Re: bitter taste, is this normal???

We make silver at home and have to keep a close eye on it as it can "cook" too fast. When ready, ours has a yellow tint to it but we were warned not to allow the residue that you are seeing at the bottom of your container. Hot water will speed up the process. Also, when we see a buildup on the rods we clean them off and reinsert them into the water. As for taste, prior to making our own, we purched CS through Nature Sunshine Products (loved it-worked like a charm on entire family) and it never had more than a faint metallic taste. You could still use those "too strong" batches for external needs but I wouldn't ingest if I were you.