Why has my tea gone bitter?

Quick Answer

Bitterness almost always comes down to one of two things: water that's too hot, or leaves left brewing for too long.

A Little More

Both cause the same problem, over-extraction, where the tannins in the tea (the compounds responsible for bitterness) are pulled out faster than the flavour compounds can balance them. The fix is usually simple: brew for slightly less time, or let boiling water cool a little before pouring, especially for green tea.

Teaspoon Tip

Timing your tea is really important to get the best from your tea leaves and stop them going bitter. Recommend brew times are on our labels.

Fancy Trying It?

- Green Tea Collection
- Black Tea Collection

You Might Also Like

- How long should I brew my tea?
- What temperature should my water be?

Explore The Tea Collections.

All teas are available subject to availability in tub size only on the market stall.
English Breakfast, Loose English Breakfast Tea from online teashop Teaspoon Tea Company, Large Rolled tea leaves produce a high quality tea shown here in a small shallow dish.
Black Loose Leaf Tea Collection 12 products
Lung Ching Dragonwell Green Tea from Teaspoon Tea Co is probably our best tasting Green tea. It's also our best quality green tea and this can be seen here with its large pressed leaves. If your looking for a green tea that tastes good this is it.
Green Loose Leaf Tea Collection 10 products
This is Orange Blossom Oolong Loose Leaf Tea from Teaspoon Tea Co. Oolong tea is halfway between Green tea and black tea, this tea is a large leaf with Orange blossom added giving it a strong orange taste. This speciality tea is definitely worth a try.
Oolong Loose Leaf Tea 2 products
A swallow dish of Rooibos Herbal Tea from online teashop Teaspoon Tea Co. The short bright loose leaves of Rooibos are light orange and red. This looks a very tasty caffeine-free tea.
Herbal Loose Tea 11 products
Chai Tea from online teashop Teaspoon Tea Co. Chai Spice Loose Leaf Tea can be seen here with large black tea leaves, pieces of Ginger, Cloves and Ginsing. This could be the Best Chai. A quality Tea.
Flavoured Loose Leaf Tea 14 products
Passionfruit & Orange Fruit Tea from UK online Teashop Teaspoon Tea Co. This fruit tea looks so good, large pieces of rich fruit can be seen including Orange peel, Apple and Pineapple.
Fruit Loose Tea 5 products