea's natural character.

The problem arises especially when these sensations overpower everything else.

How to remove bitterness from tea?

Remember a very simple method.

Is your tea too bitter?

During the next preparation:

Step 1

Slightly reduce the temperature.

Still bitter?

Step 2

Return to your initial temperature and reduce the steeping time.

Still too strong?

Step 3

Slightly reduce the amount of leaves.

Why proceed this way?

Because by changing only one variable at a time, you truly learn how your tea reacts.

Can you save tea that is already too bitter?

Once the infusion is finished, you cannot remove the compounds that have already been extracted.

But you can sometimes make the cup more pleasant.

For example, you can add a little hot water to reduce the concentration.

This is not a perfect solution.

But it is always better than throwing away an entire cup.

For the next infusion, simply reduce the time or the temperature.

Is bitter tea necessarily bad?

No.

Some teas naturally have a certain bitterness.

It can even be sought after when it blends harmoniously into the cup.

The goal, therefore, is not necessarily to eliminate all bitterness.

It is rather to find the balance where it no longer masks the aromas, sweetness, or texture of the tea.

This is also why two people may prefer different infusion settings.

The simplest rule to remember

Is your tea too bitter?

Do not immediately change teas.

Start by checking:

the temperature,
the steeping time,
the amount of leaves.

Then change only one thing.

Taste it.

Start over.

Very often, your tea was not bad.

It simply required a different preparation.

🍵 To learn more

Would you like to understand why a few degrees or a few seconds can change your cup so much?

Discover our Tsuru No. 006: Why do water temperature and steeping time change the taste of tea so much?

Article written by the Cap sur le Thé crew — discover our story.