On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 16:26:49 -0000, in article
>, Blippie wrote:

> My favourite "normal" tea is Taylors of Harrogate's Yorkshire Tea. It might
> be the first step away from the main brands. I find the loose leaf variety
> a tad bitter [...]

I'm no tea-master, but have you tried reducing the steeping time? A
Ceylonese tea I really liked is quite sensitive to the time; it goes from
delicious and smooth (steeping 2:30) to slightly astringent (3:00) to quite
astringent and slightly bitter (3:30).