Steam lifts from the cup. Bitterness deserves less apology than tea drinkers often give it, because the sharpness that arrives after the first sip can turn a clean finish into something more exacting. It is chemistry. During brewing, catechins, polyphenols, and caffeine move into water; their concentrations, shaped by leaf, temperature, and steep time, help form bitterness and astringency.That edg...More