I don’t know what changed, but I have had this twice today and darned if it doesn’t taste just like tea from the pot at the sushi bar. I didn’t measure the water temperature, so my suspicion is that I steeped it hotter than for my initial tasting. I just let the water sit in the kettle for 90 seconds after whistling. Anyway, it wasn’t a significantly different cup of tea, but more as advertised.
Incidentally, I tasted another family member’s cup that had the bag left in for many more minutes (10 minutes?) than mine (same water temperature as mine). It tasted stronger, but not bitter or in any way unpleasant to me. With the price, nice taste, and resistance to steeping time abuse, I could see this as having a semi-permanent home in the cabinet.
