I think too much leaf means strong. I thing too much time means
bitter. One of the taste sensations is bitter. Try some Bakers
chocolate. I encounter bitter almost daily in Chinese greens. I
simply judge bitter by the tongue, throat, stomach. Ive had Samovar
tea that was cooked for hours that was strong and not bitter even when
diluted. Im on my last sips of a multiple infusion of Darjeeling
which causes my eyes to squint. It is not bitter or strong but more
like a chalky taste. I think tea taste is so sufficiently complex it
can only be appreciated and not analyzed. The Indians dont mess
around with Assam. They drink it as Chai. If you want to play around
with strong and bitter buy some British blends.

Jim

On Oct 18, 11:11 am, Prof Wonmug > wrote:
> Fairly often when I am trying to figure out the right brewing
> parameters for a tea, I get a cup that is too much of something, but I
> can't always tell whether it's too strong or bitter.
>
> Is there some way I can learn how to tell the difference?
>
> I think I can recognize when it's gotten very bitter, because of the
> "bite". But when it's only slightly bitter, I have difficult
> distinguishing that from just too strong.
>
> Also, some of the strong blacks, like Assams, have a taste that is (to
> me) a lot like bitter even when brewed for very short times.
>
> Is it true that bitterness only occurs from steeping too long? I would
> think that no tea would be bitter in a 30 second steep no matter how
> much leaf is used. Is that right?
>
> What I have done so far is try two more cups -- one at double the time
> and one at half the time. That usually makes it clear. But I'd like to
> learn to tell better just from tasting.