Is More Bitter Better? Is Stronger Better?

At the tea table you often hear: "This tea is nice and bitter, it's a good one!" "Brew it stronger, that's where the flavor is." These sayings have their origins, but they're only half right. Bitterness and strength are characteristics of tea, not standards of quality.

Is More Bitter Pu'er Better?

No. Bitterness is one of tea's flavors, coming from caffeine, some tea polyphenols, amino acids, and other compounds. Teas from some regions have a naturally pronounced bitter base, such as around Bulang Mountain and Laomane; others are known for sweetness and gentleness, such as Bingdao and Yiwu. Both can be excellent teas.

What the tea world really values is "whether the bitterness dissolves":

• Bitterness that dissolves: There's bitterness on entry that fades within seconds, turning into huigan (the sweet aftertaste) and shengjin (a rush of saliva), leaving sweetness in the mouth. Many tea lovers enjoy this.
• Bitterness that doesn't dissolve: The bitterness sits on the tongue, builds with each sip, and leaves the mouth bitter and dry afterward. This is usually a problem with the raw material or processing, or a brew that's too heavy.

Some Laomane teas are famous for their "bitterness," and what tea lovers enjoy is precisely the huigan after the bitterness; Bingdao tea is low in bitterness and astringency, and what tea lovers enjoy is its sweetness. Different styles, each with its fans. The regions are explained in The Five Villages of Bulang Mountain and Bingdao Old Village.

Is Bitterness Proof of Quality?

No. A very bitter tea isn't necessarily good, and a mildly bitter tea isn't necessarily poor. A more reliable way to judge quality is to look at the whole:

• Is the aroma clean and lasting?
• Is the liquor clear and bright?
• Does the bitterness and astringency dissolve, and is the huigan pronounced?
• Is the body full?
• Are the spent leaves intact and springy?

How to taste is covered in Tasting Pu'er, and huigan is explained in Huigan and Shengjin.

Is Strong Tea Better?

Strength is a brewing choice. More tea and longer time make a strong brew; less tea and shorter time make a light one. With the same tea:

• Brewed strong: Aroma and flavor are concentrated, amplifying both strengths and flaws; good for serious tasting and comparison.
• Brewed light: Gentler on the palate, with sweetness easier to notice; good for everyday drinking.

Professional tea evaluators use a 1:50 tea-to-water ratio and steep for 2 and 5 minutes, with the aim of seeing a tea's strengths and flaws clearly. Everyday drinking typically uses 1:15 to 1:20 with pours of a little over 10 seconds, with the aim of making it taste good. The two have different goals, and neither is superior. Brewing too strong and too bitter just makes drinking hard work; it doesn't mean you're getting something better. How to adjust strength is in Too Bitter or Astringent? Four Variables to Adjust.

Bitterness and Astringency Are Different

• Bitterness: A taste sensed by the tongue, especially at the back.
• Astringency: A puckering, drying, tightening sensation in the mouth.

Many people say "so bitter" when they actually mean astringent. The two have different sources and different fixes; see Bitterness and Astringency: Two Different Things.

Should Beginners Start with Bitter Teas?

No need. Drinking tea isn't a contest of enduring bitterness; start with flavors you like, and you'll keep drinking:

1. Start with ripe pu'er or sweet, gentle raw tea: Ripe pu'er is deep red and mellow with very little bitterness or astringency; sweet, gentle raw teas like Bingdao and Yiwu have light bitterness that dissolves quickly.
2. Brew it lighter: Use a little less tea and a shorter time, and taste the sweetness first.
3. Gradually brew stronger: Once you're interested, try stronger brews and regions with a pronounced bitter base, and experience the layers of huigan after bitterness.
4. Compare often: Brewing two teas side by side is the easiest way to develop your own judgment.

Choices for beginners are in Buying Pu'er for the First Time: How to Choose. Guyuntang's Bingdao Old Village Dragon Pearls are raw pu'er from the Bingdao region, known for sweetness and gentleness, 8 g each, and also suit those who want to start with raw tea.

Does Bitter Tea Turn Sweet with Age?

The bitter and astringent compounds in raw tea slowly transform in storage, and the same tea usually becomes gentler after a few years. But if the bitterness is caused by processing or raw material, time may not change it. So when buying young raw tea, don't assume it's good because it's bitter, and don't assume it's bad because it's bitter; look at whether the bitterness dissolves.

FAQ

Is more bitter pu'er better? No. The tea world values whether bitterness dissolves and turns into huigan; heavier or lighter bitterness reflects regional style, and both can be good teas.

Is strong tea better? Strength is a brewing choice: strong for tasting and comparing, light for everyday drinking. Neither is superior.

Is bitterness proof of quality? No. Quality is about the overall picture: aroma, liquor color, whether bitterness dissolves, huigan, body, and spent leaves.

Should beginners start with bitter teas? No need. Start with ripe pu'er or sweet, gentle raw tea brewed a little lighter, and try more as your interest grows.