What am I missing out on?

I’ve loved tea my whole life, to the point I’d suck on tea bags after I finished the tea as a kid. I’ve heard a lot of people say that you shouldn’t steep tea in boiling water, steep too long, or use pre-bagged teas even. I am guilty of all of these and honestly I really like the little bit of bitterness you get from a boiled Lipton.

Lately I’ve been considering getting some loose leaf and following the rules of rinsing and shortening the steep, but I’m hesitant because I feel like I’ll miss out on flavor. Am wrong in assuming less time steeping and less heat leads to weaker tea?

Also, heavily debating investing in a tea set, like gai wan, tea pet, tea tray. Any recommendations for an affordable set or good places online to purchase? I’m mostly finding temu tea trays which I’m not too confident in the quality of.