Why Does My Tea Taste Like Bitter Almonds? (6 Reasons and 5 Fixes!)
Do you love tea? Well, who doesn’t? People love teas because they are not only nutritious but also delicious. What if your tea is bitter? Is that OK?
Why might your tea taste like bitter almonds?
Tea can taste like bitter almonds for many reasons. A bitter almond taste can signify the presence of excess tannin in your tea and contaminants in the water or kettle. The amount of tea used and steeping time also affect the taste of tea.
What other factors can cause bitter tea? What should you do if your tea tastes like bitter almonds? How can you sweeten your tea? Continue reading.
Table of Contents
Why Does My Tea Taste Like Bitter Almonds?
Below, we discuss six common reasons why your tea can taste like bitter almonds.
1. You Steeped Your Tea for Too Long
Steeping is an essential and sophisticated process in tea brewing. Steeping releases the tannins in the tea leaves.
If you do not steep the tea long enough, you will not get the right taste and flavor.
Steeping the tea too long releases excess tannins, which makes the tea taste bitter.
You should always follow instructions when steeping tea so that your tea does not become bitter.
2. Too Much or Not Enough Water
The standard water-to-tea ratio is one heaping teaspoon of tea leaves per cup of water.
If you use very little water, the nutrients and taste of the tea can become too concentrated, and what is meant to be sweet will become bitter.
If you use too much water, the tea may not be strong enough, and you might taste bitter water (if the water is bitter).
Remember to always follow the instructions when brewing tea.
3. Your Tea Is Becoming Bad (Contaminated)
Bad tea has a foul taste. When your tea becomes contaminated, the taste will worsen, and you should also notice a change in smell.
The presence of bacteria (responsible for decomposing the tea’s nutrients) is responsible for the bitter taste of your rotting tea.
4. The Tea Contains Bitter Almonds
Check the ingredients in the pack of tea.
Some black tea mixes are made from 95% Chinese black tea and 5% bitter almond pieces and flavoring.
This means that there could be traces of bitter almonds in your tea.
You can drink this type of tea if you are comfortable with the taste. The producers removed the toxins, so you should not worry about the presence of cyanic acid in the tea.
5. Presence of Drugs in the Tea
Check the area where you store your tea leaves to see if any medications are stored nearby. Medication residue could contaminate the tea leaves and give anything brewed with those leaves a bitter taste. Maybe someone mistakenly spilled medicinal products into the tea or used a contaminated spoon during preparation.
If you do not expect your tea to be bitter, but it tastes like bitter almonds, you should inspect it for foreign odors and substances.
6. Your Taste
Ask someone else to taste your tea. Maybe you think the tea tastes like bitter almond because you expect it to taste very sweet.
Every tea has its unique taste. Some are sweeter than others, so you should learn to accept your tea for its taste or switch to another type of tea.
What Should I Do If My Tea Tastes Like Bitter Almonds?
Now you know so many reasons why your tea can taste like bitter almonds. What should you do if your tea tastes that bad? Continue reading.
Here are some useful suggestions for you:
- Check the Ingredients: If you are trying the tea for the first time, you should check the ingredients of the tea to see if there are some bitter ingredients in it. If there are bitter ingredients, you can be certain that the bitter taste is normal and the tea is drinkable.
- Research Each Ingredient: If you are still not comfortable with the taste or you feel that something is wrong, you should research each ingredient in the tea to make sure that they are safe for you.
- Contact a Local Health-Related Extension Office: To be certain about the problem, you can contact a local extension office. They will help you research why your tea tastes like bitter almonds.
- Dispose of the Tea: Have you checked all the ingredients? Still can’t find the cause of the problem? You should dispose of that tea as it may be contaminated or worse. Then remember to refill your tea inventory next time you are at the grocery store.
Please make sure that your tea is safe before you drink it (or try to sweeten it).
How to Sweeten Your Tea
Here are some ways to help sweeten your tea.
1. Follow the Recommendations When Brewing Your Tea
When brewing a new type of tea for the first time, you should stick to the instructions.
Use just the right amount of tea and water, proper water temperature, etc., when brewing tea.
Do this to make sure that any bitter taste of the tea will not be your fault.
2. Add More Tea or Water
Tea can become as bitter as bitter almonds if you do not use the right water-tea ratio.
If you used too little water, add a little bit more.
If you used too little tea, try to steep some more in the water.
If you cannot steep extra tea in the water, you should steep it in another cup.
3. Brew Only Quality Tea Brands
When selecting the tea brand to purchase, you should buy more expensive teas as they taste better and also have more nutrients.
You will surely get a sweet taste from quality brands.
Cheaper teas can be difficult to steep and brew when compared to more expensive ones.
4. Make Sure That Your Water Is Not Contaminated
One not-so-common reason why your tea may taste bitter is because of the water.
What is the pH of your water source? Are there foreign objects in your kettle?
Always make sure to brew your tea with filtered and uncontaminated water.
5. Add a Little Bit More Sweetener or Sugar
If you still can’t stand the bitter taste of your tea, you could add a little bit more sugar or sweetener. You can also add milk or cream.
You can even consume your tea with other types of foods such as cheese and fruits.
So, how will you manage the bitter taste of your tea?
Related Questions and Answers
Need more info and tips about bitter almonds? Here you go:
Do Sweet Almond Teas Exist?
If you have not heard of sweet almond tea, you should know that they do exist.
Sweet almond teas are very nutritious as well as delicious. You get full quickly when you drink sweet almond tea, so it can help you to reduce your calorie intake.
Give sweet almond tea a try next time you see it offered. It is worth comparing the taste to your favorite brew.
Should You Consume Bitter Almonds?
You should not consume bitter almonds directly.
Bitter almonds have a harmful compound called hydrocyanic acid (HCN). This compound can cause breathing problems, a slow nervous system, and even death.
Also, do not allow your children and pets to play with bitter almonds.
What Are the Differences Between Sweet and Bitter Almonds?
We classify almond trees based on the safety of their fruits. Sweet almonds are almonds that are safe to eat. You can find them in stores, and they are entirely safe.
Bitter almonds, however, are bitter and have toxins that can harm you. You should not consume bitter almonds.
Asides from the taste and safety, bitter almonds are usually smaller and more pointed than sweet almonds.
Useful tips and info, right?
Final Thoughts
There are so many reasons why your tea can taste like bitter almonds.
You should not drink your bitter tea until you find the exact reason why it is bitter. Only then will you know if your tea is safe to drink or not.
