I'm reopened! :-)

Thank youuu! :-)

Precisely what I was thinking! :D

Thanks so much! And yep, it definitely feels like home here :-)

Welllp, the journey of WP was actually: CA, TN, AZ, MI, OR, OH, MI :P

I’m living in a cabin in the Huron-Manistee National Forest in Michigan now :-)

Thank you! And wow…I have never heard of GO ever being bitter…and I know many people double that amount of leaf. Just to make sure, you’re using 1/2 tablespoon per 8oz of 200F water and steeping for 3 minutes?

Yes, I measured the leaves and water myself, and used an electric kettle to get exactly 200 degree water which I timed the steeping for. I just don’t know what went wrong, and it’s a shame because once I had figured out it only needs 30 seconds it was delicious, but almost all of it had been wasted.

I’m not sure either :(

I went ahead and tried that way and the tea was pretty much tasteless and almost entirely clear…do you drink most of your teas very light?

Actually I prefer them to be as strong as I can get without them getting bitter. I don’t know what’s going on, I have an electronic kettle that has never failed me before, and I measured the tea and water out with measuring cups. I can’t for the life of me figure out what’s going on. Ive just made my second good pot, and one I’ve resteeped a few times it will be gone, most of it wasted. For the next tea I try from that order I’m going to get the brewing figured out with only a cup at a time rather than pots. Do you think there’s any possibility I got the wrong tea?

I am really sensitive to bitterness, so i learned over time to be cautious on first go. I am not sure how experienced you are (it sounds like you know what you’re doing!) but if you want to go cautious, you can always start with a low steeping time. So if you’re trying a new one, use your preferred or suggested parameters for temp and water to tea ratio BUT steep only 30 seconds. Taste. If you like it, stop there. If it’s weak, add more time as feels appropriate. I usually start this system at 2 minutes, but since you only liked GO at 30 secs, it could be a safe starting point. If you’re using an infuser, it’s easy to take it out and pop it back in. If decanting from a gaiwan/gravity infuser/teapot it’s a bit more hassle and will cool the water a bit more with every pour but is still doable. Another thought is to lower the temp or leaf quantity a bit. I’ve definitely done that many times! I hate using a lot of leaf and having a failure, so I used to be quite skimpy with the leaf and then play with temp and time. Good luck!

Thanks, that sounds like a pretty good idea for next time. I’ve got a few other flavours from whispering pines that I can try that with.