Hi Paul,
Thank you for your honest feedback. It's normal for Essiac tea batches to vary in taste, color and texture. The product is minimally processed and contains no additives or preservatives. Because of that, you are getting natural herbs that are never going to behave the exact same way from batch to batch. You might have 2 years of the batches seeming very similar, but then a batch that seems quite different.
You also could get different experiences from various bags in the same order. It all has to do with the factors that go into the growth of each herb that is part of the blend.
We recommend adding as much unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice, lemon juice or stevia to your Essiac to help out if you are finding the product to be too bitter.
Please keep in mind that the goal of it isn't taste, it's results, and most customers get used to it after a few days, especially with the added sweetener. We hope that helps.
Feel free to contact us if you have further questions.