On Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:19:23 +0200, Peter Roozemaal
> wrote:

>Prof Wonmug wrote:
>> On Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:29:53 +0200, Peter Roozemaal
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> Prof Wonmug wrote:
>>>> 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?
>>> Some teas have a natural bitterness, because some tea-drinkers prefer a
>>> somewhat bitter cup. If you don't like it, pick another tea.
>>
>> Some teas have more of a bite than others, to be sure. I was about to
>> discard that Assam, but I tried Dominic's suggestion of going all the
>> way down to a 15 second steep and I was able to find a set of
>> parameters that are not bad at all.
>
>I tried a Ceylon a few months ago and while it was possible to brew
>acceptable pots of tea, it was pale in comparison with a Yunnan or
>Keemun. (You can't extract from the leaves what is not there.) I usually
>have better experiences with Assams producing a malty or "tobaccoish" brew.
>>
>> Of course, it's also possible that my tastes are changing. There are a
>> lot of food that I like know that I didn't 20 years ago and
>> vice-versa.
>
>Being aware of what you're eating and drinking and discussing it makes
>you grow. And there is a natural tendency to prefer less sweet foods
>when you grow older.

That's for sure. When I was a kid, we used to pour so much sugar on
our Cheerios, that there would be a sugary sludge in the bottom of the
bowl that we would drink at the end. That was the best part. It makes
me gag just to think about it now. ;-)

This was before sweetened cereals, but I bet we would have added sugar
to sweetened cereals, too.