Suspect #1: boiling water. Bitterness lives in the leaf’s tannins, and heat is what lets them loose — boiling water opens every door at once and scalds the sweetness out. Brew at 70–80°C instead: boil the kettle, leave the lid open, wait three to four minutes. The same leaf turns soft and sweet.

Suspect #2: the clock. Two to three minutes is the whole visit — green tea doesn’t forgive daydreaming, so set a timer. And if you want a stronger cup, our standing rule: more leaf, never more minutes.

Suspect #3: leaves with no exit. Loose leaves floating free in the mug keep steeping until your final sip, which turns minute two into minute twenty. Use an infuser you can lift out, or pour the whole steep off the leaves — they’ll happily wait for round two.

Suspect #4: the tea itself. Fixed all three and it still bites? Stale leaf and teabag dust brew harsh no matter the technique. Fresh, whole-leaf green is simply easier to brew well.

Still not converted? Two friendly detours: Chinese greens, whose toasty chestnut character is naturally gentler than the grassy styles — and cold brew, the foolproof trick: leaves in fridge-cold water for six to twelve hours pull out the sweetness and leave the bitterness behind entirely.