The first cup from my pot is weak and the last is bitter

In short

A teapot does not hold one uniform liquid. Strength increases from the top of the pot to the bottom and it continues rising while the pot stands, so pouring in sequence ensures that the person served last gets a different drink from the person served first.

Likely causes, in order

Most likely first. Answer the question under each one before moving on — several of these look alike in the cup and are told apart only by what was done to the leaf.

1. 1. Pouring straight into cups in sequence

   Technique

   Check: Do you fill each cup completely before moving to the next?

   Fix: Pour into a jug first and then distribute — the Chinese fairness pitcher exists for exactly this. Failing that, fill each cup half way and go round twice.

2. 2. The leaf is still in the pot between cups

   Over-extraction

   Check: Is there an infuser basket, and is it still in?

   Fix: Lift the basket out when the steep is done, or decant the whole pot. Tea left standing on leaf is stronger by the second cup and harsh by the fourth.

3. 3. A pot too large for the number of drinkers

   Equipment

   Check: How long does the last of the pot sit before it is drunk?

   Fix: Use a smaller pot and brew twice. Half a litre of tea standing on leaf for twenty minutes has no good outcome.

4. 4. A cosy or warmer keeping the pot at extraction temperature

   Over-extraction

   Check: Is the pot covered or sitting over a flame?

   Fix: Strain first, then insulate. Keeping a pot hot is only a good idea once the leaf is out of it.

Tea types this applies to

• Black tea

Brewing methods this applies to

• Western brewing (teapot or mug) — A small amount of leaf in a large volume of water, steeped once for a few minutes and then strained off. The approach most English-speaking drinkers already know, and the one most teas sold in the West are made for.

Related problems

Sharing a cause category, a tea type or a brewing method with this one.

• My milk curdles or separates in the tea — Flecks or threads appear when the milk goes in, or the surface breaks into small islands, and the drink looks grainy rather than smooth.
• My tea goes cold before I finish it — The cup is lukewarm within a few minutes, and in a gongfu session the later infusions arrive noticeably cooler than the early ones.
• My tea gets drier and harsher as it cools — The first mouthful is balanced and the last one, several minutes later, grips the tongue and feels rough — from the same cup, with nothing added.
• My teapot came out of the dishwasher damaged or tasting wrong — A pot or cup returns from a dishwasher cycle dulled, with faded decoration, a fine web of surface cracks, or a persistent taste that was not there before.
• Tea from my flask tastes stewed by mid-morning — Tea that was fine when it went into the flask is dark, thick and harshly drying an hour or two later, and worse again by lunchtime.

Sources