I used to think a good tea was supposed to be smooth.
No bitterness. No sharp edges.
Nothing that made me pause and wonder whether I was doing something wrong.
It seemed logical. We naturally gravitate toward things that are easy to enjoy. A tea that is sweet, gentle, and immediately comforting feels like a safe choice.
But over time, I started to question something.
When did we decide bitterness was something we needed to avoid completely?
Somewhere along the way, “no bitterness” became a sign of quality. A smooth tea was considered refined. A tea with a stronger edge was treated as something flawed.
But I think we are missing something.
Bitterness is not always a mistake. Sometimes, it is part of the character.
Think about some of the teas we love. A green tea can have a slight vegetal sharpness. A strong black tea can carry a pleasant astringency. Certain oolongs have a deeper roasted quality that creates complexity.
These flavours give tea personality.
Without them, everything starts to taste the same.
I have had teas that were incredibly smooth but completely forgettable. They were easy to drink, but I had no desire to return to them.
Then there were teas that challenged me at first.
They were slightly unfamiliar. Maybe a little stronger than I expected. Maybe not immediately comforting.
But after spending more time with them, I began to understand what made them special.
Perhaps this is true beyond tea as well.
The things we appreciate most are not always the things that please us instantly. Sometimes they ask us to slow down.
To pay attention.
To meet them halfway.
Of course, bitterness can also mean a tea was poorly made. Over-steeping, incorrect brewing, or lower-quality leaves can create unpleasant flavours. Not every bitter cup is secretly brilliant.
But removing all bitterness from tea should not be the goal.
Because tea without character is simply tea without a story.
The interesting teas are often the ones that reveal themselves gradually. The ones that make you think about the next sip.
So now, when I drink a tea with a little bitterness, I do not immediately assume something has gone wrong.
Sometimes, that little edge is exactly what makes the tea memorable.
Maybe the question is not whether a tea is completely smooth.
Maybe it is whether the flavour gives us something worth noticing.
— Maria Tan
On tea, culture, and everyday rituals.
Temperature Rules Are Overblown: The Real Brewing Variable Nobody Mentions
I used to think making tea required a thermometer. Not literally, perhaps, but almost. Every tea seemed to have a number attached to it. Green tea at this temperature. Oolong at another. Black tea a little hotter. Too hot and you had apparently ruined everything. For a while, I took these rules quite seriously. Then…
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Afternoon Tea at Prada Caffè ION Orchard: A Green Room, a Pale-Blue Cup
Afternoon tea has always been about the pause for me. Not the tiers or the silverware. Just the moment when the cup is set down, the steam rises, and everything outside seems to slow a little. So I wondered what a pause would feel like inside a fashion house. One floor above Orchard Road, past…
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A Love Letter to Oolong: The In-Between That Changed My Mind
I did not understand oolong when I first encountered it. It seemed unnecessarily complicated. Green tea was green tea. Black tea was black tea. I understood where they stood. Oolong seemed determined to remain somewhere in between. Perhaps that was what initially kept me from appreciating it. Over time, however, I began to realise that…
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Tea from Assam: The Geography, Craft, and Character Behind the Brew
The colour arrives first. A deep amber that darkens towards red as the tea leaves give up their strength. Then comes the aroma. It is warm and rounded, often compared to malt or the crust of fresh bread. The first sip has weight. It fills the mouth with a rich body and leaves a slight,…
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Why “No Bitterness” Is a Terrible Goal (And Makes Tea Boring)
I used to think a good tea was supposed to be smooth. No bitterness. No sharp edges. Nothing that made me pause and wonder whether I was doing something wrong. It seemed logical. We naturally gravitate toward things that are easy to enjoy. A tea that is sweet, gentle, and immediately comforting feels like a…
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Best Tea Brands Singapore: 10 Names Worth Knowing
There’s a small sound I’ve always liked. It’s the soft knock of a teapot lid settling back into place, just before the first pour. It happens at home. It happens in old shophouses and in bright mall boutiques like those in Suntec City. The setting changes, but the pause stays the same. This list is…
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“Rare” Tea Is Often Manufactured Scarcity: Here’s How to Tell
There is a word in tea that carries unusual power. Rare. It immediately creates curiosity. A rare harvest. A rare batch. A rare tree. A tea that may never return. The suggestion is simple: if something is difficult to obtain, it must be more valuable. Sometimes, this is true. Some teas are genuinely limited because…
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LiHO Tea Singapore: A Greeting You Can Drink
Some words carry a whole childhood inside them. Li ho. I heard it at kopitiam tables, across corridors, from uncles who never waited for a real answer. It meant “how are you,” but it also meant I see you. So when I saw that name on a tea shop sign, somewhere in the middle of…
The Myth of “Perfect” Tea: What I Stopped Chasing
For a long time, I thought I was looking for the perfect tea. I imagined there would be a moment when I found the one. The tea that made every other tea feel unnecessary. The tea I would recommend to everyone. The tea that would finally make me understand what true appreciation was supposed to…
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Teh O: Understanding the Tea Order Behind the Name
There is a stall near where I grew up that has changed hands twice, but the tea has stayed the same. I still remember the first time I ordered teh o on my own, sometime in my early teens, mumbling the words at the counter and half-expecting to get them wrong. The uncle didn’t blink….
