I hope that if I write this, it will stop annoying me as much as it does.

Here’s the thing.

Steeping tea for longer does not make it stronger.

That bitter, dry taste that increases with steeping time? That is not the taste of tea. The bitterness comes from tannins, which are appreciated in small quantities for the effect they have on mouthfeel. They are not appreciated for their taste, at least not in overwhelming quantities.

If the tannins overwhelm the other tastes in your tea, you are either using bad tea1¹ Such as those ready-made teabags you can buy in bulk. I have still found no way to prepare tea from those without getting too much tannin content. or preparing it wrong2² Likely by steeping it for too long – a very common mistake..

So how do you get stronger tea? Unsurprisingly, by using more leaves.