For a cup of English breakfast tea 15 minutes is way too long, it'll oversteep and become bitter

tea bags, which are casual, 3 minutes.

if you're steeping tea leaves and you care about it, teas have different steeping times

same as going for a jog vs being an ultramarathon runner

or painting a wall vs building a houses for a living

it's about whether you care about the process or want a quick solution

American here. 15 minutes is a wild amount of time to have your tea steeping before drinking, not least of which because it's probably too cold by then! If anyone finds all tea too bitter, or has to add a ton of sugar and milk, it's because it's a quick beverage, not a potion or a science experiment...

You're getting very bitter tea letting it steep that long.

Teabag tea is cut up much much finer than looseleaf tea. Whereas looseleaf is identifiable bits of leaf, the stuff in teabags is ground up into a powder. They do this deliberately so that it will brew more quickly, and a good cup normally takes 3-5 minutes.

Looseleaf tea takes longer to brew, which is why you can brew a big pot, pour and drink one cup, and then come back for a second that's been sat on the leaves without it tasting like industrial chemicals.

I'm from the US so maybe not what you're looking for, but for black tea you need a few things:

• 212° water (freedom units) - must be boiling, not boiled-then-left-to-cool. I use an electric kettle. If your water isn't hot enough your tea won't steep effectively.
• Decent tea. If you're steeping 15 minutes you might be drinking cheap tea made with fannings (essentially the tea dust that's left over after the better quality products have been packaged). I drink Yorkshire Gold but this is a matter of preference.
• Milk and sugar to taste, but these should complement the tea. Tea should be the predominant flavor, it shouldn't just taste like milk or sugar.

Here's what you do:

1. Heat the water to a rolling boil.
2. While the water is still boiling, pour over the teabag. Pour slowly enough that you don't rupture the bag.
3. Steep for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the teabag. Don't squeeze it out - this releases more tannins and your brew will be more bitter.
5. (CONTROVERSIAL!) Add milk and sugar. Some people will tell you milk goes in first. These people are wrong.

Some people will talk at you about teapots and patinas but honestly if you're an infrequent tea drinker it's not worth bothering with.

Signed - an American anxiously awaiting all the UKians who will tell me I'm doing it wrong.

I think the issue is not the fact that it's a teabag, it's the lavender part. If you're having fancy tea then you leave it in much longer, if you're having normal tea then 15 minutes is as heretical as the OP!

Jesus Christ

Different ways for different people.