"I bought expensive oolong tea, but it turned out bitter and made my tongue tingle," or "It’s so bitter I can’t drink it." In most cases, the bitterness or excessive astringency in Chinese tea is caused not by the quality of the tea leaves, but by slight discrepancies in brewing parameters. We have compiled a checklist of what to check when the flavor is off, along with immediate remedies.
1. Checklist: The 4 Major Causes of Bitterness and Astringency
- ① Steeping time is too long (most common): Gongfu tea is measured in "seconds." Leaving a Dancong, which should only steep for 30 seconds, for a full minute will result in intense astringency.
- ② Using too many leaves (excessive tea-to-water ratio): If you eyeball the amount and add too much, the components will become rapidly concentrated.
- ③ Water temperature is too high (for green or new white teas): Pouring 100°C (212°F) water directly onto delicate leaves will cause bitter components to dissolve before the amino acids.
- ④ Tea remains in the vessel from the previous infusion (residual liquid): If you don't pour out every last drop when decanting, the remaining liquid will cause the leaves to continue steaming, making the next infusion extremely bitter.
2. Immediate Recovery When the Tea is Too Strong
- Dilute with hot water: Add 30–50ml of boiling water to the overly strong tea in your tea pitcher to dilute it to the appropriate concentration.
- Steep the next infusion for zero seconds: For the next round, pour the water in and immediately decant it (0 seconds), then blend it with the previous infusion.
- Remove some tea leaves: If there are clearly too many leaves, use a clean tea scoop to remove a small amount.
3. The Importance of Complete Decanting (Getting Every Last Drop)
The biggest secret to avoiding bitterness is to tilt the vessel vertically to pour out every last drop each time you decant. By keeping the tea leaves dry between infusions, you can prevent them from stewing and becoming over-extracted.
For guidance on controlling steeping times across multiple infusions, please refer to our Gongfu Tea Steeping Time Curve.
