Why Is My Tea Bitter and Disgusting? Ways To Improve

Tea is an incredibly powerful beverage. It reduces stress by relaxing nerves and not to mention that it tastes pretty amazing. There are so many different types of tea and so many options to choose from, starting from the myriad of flavors to the many health benefits it offers.

However, the way you prepare tea can highly affect the way it tastes. Read on to find out why your tea might taste bitter and disgusting and learn about the ways to improve your tea so that the next time you take a sip, you won’t be down.

Reasons For Bitter Tea

There are various reasons as to why tea can taste bitter and the level of unpleasantness can be subjective. The following are some of the most common reasons as to why tea can be bitter and disgusting.

Water Is Too Hot

Pouring boiling water directly onto loose tea leaves will burn them. If you try to make tea with granulated tea powder in water that is too hot, it will also burn it.

And, we all know what burnt food/drink tastes like and it is definitely not nice.

Tea Storage Is Humid

Where you store your tea and the condition in which you store your tea is also a factor that heavily affects the taste of it.

You need to be aware of the moisture content of the place you are storing it in as humidity will reap the natural taste of the tea and make it bitter.

High Tannin Release

Tea leaves contain a natural ingredient called tannin. Tannin is basically the element that gives tea its distinctive taste. When too much tannin is released, it makes the taste of tea bitter.

Different types of tea have different tannin content so it all depends on your taste and how much of it you can handle.

Long Tea Seep Duration

You should keep track of the time you take seeping tea. Steeping tea in water for too long or too little of a time will ruin the quality of the tea, which in turn will disrupt the taste and make it taste disgusting.

Take the time to check how strong or light the tea is that you prefer.

High Caffeine Content

Believe it or not, some sorts of tea actually contain a certain amount of caffeine that may contribute to the bitterness.

Make sure to look at the caffeine content written behind tea packets to be aware of too much caffeine.

Ways To Improve Your Tea

Below are some of the tried and tested ways that can help make the taste of your tea better. Follow these tips and see what works best for you.

Control The Water Temperature

You can keep track of how long it takes for the water to reach the desired degree of heat and then pour onto the leaves. And if you happen to boil the water, wait for it to cool a bit and then pour it onto the leaves.

These days, it is easy to find automatic/electric tea makers where the machine controls the temperature for you so you won’t have to worry about burning your tea.

Adjust The Tea Amount

Changing the amount of tea you use will help improve the taste. However, it all depends on the type of tea you use which includes their size and flavor strength.

Some tea comes in the form of granules, so in that case, you won’t need much time to make it. However, if they come in the form of big leaves, it will take longer for the flavor of the tea to come out.

Change Steep Time

Additives

If you have already unfortunately made bitter tea and you want to combat the bitterness without throwing the whole drink away, there are a few things you can add.

You can easily add sugar or honey to sweeten the tea and balance out the bitterness or you can add a pinch of baking soda to your tea which will also do wonders.

If you’re fine with iced tea, you can pour your bitter tea over some ice and voila! You’ve made yourself a cold brew!

Conclusion

Sometimes, even the most expensive and well-known tea can end up tasting bitter. It all mostly depends on preparation and processing. Hopefully, this article that I’ve written can help you make a tea that suits well to your taste.