Is it true that a batch of tea leaves can be reused (re-steeped) at
least once?

I use a Chatsford teapot. I put the loose leaves in, add boiling
water, set the timer, then pour it through a strainer into a cup or
thermos.

To make a second steep, can I just dump the leaves back into the pot
and go again? I just tried that with a batch of Earl Grey. The second
steep was slightly weaker than the first, but still fairly good.

Is the second steep the same time as the first? Perhaps I should have
steeped it a bit longer the second time.

Is the second steep likely to be bitter? This one wasn't. It was
actually a bit milder on both the taste scale as well as the
bitterness scale. Everyone keep saying that steeping too long causes
the tea to be bitter. How come two 3-minutes steeps are not bitter but
one 6-minute steep is?

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