Okay y'all, tea time!
If your tea is bitter you're oversteeping it. Teas are meant to be used with a specific(ish) water temperature and steep time.
Five minutes as 212F is great for a lot of black teas, but will ruin a green tea. A lot of green teas do better at like, 180F and 1-2 minutes of steep. The packaging should have directions somewhere on it!
A nice electric kettle can dial a specific water temperature target. Lacking that, let it cool a bit if the water was boiling.
@starkatt Lapsang Souchang is my favorite smoked tea. It makes a great marinade for root veg and tofu, too!
Right now I'm drinking a lapsang, which is a black tea that's been smoked. It tastes like campfire!