How To Brew Stronger Tea Without It Turning Bitter

Nothing beats a warm, flavorful cup of tea. Whether your favorite tea is black, green, oolong, or herbal, you want to taste those notes of spices, fruit, or herbs instead of just the hot water. But in your quest to brew perfectly strong tea, you may have had batches that turn out unpleasantly bitter. Many people make the mistake of simply leaving their tea bag in longer when they want stronger tea, but the longer you steep tea leaves, the more tannins they release. And while tannins are high in healthy antioxidants, too many of them could give your tea an overly sharp taste.

The next time you want stronger tea, try adding an extra tea bag instead of prolonging your steep time. By increasing the tea-to-water ratio, you'll have more potent, flavorful tea without the bitter taste caused by too many tannins seeping into the water. While one tea bag or one teaspoon of loose leaf tea per cup of water normally does the trick, you can experiment with doubling that amount for a stronger brew.

The ideal steeping time for tea that's neither weak nor bitter depends on what type of tea you are brewing. Three to five minutes is ideal for black tea, while green tea needs only two to three minutes. Some herbal options, like chamomile and rooibos, can be steeped for five minutes or longer without becoming bitter because they often have fewer (or no) tannins.

Another thing to keep in mind if you are looking to avoid bitter tea is the water temperature. While black tea needs near-boiling water to unlock all the flavors that give it its rich taste, those same high temperatures can burn green tea leaves, releasing more tannins and creating an astringent taste. Green tea does best with water temperatures around 185 degrees Fahrenheit, so let your water cool off for several minutes after bringing it to a boil. Herbal tea, like black tea, is ideally brewed using close to boiling water. 

Whether black, green, or herbal is your cup of tea (pun intended), you can easily achieve your desired strength without any unpleasant bitterness by simply paying attention to the water temperature and adding more tea instead of more time.