What makes tea sour

Tannin in tea varies according to the level of oxidation of the tea. Black teas, especially Assam black tea has higher amounts of tannin. Assam is often described as being brisk or bold Without tannin, tea is often labeled as insipid, dull or weak. Another source of bitterness is caffeine. Caffeine is naturally bitter, and the more caffeine your tea has, the more bitter it is.

One of the least probable reasons for a bitter tea is how you store your tea. Storing tea improperly could lead to a loss of flavor — green tea could lose its honey or fruit notes, This is usually due to excessive exposure to light and moisture which degrades tea quality. The easiest solution is to store your teas in appropriate tea tins or canisters. A more important factor is the tea quality and quantity. This is because tea dust brews faster than larger tea leaves and releases tannin faster.

Using too much tea will make a stronger bitter brew. We generally recommend using a teaspoon per eight ounces of water. A final final factor is water temperature. Black teas can handle boiling water, but the hotter the water, the shorter your brew times will be. Green teas are more delicate and require lower water temps. Play it safe and give your boiling water a minute to cool off. You will notice that on our website we give general steeping times and temperatures to ensure that your tea tastes smooth and sweet.

If you use these guidelines but are still not getting the taste you prefer, here are some things you can try. Loose tea stays fresh longer, and is usually a superior product than the teas that are pre-packaged in teabags. Loose Leaf Tea is best. Verify Water Source. Over-steeping releases more tannins, which cause a darker than usual tea liquid as well as a sharp, bitter flavor.

Try reducing or increase steep times to find the flavor you like best. Change The Amount Of Tea Used — This can be tricky, because the amounts used vary considerably depending on the type of tea you are using. Read our recommended amounts on our website, and make incremental increases or decreases until you find the taste that is right for you.

Obviously, spicy is not a taste. There is a reason why sourness was listed as the No. Sourness is the most common taste among unripe fruits. The right amount of sourness can be very refreshing. In traditional Chinese herbal medicine theories, sourness is also good for the spleen. However, a strong sourness in tea is often an indication of bad quality or problems in the tea-making. If brewed improperly, then yes, it's bitter.

I actually asked this question because I had written the answer in response to another question that was then edited to be about something else entirely Laura I suspect that like me you just don't like the bitter tannin taste of black tea. Maybe try different herbal teas. My personal favourite is green tea with jasmine. Note an answer below that points out different brewing temperatures, it makes a real difference — Niall. Vanilla extract cuts bitterness. Curing of tea leaves is the secondary fermentation process which is done to increase the drinking potential and remove the bitterness and harshness by adding aromas and flavour to the tea leaves.

It is carried out by the activity of Bacillus megaterium, also known as the bacterium behind the production of coffee and cocoa. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Storing Tea You tea should never become bitter due to your storage methods. Brewing Tea In order to achieve the best taste, brew tea according to the processor's instructions at least to start with - once you become more familiar with tea and what you like, you can adjust according to taste. Finer leaves means more surface area, so you get more tannins per second when brewing, compared to tea leaves in larger pieces.

Use guidelines above, but brew for Improve this answer. PaulDaPigeon 2 2 bronze badges. I recommend drinking cheap low quality tea once in a while, with slightly more than normal sugar and milk.

If you're feeling adventurous add one or two slices of ginger. If you're really adventurous add cardamom, clove and cinnamon. The cheap black Ceylon stuff with pre-added cardamom is a nice switch sometimes, as is the addition of a teaspoon of orange-mint. You mention too high of a temperature can lead to bitterness. Are there any rules of thumb for what temperature to steep at? Tanya C Tanya C 1 1 gold badge 3 3 silver badges 11 11 bronze badges.

Don't squish your tea bags to speed up the process, you will get bitter tea every time. Dorothy Dorothy 21 1 1 bronze badge. Fairy Fangs Fairy Fangs 11 1 1 bronze badge.

Here are my notes for a less bitter tea experience: Water temperature : brew tea with less hot water, while compensating this with longer brewing times. Leaf usage : use less leaves to reduce the amount of bitterness. Type : some more oxidized teas such as Tieguanyin oolong are less bitter. This is because the fermentation process smoothens out the bitterness, making the tea more soft.

Aging : some teas such as pu erh and white tea are suitable for aging. Over time these teas become less bitter an develop more sweet flavours. Lisa at Teasenz. KatyW KatyW 59 1 1 bronze badge.