My tea is always bitter?!
Answers: Everytime I make tea, (mostly white or green) it tastes bitter. I do not boil my water either. What am I doing wrong?
Bitterness is generally associated with too hot of water or long steep times. Even 195F isn't boiling but is too hot. Use a meat thermometer to monitor the water temp.
different types of tea, especially in bags or loose leaf, require experimentation. The rule of thumb for green tea loose leaf style is 3-4 minutes @ 185 F. And yes, you should measure the water temp. White tea loose leaf style is the same, maybe a bit cooler.
If you are using tea bags, the directions on the packaging is almost always too much. Since the particle sizes are smaller, they require a cooler temp and less steep time. When using green or white tea bags, I start at 180F in 1 minute. Then I use longer or shorter steep time based on that.
SOUNDS AS IF YOU ARE OVER STEEPING IT OR USING TOO MUCH TEA.
your letting it steep too much... white/green only steeps for a short period of time. i try 1-3 minutes (1 being very week, 3 for being mildly strong.... strong tea is healtheir for you and is an aquired taste (like wine and cheese)... recently i cant get my tea strong enough...
Steep tea for 4 minutes max in water no more than 190F,
remove tea ball/bag immediately (do not squeeze it).