D row all the way. There should only be a dollop/splash of milk, just enough to cancel out the bitterness. However, if the blend is good enough I’ll just have it black (eg Twinings Earl Grey works black, other Earl Greys don’t).
D4 realised a while back I don’t really like the taste of milk, so went darker and darker until now I just drink black tea. Honestly I’m more of a coffee chap (snob)
A=>D is decreasing milk amount, and 1=>4 is increasing strength, so D1 would essentially be water, A1 would essentially be milk and the B3/B4/C3/C4 would be the square of “not pulling a face when you take the first sip” (although I lie somewhere between B4 & C3 so I may be biased)
I’ve found that a longer steep doesn’t really make a better cup though. If I want stronger, I add more tea and stay at the 4-5 minute range. Past maybe five minutes, it’s getting tannins at such a high level that it’s just bitterness. Which, if you like your tea very bitter, that’s a good thing! I prefer the more subtle flavors over the tannic bite, though.
Ahhhh, gotcha. I’m sorta the same way with coffee sometimes. Grew up with basic folgers rotgut, so I get that hankering for the way coffee tasted as a young’n rather than it tasting the way I usually prefer it. So I’ll just dump too much into a percolator, keep the heat on it until it’s near scorched, and let it eat a hole in my belly lol
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