It’s very smooth, and not at all bitter. The mint is very light, so if you like bold mint flavor, you might not like this. There’s a delicious toasted taste to this that I really enjoy. It’s almost savory, with lots of umami.I can get at least two steeps per bag by using the following method: first steep @ 175F for 90 seconds, second steep @ 185F for about two minutes. You might even get a third by using 208F for three or more minutes.