the one advice I have with tea is if it tastes too bitter brew it for slightly less time or at a slightly lower temp. One or the other or both will almost always get rid of the bitterness. Glad I could help as tea is one of the rare financially accessible luxuries, pipes are one of the other ones too. But both of them seem to give more refined pleasure per dollar spent then anything else.Thanks! I propably had water on 97 degrees. Maybe I'll try 90 next time.